Sirach 23
23
1You are my Father
and rule my life—
don't let my mouth
control my destiny
and bring me down.
2Please send wisdom
to whip my thoughts
and train my mind,
to tell me when I have sinned,
and to correct me
when I am wrong.
3Otherwise, I will sin more often
and make more mistakes,
allowing my enemies
to destroy me and celebrate.
4Our Lord, you are God;
you gave me life.
Don't let me look with arrogance
at other people.
5Help me not to want things
that are not rightfully mine.
6And don't let me be controlled
by shameless desires
for food or sex
or anything else.
Controlling What You Say#23.7 Controlling What You Say: Most Greek and Latin manuscripts include this or a similar title.
7Students, if you listen to me
and control what you say,
your words cannot trap you.
8Sinners are caught
when they talk too much,
and the arrogant are tripped up
because they insult others.
9 #
Mt 5.34; Jas 5.12. Don't get in the habit
of using God's name
when you make promises.
10Every time you do this,
God starts watching you closely
as a master watches a slave,
and he will notice all your sins
and punish you for them.
11The wicked make promises
with God as their witness,
but when a promise is broken,
they just explain
that it was made by mistake.
Or they forget it on purpose,
which means that they
are twice as guilty.
And if they lied in God's name,
they will not be forgiven
and their family is doomed.
* 12Vulgar talk is sinful
and deadly.
Godly people do not enjoy sin,
so they don't use evil words,
and I pray that none
will ever be heard in Israel.
13Avoid sin
by training your mouth
not to use bad language,
14and always remember
your parents will be honored
if you behave properly.
Then when you meet
with important people,
you won't get excited
and start talking like a fool
and end up wishing
you had never been born.
15As long as you are in the habit
of insulting others,
you will always be a fool.
Three Kinds of Sinners
16Three kinds of sinners
bring down God's anger:
first are those who always burn
with desire for sex.
Their desire is a flame
that must burn itself out.
Next are those
who won't stop having sex
with a near relative.
God will send fire
to destroy them!
17Last are those who have sex
with anyone they can
and will do so
until they die.
Unfaithfulness in Marriage
18A man unfaithful to his wife
says to himself,
“It's dark outside,
and no one can see me here
inside the house.
Why worry, anyway?
God will forgive me.”
19People like that are only afraid
of being seen by others
and forget that God's eyes shine
ten thousand times brighter
than the sun.
He can see every hidden place
in our lives.
20He knew all things
before he created them,
just as he knows them now.
21So unfaithful husbands
will be caught
when they suspect nothing
and will be punished
in the city streets.
22If an unfaithful wife
has a child by another man,
she will be punished.
23She has broken God's Law
and sinned against her husband
by having sex with another man
and giving birth to his child.
24She will be put on trial
in a town meeting,
and she will be punished.
Even her children will suffer,
25because they will be rejected
by the people of the town.
26Her shame will never be erased,
and people will curse
when they remember her.
27But they will be reminded
that it is always best
to fear the Lord
and obey his commands.
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Sirach 23: CEVDCI
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.