Commerce Breeds Sin

Ben Sira 26:29–27:3

ca. 180–132 BCE

Chapter 26

²⁹A merchant can hardly keep from wrongdoing,

nor is a tradesman innocent of sin.

¹Many have committed sin for gain,

and those who seek to get rich will avert their eyes.

²As a stake is driven firmly into a fissure between stones,

so sin is wedged in between selling and buying.

³If a person is not steadfast in the fear of the Lord,

his house will be quickly overthrown.

Translation from the New Revised Standard Version.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.