Ecclesiasticus, 23

1. O Lord, Father and Governor of all my whole life, leave me not to their counsels, and let me not fall by them.

1. O Lord, Father and master of my life, do not abandon me to the thoughtless words of my lips or allow me to fall because of them.

2. Who will set scourges over my thoughts, and the discipline of wisdom over mine heart? that they spare me not for mine ignorances, and it pass not by my sins:

2. Who will deal out punishment to my thoughts and apply the discipline of wisdom to my heart?

3. Lest mine ignorances increase, and my sins abound to my destruction, and I fall before mine adversaries, and mine enemy rejoice over me, whose hope is far from thy mercy.

3. Let them not be indulgent at my sins or the mistakes of my mind, lest my errors increase and sins multiply, and I fall into the hands of my enemies, to the joy of my foes.

4. O Lord, Father and God of my life, give me not a proud look, but turn away from thy servants always a haughty mind.

4. Lord, Father and God of my life, do not allow me to become haughty;

5. Turn away from me vain hopes and concupiscence, and thou shalt hold him up that is desirous always to serve thee.

5. keep greed far away from me.

6. Let not the greediness of the belly nor lust of the flesh take hold of me; and give not over me thy servant into an impudent mind.

6. Do not let lust and lechery take hold of me; do not deliver me to filthy passions.

7. Hear, O ye children, the discipline of the mouth: he that keepeth it shall never be taken in his lips.

7. Children, learn how to control your language; if you are able to watch over it, you will not be taken by surprise.

8. The sinner shall be left in his foolishness: both the evil speaker and the proud shall fall thereby.

8. The sinner will be caught in his own words, as happens to the proud man and to him who curses.

9. Accustom not thy mouth to swearing; neither use thyself to the naming of the Holy One.

9. Do not get used to swearing, taking the name of the Holy One.

10. For as a servant that is continually beaten shall not be without a blue mark: so he that sweareth and nameth God continually shall not be faultless.

10. For, just as the slave who is constantly watched will not escape without blows so you, also, will not be found guiltless after constantly calling upon his name.

11. A man that useth much swearing shall be filled with iniquity, and the plague shall never depart from his house: if he shall offend, his sin shall be upon him: and if he acknowledge not his sin, he maketh a double offence: and if he swear in vain, he shall not be innocent, but his house shall be full of calamities.

11. The man who swears habitually will be found full of sins, and disgrace will not depart from his house. If he fails to keep his oath due to carelessness, punishment will descend upon him; if he fails knowingly, his sin is double and if he has sworn falsely, he will not be forgiven; in any case, his house will be filled with disasters.

12. There is a word that is clothed about with death: God grant that it be not found in the heritage of Jacob; for all such things shall be far from the godly, and they shall not wallow in their sins.

12. There is a way of talking which deserves death; let it not be used by Jacob's descendants. Virtuous men keep far away from it and do not wallow in sin.

13. Use not thy mouth to intemperate swearing, for therein is the word of sin.

13. Do not accustom your mouth to foul language for it will be sinful talk.

14. Remember thy father and thy mother, when thou sittest among great men. Be not forgetful before them, and so thou by thy custom become a fool, and wish that thou hadst not been born, and curse they day of thy nativity.

14. Remember your father and mother when you are sitting in the company of the great, lest you forget yourself in their presence and act like a fool. Then you would wish you had never been born, and curse the day of your birth.

15. The man that is accustomed to opprobrious words will never be reformed all the days of his life.

15. A man used to indecent talk will never be reformed in his lifetime.

16. Two sorts of men multiply sin, and the third will bring wrath: a hot mind is as a burning fire, it will never be quenched till it be consumed: a fornicator in the body of his flesh will never cease till he hath kindled a fire.

16. Two types of men multiply sins and a third attracts the Lord's anger: A blazing passion which burns like fire will not be extinguished until it burns itself up. A man who seeks pleasure from his own body, he will not give up until he catches fire;

17. All bread is sweet to a whoremonger, he will not leave off till he die.

17. to the indecent man, all food tastes sweet and he will not be satisfied until death.

18. A man that breaketh wedlock, saying thus in his heart, Who seeth me? I am compassed about with darkness, the walls cover me, and no body seeth me; what need I to fear? the most High will not remember my sins:

18. The man unfaithful to the marriage bed who thinks like this, "Who sees me? Darkness surrounds me, the walls hide me; nobody can see me. Why should I worry? The Almighty will not take note of my faults."

19. Such a man only feareth the eyes of men, and knoweth not that the eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun, beholding all the ways of men, and considering the most secret parts.

19. He fears the scrutiny of men and does not realize that the Lord's eyes are a thousand times brighter than the sun, that they watch the conduct of all men and penetrate into the most secret corners.

20. He knew all things ere ever they were created; so also after they were perfected he looked upon them all.

20. All things were present to him before they were created and so will they be after their end.

21. This man shall be punished in the streets of the city, and where he suspecteth not he shall be taken.

21. This man will be punished in view of the whole city, he will be caught when he least expects it.

22. Thus shall it go also with the wife that leaveth her husband, and bringeth in an heir by another.

22. In the same way, the woman who is unfaithful to her husband and gives him an heir by another man will be punished.

23. For first, she hath disobeyed the law of the most High; and secondly, she hath trespassed against her own husband; and thirdly, she hath played the whore in adultery, and brought children by another man.

23. First, she has disobeyed the Law of the Almighty. Secondly, she has sinned against her husband and thirdly, she is tainted with adultery, for she has had children by another man.

24. She shall be brought out into the congregation, and inquisition shall be made of her children.

24. She will be taken before the assembly and questioned about her children.

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

25. The children will not be able to take root; their branches will not bear fruit.

26. She shall leave her memory to be cursed, and her reproach shall not be blotted out.

26. She will leave behind a cursed memory and her shame will never be blotted out.

27. And they that remain shall know that there is nothing better than the fear of the Lord, and that there is nothing sweeter than to take heed unto the commandments of the Lord.

27. People who have seen her will know that nothing matters more than the fear of the Lord and nothing is sweeter than fulfilling his commands.

28. It is great glory to follow the Lord, and to be received of him is long life.

28.