Sirach 23

¹Lord, Father and Ruler of my life: may you not abandon me to their counsel, nor permit me to fall by them.

²They would impose scourges over my thoughts and over the discipline of wisdom in my heart. And they would not spare me from their ignorances, nor would they allow their own offenses to become apparent.

³And they intend that my ignorances would increase, and my offenses be multiplied, and my sins abound. And so I would fall in the sight of my adversaries, and be rejoiced over by my enemy.

⁴Lord, Father and God of my life: may you not abandon me to their plans.

⁵Do not leave me with the haughtiness of my eyes. And avert all desire from me.

⁶Take the desire of the body from me, and do not allow sexual desire to take hold of me, and do not permit an irreverent and senseless mind within me.

⁷O sons: listen to the doctrine of my mouth. For those who observe it will not perish by the lips, nor be scandalized into wicked works.

⁸A sinner is held by his own emptiness. And the arrogant and those who speak evil will be scandalized by these things.

⁹Do not allow your mouth to become accustomed to swearing oaths. For in this, there are many pitfalls.

¹⁰Truly, do not allow the naming of God to be continually in your mouth, and do not treat as if common the names of the holy ones. For you will not escape punishment by them.

¹¹Just as a servant, continually interrogated, will not be without a bruise, so everyone who swears oaths and takes God’s name will not be entirely free from sin.

¹²A man who swears many oaths will be filled with iniquity, and scourges will not depart from his house.

¹³And if he fails to fulfill it, his offense will be over him, and if he pretends he fulfilled it, he offends doubly.

¹⁴And if he swears an oath insincerely, he will not be justified. For his house will be filled with retribution for him.

¹⁵There is yet another kind of talk which faces death; let it not be found in the inheritance of Jacob.

¹⁶For all these things will be taken away from the merciful, and they shall not wallow in offenses.

¹⁷Do not allow your mouth to become accustomed to undisciplined speech. For in this, there is the sin of words.

¹⁸When you sit in the midst of great men, remember your father and mother.

¹⁹Otherwise, God may forget you, when you are in their sight, and then you would be repeatedly ridiculed and would suffer disgrace, and you might wish that you had never been born, and you might curse the day of your nativity.

²⁰The man who is accustomed to disgraceful words will not accept instruction, all the days of his life.

²¹Two kinds of persons abound in sins, and a third adds wrath and perdition.

²²A desirous soul is like a burning fire, it will not be quenched, until it devours something.

²³And a man who is wicked in the desires of his flesh will not desist until he has kindled a fire.

²⁴To a man of fornication, all bread is sweet; he will not tire of transgression, to the very end.

²⁵Every man who transgresses his own bed has contempt for his own soul. And so he says: “Who can see me?

²⁶Darkness surrounds me, and the walls enclose me, and no one catches sight of me. Whom should I fear? The Most High will not remember my offenses.”

²⁷And he does not understand that God’s eye sees all things. For fear within a man such as this drives away from him both the fear of God and the eyes of those men who fear God.

²⁸And he does not acknowledge that the eyes of the Lord are much brighter than the sun, keeping watch over all the ways of men, even to the depths of the abyss, and gazing into the hearts of men, even to the most hidden parts.

²⁹For all things, before they were created, were known to the Lord God. And even after their completion, he beholds all things.

³⁰This man will be punished in the streets of the city, and he will be chased like a young horse. And in a place that he does not suspect, he will be captured.

³¹And because he did not understand the fear of the Lord, he will be in disgrace before all men,

³²as will be every woman, too, who abandons her husband and establishes an inheritance by marriage to another man.

³³For first, she was unbelieving of the law of the Most High. Second, she offended against her husband. Third, she fornicated by adultery, and so established her children by another man.

³⁴This woman will be led into the assembly, and she will be stared at by her children.

³⁵Her children will not take root, and her branches will not produce fruit.

³⁶She will leave behind her memory as a curse, and her infamy will not be wiped away.

³⁷And those who are left behind will acknowledge that there is nothing better than the fear of God, and that there is nothing sweeter than to have respect for the commandments of the Lord.

