Sirach 23:16-18
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Concerning Sexual Sins
16 Two sorts of men multiply sins,
and a third incurs wrath.
The soul heated like a burning fire
will not be quenched until it is consumed;
a man who commits fornication with his near of kin[a]
will never cease until the fire burns him up.
17 To a fornicator all bread tastes sweet;
he will never cease until he dies.
18 A man who breaks his marriage vows
says to himself, “Who sees me?
Darkness surrounds me, and the walls hide me,
and no one sees me. Why should I fear?
The Most High will not take notice of my sins.”
Footnotes
- Sirach 23:16 Gk in the body of his flesh
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.