Ecclesiasticus, 23

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

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

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,

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:

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

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.

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

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.

5. turn envy away from me,

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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;

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

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.'

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:

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

28.

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