³⁸It is a great glory to follow the Lord. For length of days will be received from him.

Sirach 23

¹O Lord, father, and sovereign ruler of my life, leave me not to their counsel: nor suffer me to fall by them.

²Who will set scourges over my thoughts, and the discipline of wisdom over my heart, that they spare me not in their ignorances, and that their sins may not appear:

³Lest my ignorances increase, and my offences be multiplied, and my sins abound, and I fall before my adversaries, and my enemy rejoice over me?

⁴O Lord, father, and God of my life, leave me not to their devices.

⁵Give me not haughtiness of my eyes, and turn away from me all coveting.

⁶Take from me the greediness of the belly, and let not the lusts of the flesh take hold of me, and give me not over to a shameless and foolish mind.

⁷Hear, O ye children, the discipline of the mouth, and he that will keep it shall not perish by his lips, nor be brought to fall into most wicked works.

⁸A sinner is caught in his own vanity, and the proud and the evil speakers shall fall thereby.

⁹Let not thy mouth be accustomed to swearing: for in it there are many falls.

¹⁰And let not the naming of God be usual in thy mouth, and meddle not with the names of saints, for thou shalt not escape free from them.

¹¹For as a slave daily put to the question, is never without a blue mark: so every one that sweareth, and nameth, shall not be wholly pure from sin.

¹²A man that sweareth much, shall be filled with iniquity, and a scourge shall not depart from his house.

¹³And if he make it void, his sin shall be upon him, and if he dissemble it, he offendeth double:

¹⁴And if he swear in vain, he shall not be justified: for his house shall be filled with his punishment.

¹⁵There is also another speech opposite to death, let it not be found in the inheritance of Jacob.

¹⁶For from the merciful all these things shall be taken away, and they shall not wallow in sins.

¹⁷Let not thy mouth be accustomed to indiscreet speech: for therein is the word of sin.

¹⁸Remember thy father and thy mother, for thou sittest in the midst of great men:

¹⁹Lest God forget thee in their sight, and thou, by thy daily custom be infatuated and suffer reproach: and wish that thou hadst not been born, and curse the day of thy nativity.

²⁰The man that is accustomed to opprobrious words, will never be corrected all the days of his life.

²¹Two sorts of men multiply sins, and the third bringeth wrath and destruction.

²²A hot soul is a burning fire, it will never be quenched, till it devour some thing.

²³And a man that is wicked in the mouth of his flesh, will not leave off till he hath kindled a fire.

²⁴To a man that is a fornicator all bread is sweet, he will not be weary of sinning unto the end.

²⁵Every man that passeth beyond his own bed, despising his own soul, and saying: Who seeth me?

²⁶Darkness compasseth me about, and the walls cover me, and no man seeth me: whom do I fear? the most High will not remember my sins.

²⁷And he understandeth not that his eye seeth all things, for such a man's fear driveth him from the fear of God, and the eyes of men fearing him:

²⁸And he knoweth not that the eyes of the Lord are far brighter than the sun, beholding round about all the ways of men, and the bottom of the deep, and looking into the hearts of men, into the most hidden parts.

²⁹For all things were known to the Lord God, before they were created: so also after they were perfected he beholdeth all things.

³⁰This man shall be punished in the streets of the city, and he shall be chased as a colt: and where he suspected not, he shall be taken.

³¹And he shall be in disgrace with all men, because he understood not the fear of the Lord.

³²So every woman also that leaveth her husband, and bringeth in an heir by another:

³³For first she hath been unfaithful to the law of the most High: and secondly, she hath offended against her husband: thirdly, she hath fornicated in adultery, and hath gotten her children of another man.

³⁴This woman shall be brought into the assembly, and inquisition shall be made of her children.

³⁵Her children shall not take root, and her branches shall bring forth no fruit.

³⁶She shall leave her memory to be cursed, and her infamy shall not be blotted out.

³⁷And they that remain shall know, that there is nothing better than the fear of God: and that there is nothing sweeter than to have regard to the commandments of the Lord.

³⁸It is great glory to follow the Lord: for length of days shall be received from him.