Ben Sira 30:17-20
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
17 Better is death than a wretched life,(A)
everlasting sleep than constant illness.
18 Good things set before one who cannot eat
are like food offerings placed before a tomb.[a](B)
19 What good is an offering to an idol
that can neither eat nor smell?
So it is with the one being punished by the Lord,
20 who groans at what his eyes behold.
Footnotes
- 30:18 The saying ridicules the practice of putting food and drink on the tombs of the dead.
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