Sirach 23

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	KING JAMES BIBLE
1 LORD, Father and Master of my life, permit me not to fall by 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 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 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 Lest my failings increase, and my sins be multiplied; Lest I succumb to my foes, and my enemy rejoice 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, abandon me not into their control!	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 A brazen look allow me not; ward off passion from my heart,	5 Turn away from me vain hopes and concupiscence, and thou shalt hold him up that is desirous always to serve thee.
6 Let not the lustful cravings of the flesh master me, surrender me not to shameless desires.	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 Give heed, my children, to the instruction that I pronounce, for he who keeps it will not be enslaved.	7 Hear, O ye children, the discipline of the mouth: he that keepeth it shall never be taken in his lips.
8 Through his lips is the sinner ensnared; the railer and the arrogant man fall thereby.	8 The sinner shall be left in his foolishness: both the evil speaker and the proud shall fall thereby.
9 Let not your mouth form the habit of swearing, or becoming too familiar with the Holy Name.	9 Accustom not thy mouth to swearing; neither use thyself to the naming of 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 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 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 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 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 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 Let not your mouth become used to coarse talk, for in it lies sinful matter.	13 Use not thy mouth to intemperate swearing, for therein is the word of sin.
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 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 A man who has the habit of abusive language will never mature in character 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 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 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 The rake to whom all bread is sweet and who is never through till he dies;	17 All bread is sweet to a whoremonger, he will not leave off till he die.
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 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 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 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 He who knows all things before they exist still knows them all after they are made.	20 He knew all things ere ever they were created; so also after they were perfected he looked upon them all.
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 shall be punished in the streets of the city, and where he suspecteth not he shall be taken.
22 So also with the woman who is unfaithful to her husband and offers as heir her son by a stranger.	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 wronged her husband; Thirdly, in her wanton adultery she has borne children by another man.	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 Such a woman will be dragged before the assembly, and her punishment will extend to her children;	24 She shall be brought out into the congregation, and inquisition shall be made of her children.
25 Her children will not take root; her branches will not bring forth fruit.	25 Her children shall not take root, and her branches shall bring forth no fruit.
26 She will leave an accursed memory; her disgrace will never be blotted out.	26 She shall leave her memory to be cursed, and her reproach shall not be blotted 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 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 It is great glory to follow the Lord, and to be received of him is long life.