“Whoever throws a stone straight up
Throws it on his own head.
A treacherous blow
Opens up many wounds.
Whoever digs a pit
Will fall into it.
Whoever sets a snare
Will be caught in it.
If a person does evil,
It will roll back upon him.
He will not know
Where it came from.”
Sirach then has a series of paradoxes. If you throw a stone straight up in the air, it will land on your head. A treacherous blow opens many wounds. If you dig a pit, you will fall into it. If you set a snare, you will be caught in it. Whenever you do evil, it will roll back on you. However, you will have no idea where it came from.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 