Jesus 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 ignorance 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 is 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 from him 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.

1[Domine, pater et dominator vitæ meæ, ne derelinquas me in consilio eorum, nec sinas me cadere in illis.

2Quis superponet in cogitatu meo flagella, et in corde meo doctrinam sapientiæ, ut ignorationibus eorum non parcant mihi, et non appareant delicta eorum,

3et ne adincrescant ignorantiæ meæ, et multiplicentur delicta mea, et peccata mea abundent, et incidam in conspectu adversariorum meorum, et gaudeat super me inimicus meus?

4Domine, pater et Deus vitæ meæ, ne derelinquas me in cogitatu illorum.

5Extollentiam oculorum meorum ne dederis mihi, et omne desiderium averte a me.

6Aufer a me ventris concupiscentias, et concubitus concupiscentiæ ne apprehendant me, et animæ irreverenti et infrunitæ ne tradas me.]

7[Doctrinam oris audite, filii: et qui custodierit illam non periet labiis, nec scandalizabitur in operibus nequissimis.

8In vanitate sua apprehenditur peccator: et superbus et maledicus scandalizabitur in illis.

9Jurationi non assuescat os tuum: multi enim casus in illa.

10Nominatio vero Dei non sit assidua in ore tuo, et nominibus sanctorum non admiscearis, quoniam non erit immunis ab eis.

11Sicut enim servus interrogatus assidue a livore non minuitur, sic omnis jurans et nominans in toto a peccato non purgabitur.

12Vir multum jurans implebitur iniquitate, et non discedet a domo illius plaga.

13Et si frustraverit, delictum illius super ipsum erit: et si dissimulaverit, delinquit dupliciter:

14et si in vacuum juraverit, non justificabitur: replebitur enim retributione domus illius.

15Est et alia loquela contraria morti: non inveniatur in hæreditate Jacob.

16Etenim a misericordibus omnia hæc auferentur, et in delictis non volutabuntur.

17Indisciplinatæ loquelæ non assuescat os tuum: est enim in illa verbum peccati.

18Memento patris et matris tuæ: in medio enim magnatorum consistis:

19ne forte obliviscatur te Deus in conspectu illorum, et assiduitate tua infatuatus, improperium patiaris, et maluisses non nasci, et diem nativitatis tuæ maledicas.

20Homo assuetus in verbis improperii in omnibus diebus suis non erudietur.]

21[Duo genera abundant in peccatis, et tertium adducit iram et perditionem.

22Anima calida quasi ignis ardens, non extinguetur donec aliquid glutiat:

23et homo nequam in ore carnis suæ non desinet donec incendat ignem.

24Homini fornicario omnis panis dulcis: non fatigabitur transgrediens usque ad finem.

25Omnis homo qui transgreditur lectum suum, contemnens in animam suam, et dicens: Quis me videt?

26Tenebræ circumdant me, et parietes cooperiunt me, et nemo circumspicit me: quem vereor? delictorum meorum non memorabitur Altissimus.

27Et non intelligit quoniam omnia videt oculus illius, quoniam expellit a se timorem Dei hujusmodi hominis timor, et oculi hominum timentes illum:

28et non cognovit quoniam oculi Domini multo plus lucidiores sunt super solem, circumspicientes omnes vias hominum, et profundum abyssi, et hominum corda, intuentes in absconditas partes.

29Domino enim Deo antequam crearentur omnia sunt agnita: sic et post perfectum respicit omnia.

30Hic in plateis civitatis vindicabitur, et quasi pullus equinus fugabitur, et ubi non speravit apprehendetur.

31Et erit dedecus omnibus, eo quod non intellexerit timorem Domini.

32Sic et mulier omnis relinquens virum suum, et statuens hæreditatem ex alieno matrimonio:

33primo enim in lege Altissimi incredibilis fuit: secundo in virum suum deliquit: tertio in adulterio fornicata est, et ex alio viro filios statuit sibi.

34Hæc in ecclesiam adducetur, et in filios ejus respicietur:

35non tradent filii ejus radices, et rami ejus non dabunt fructum:

36derelinquet in maledictum memoriam ejus, et dedecus illius non delebitur.

37Et agnoscent qui derelicti sunt, quoniam nihil melius est quam timor Dei, et nihil dulcius quam respicere in mandatis Domini.

38Gloria magna est sequi Dominum: longitudo enim dierum assumetur ab eo.]

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.