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The Book of Jesus Sirach

Catholic Public Domain :: World English Bible Catholic

- Kapitel 23 -

A prayer for grace to flee sin: cautions against profane swearing and other vices.

1
Lord, Father and Ruler of my life: may you not abandon me to their counsel, nor permit me to fall by them.(a)
2
They 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.(b)
3
And 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.
4
Lord, Father and God of my life: may you not abandon me to their plans.
5
Do not leave me with the haughtiness of my eyes. And avert all desire from me.
6
Take 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.
7
O 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.
8
A sinner is held by his own emptiness. And the arrogant and those who speak evil will be scandalized by these things.
9
Do not allow your mouth to become accustomed to swearing oaths. For in this, there are many pitfalls.
10
Truly, 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.
11
Just 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.
12
A man who swears many oaths will be filled with iniquity, and scourges will not depart from his house.
13
And if he fails to fulfill it, his offense will be over him, and if he pretends he fulfilled it, he offends doubly.
14
And if he swears an oath insincerely, he will not be justified. For his house will be filled with retribution for him.
15
There is yet another kind of talk which faces death; let it not be found in the inheritance of Jacob.
16
For all these things will be taken away from the merciful, and they shall not wallow in offenses.
17
Do not allow your mouth to become accustomed to undisciplined speech. For in this, there is the sin of words.
18
When you sit in the midst of great men, remember your father and mother.
19
Otherwise, 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.
20
The man who is accustomed to disgraceful words will not accept instruction, all the days of his life.
21
Two kinds of persons abound in sins, and a third adds wrath and perdition.
22
A desirous soul is like a burning fire, it will not be quenched, until it devours something.
23
And a man who is wicked in the desires of his flesh will not desist until he has kindled a fire.
24
To a man of fornication, all bread is sweet; he will not tire of transgression, to the very end.
25
Every man who transgresses his own bed has contempt for his own soul. And so he says: “Who can see me?
26
Darkness 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.”
27
And 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.
28
And 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.
29
For all things, before they were created, were known to the Lord God. And even after their completion, he beholds all things.
30
This 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.
31
And because he did not understand the fear of the Lord, he will be in disgrace before all men,
32
as will be every woman, too, who abandons her husband and establishes an inheritance by marriage to another man.
33
For 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.
34
This woman will be led into the assembly, and she will be stared at by her children.
35
Her children will not take root, and her branches will not produce fruit.
36
She will leave behind her memory as a curse, and her infamy will not be wiped away.
37
And 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.
38
It is a great glory to follow the Lord. For length of days will be received from him.

Fußnoten

(a)23:1 By them:Viz., the tongue and the lips, mentioned in the last verse of the foregoing chapter.(Challoner)
(b)23:2 That they spare me not in their ignorances, etc:That is, that the scourges and discipline of wisdom may restrain the ignorances, that is, the slips and offences which are usually committed by the tongue and the lips.(Challoner)

A prayer for grace to flee sin: cautions against profane swearing and other vices.

1
O Lord, Father and Master of my life, don’t abandon me to their counsel. Don’t let me fall because of them.
2
Who will set scourges over my thought, and a discipline of wisdom over my heart, that they spare me not for my errors, and not overlook their sins?
3
Otherwise my errors might be multiplied, and my sins abound, I fall before my adversaries, and my enemy rejoice over me.(a)
4
O Lord, Father and God of my life, don’t give me a haughty eyes,(b)
5
and turn away evil desire from me.(c)
6
Let neither gluttony nor lust overtake me. Don’t give me over to a shameless mind.
7
Listen, my children, to the discipline of the mouth. He who keeps it will not be caught.
8
The sinner will be overpowered through his lips. By them, the insulter and the arrogant will stumble.
9
Don’t accustom your mouth to an oath, and don’t be accustomed to naming the Holy One,
10
for as a servant who is continually scourged will not lack bruises, so he also who swears and continually utters the Name will not be cleansed from sin.
11
A man of many oaths will be filled with iniquity. The scourge will not depart from his house. If he offends, his sin will be upon him. If he disregards it, he has sinned doubly. If he has sworn falsely, he will not be justified, for his house will be filled with calamities.
12
There is a manner of speech that is clothed with death. Let it not be found in the heritage of Jacob, for all these things will be far from the godly, and they will not wallow in sins.
13
Don’t accustom your mouth to gross rudeness, for it involves sinful speech.
14
Remember your father and your mother, for you sit in the midst of great men, that you be not forgetful before them, and become a fool by your bad habit; so you may wish that you had not been born, and curse the day of your birth.
15
A man who is accustomed to abusive language won’t be corrected all the days of his life.
16
Two sorts of people multiply sins, and the third will bring wrath: a hot passion, like a burning fire, will not be quenched until it is consumed; a fornicator in the body of his flesh will never cease until he has burned out the fire.
17
All bread is sweet to a fornicator. He will not cease until he dies.
18
A man who goes astray from his own marriage bed says in his heart, “Who sees me? Darkness is around me, and the walls hide me. No one sees me. Of whom am I afraid? The Most High will not remember my sins.”
19
The eyes of men are his terror. He doesn’t know that the eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun, seeing all the ways of men, and looking into secret places.
20
All things were known to him before they were created, and also after they were completed.
21
This man will be punished in the streets of the city. He will be seized where he least expects it.
22
So also is a wife who leaves her husband, and produces an heir by another man.
23
For first, she was disobedient in the law of the Most High. Second, she trespassed against her own husband. Third, she played the adulteress in fornication, and had children by another man.
24
She shall be brought out into the congregation. Her punishment will extend to her children.
25
Her children will not take root. Her branches will bear no fruit.
26
She will leave her memory for a curse. Her reproach won’t be blotted out.
27
And those who are left behind will know that there is nothing better than the fear of the Lord, and nothing sweeter than to heed the commandments of the Lord. (d)

Fußnoten

(a)23:3 The remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.
(b)23:4 The remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.
(c)23:5 The remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.
(d)23:28 Verse 28 is omitted by the best authorities.