Ecclesiasticus, 23

1. LORD, Father and Master of my life, permit me not to fall by them!

1. Lord, father and master of my life, do not abandon me to their whims, do not let me fall because of them.

2. Who will apply the lash to my thoughts, to my mind the rod of discipline, That my failings may not be spared, nor the sins of my heart overlooked;

2. Who will lay whips to my thoughts, and the discipline of wisdom to my heart, to be merciless to my errors and not let my sins go unchecked,

3. Lest my failings increase, and my sins be multiplied; Lest I succumb to my foes, and my enemy rejoice over me?

3. for fear my errors should multiply and my sins then abound and I fall before my adversaries, and my enemy gloat over me?

4. LORD, Father and God of my life, abandon me not into their control!

4. Lord, father and God of my life, do not let my eyes be proud,

5. A brazen look allow me not; ward off passion from my heart,

5. turn envy away from me,

6. Let not the lustful cravings of the flesh master me, surrender me not to shameless desires.

6. do not let lechery and lust grip me, do not leave me a prey to shameless desire.

7. Give heed, my children, to the instruction that I pronounce, for he who keeps it will not be enslaved.

7. Children, listen to what I teach, no one who keeps it will be caught out.

8. Through his lips is the sinner ensnared; the railer and the arrogant man fall thereby.

8. The sinner is ensnared by his own lips, both the abusive and the proud are tripped by them.

9. Let not your mouth form the habit of swearing, or becoming too familiar with the Holy Name.

9. Do not get into the habit of swearing, do not make a habit of naming the Holy One;

10. Just as a slave that is constantly under scrutiny will not be without welts, So one who swears continually by the Holy Name will not remain free from sin.

10. for just as a slave who is constantly overseen will never be without bruises, so someone who is always swearing and uttering the Name will not be exempt from sin.

11. A man who often swears heaps up obligations; the scourge will never be far from his house. If he swears in error, he incurs guilt; if he neglects his obligation, his sin is doubly great. If he swears without reason he cannot be found just, and all his house will suffer affliction.

11. A man for ever swearing is full of iniquity, and the scourge will not depart from his house. If he offends, his sin will be on him, if he did it unheedingly, he has doubly sinned; if he swears a false oath, he will not be treated as innocent, for his house will be filled with calamities.

12. There are words which merit death; may they never be heard among Jacob's heirs. For all such words are foreign to the devout, who do not wallow in sin.

12. One way of talking is like death, let it not be found in the heritage of Jacob since devout people have nothing to do with that: they will not wallow in sin.

13. Let not your mouth become used to coarse talk, for in it lies sinful matter.

13. Do not get into the habit of using coarse and foul language since this involves sinful words.

14. Keep your father and mother in mind when you sit among the mighty, Lest in their presence you commit a blunder and disgrace your upbringing, By wishing you had never been born or cursing the day of your birth.

14. Remember your father and mother when you are sitting with the great, for fear you forget yourself in their presence and behave like a fool, and then wish you had not been born and curse the day of your birth.

15. A man who has the habit of abusive language will never mature in character as long as he lives.

15. No one in the habit of using shameful language will break himself of it as long as he lives.

16. Two types of men multiply sins, a third draws down wrath; For burning passion is a blazing fire, not to be quenched till it burns itself out: A man given to sins of the flesh, who never stops until the fire breaks forth;

16. There are two types of people who commit sin after sin and a third who attracts retribution-

17. The rake to whom all bread is sweet and who is never through till he dies;

17. desire, blazing like a furnace, will not die down until it has been sated- the man who lusts after members of his own family is not going to stop until he is quite burnt out; every food is sweet to the promiscuous, and he will not desist until he dies;

18. And the man who dishonors his marriage bed and says to himself "Who can see me? Darkness surrounds me, walls hide me; no one sees me; why should I fear to sin?" Of the Most High he is not mindful,

18. and the man who sins against the marriage bed and says to himself, 'Who can see me? There is darkness all round me, the walls hide me, no one can see me, why should I worry? The Most High will not remember my sins.'

19. fearing only the eyes of men; He does not understand that the eyes of the LORD, ten thousand times brighter than the sun, Observe every step a man takes and peer into hidden corners.

19. What he fears are human eyes, he does not realise that the eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun, observing every aspect of human behaviour, seeing into the most secret corners.

20. He who knows all things before they exist still knows them all after they are made.

20. All things were known to him before they were created, and are still, now that they are finished.

21. Such a man will be punished in the streets of the city; when he least expects it, he will be apprehended.

21. This man will be punished in view of the whole town, and will be seized when he least expects it.

22. So also with the woman who is unfaithful to her husband and offers as heir her son by a stranger.

22. Similarly the woman unfaithful to her husband, who provides him with an heir by another man:

23. First, she has disobeyed the law of the Most High; secondly, she has wronged her husband; Thirdly, in her wanton adultery she has borne children by another man.

23. first, she has disobeyed the Law of the Most High; secondly, she has been false to her husband; and thirdly, she has gone whoring in adultery

24. Such a woman will be dragged before the assembly, and her punishment will extend to her children;

24. and conceived children by another man. She will be led before the assembly, an enquiry will be held about her children.

25. Her children will not take root; her branches will not bring forth fruit.

25. Her children will strike no root, her branches will bear no fruit.

26. She will leave an accursed memory; her disgrace will never be blotted out.

26. She will leave an accursed memory behind her, her shame will never be wiped out.

27. Thus all who dwell on the earth shall know, and all who inhabit the world shall understand, That nothing is better than the fear of the LORD, nothing more salutary than to obey his commandments.

27. And those who survive her will recognise that nothing is better than fearing the Lord, and nothing sweeter than adherence to the Lord's commandments.