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20 (A)yet there is no one on earth so just as to do good and never sin. 21 Do not give your heart to every word that is spoken; you may hear your servant cursing you, 22 for your heart knows that you have many times cursed others.

23 All these things I probed in wisdom. I said, “I will acquire wisdom”; but it was far beyond me. 24 What exists is far-reaching; it is deep, very deep:[a] Who can find it out?

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Footnotes

  1. 7:24 Far-reaching…deep: the spatial metaphor here emphasizes wisdom’s inaccessibility, a frequent theme in wisdom literature; cf. Jb 28; Prv 30:1–4; Sir 24:28–29; Bar 3:14–23.

20 Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous,(A)
    no one who does what is right and never sins.(B)

21 Do not pay attention to every word people say,
    or you(C) may hear your servant cursing you—
22 for you know in your heart
    that many times you yourself have cursed others.

23 All this I tested by wisdom and I said,

“I am determined to be wise”(D)
    but this was beyond me.
24 Whatever exists is far off and most profound—
    who can discover it?(E)

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