1 O Lord, Father and mas ter of my life, do not
abandon me to the thoughtless words of my lips or allow me to fall because
of them.
2 Who will deal out punishment to my thoughts and ap ply the discipline of
wis dom to my heart?
3 Let them not be indulgent at my sins or the mistakes of my mind, lest my
errors increase and sins multiply, and I fall into the hands of my enemies,
to the joy of my foes.
4 Lord, Father and God of my life, do not allow me to become haughty;
5 keep greed far away from me.
6 Do not let lust and lechery take hold of me; do not deliver me to filthy
passions.
7 Children, learn how to control your language; if you are able to watch
over it, you will not be taken by surprise.
8 The sinner will be caught in his own words, as happens to the proud man
and to him who curses.
9 Do not get used to swearing, taking the name of the Holy One.
10 For, just as the slave who is constantly watched will not escape without
blows so you, also, will not be found guiltless after constantly calling
upon his name.
11 The man who swears habitually will be found full of sins, and disgrace
will not depart from his house. If he fails to keep his oath due to
carelessness, punishment will descend upon him; if he fails knowingly, his
sin is double and if he has sworn falsely, he will not be forgiven; in any
case, his house will be filled with disasters.
About impurity and adultery
12 There is a way of talking which deserves death; let it not be used by
Jacob��s descendants. Vir tuous people keep far away from it and do not
wallow in sin.
13 Do not accustom your mouth to foul language for it will be sinful talk.
14 Remember your father and mother when you are sitting in the company of
the great, lest you forget yourself in their presence and act like a fool.
Then you would wish you had never been born, and curse the day of your
birth.
15 A man used to indecent talk will never be reformed in his lifetime.
16 Two kinds of people multiply sins and a third attracts the Lord��s anger:
A blazing passion which burns like fire will not be extinguished until it
burns itself up.
A man who seeks pleasure from his own body, he will not give up until he
catches fire;
17 to the indecent man, all food tastes sweet and he will not be satisfied
until death.
18 The man unfaithful to the marriage bed who thinks like this, ��Who sees
me? Darkness surrounds me, the walls hide me; nobody can see me. Why should
I worry? The Al mighty will not take note of my faults.��
19 He fears the scrutiny of men and does not realize that the Lord��s eyes
are a thousand times brighter than the sun, that they watch the conduct of
all men and penetrate into the most secret cor ners.
20 All things were present to him be fore they were created and so will they
be after their end.
21 This man will be punished in view of the whole city, he will be caught
when he least expects it.
22 In the same way, the woman who is unfaithful to her husband and gives him
an heir by another man will be pun ished.
23 First, she has disobeyed the Law of the Almighty. Secondly, she has
sinned against her husband and thirdly, she is tainted with adultery, for
she has had children by another man.
24 She will be taken before the assembly and questioned about her children.
25 The children will not be able to take root; their branches will not bear
fruit.
26 She will leave be hind a cursed memory and her shame will never be
blotted out.
27 People who have seen her will know that nothing matters more than the
fear of the Lord and nothing is sweeter than fulfilling his commands.
------------------------------------------------------------
Comments Sirach, Chapter 23
• 23.1 Prayer of the youth who discovers his weakness when faced with life��s
temptations. Prayer of the adult person who has experienced that evil is
deeply-rooted in his heart. An invitation to parents to look after their
children��s training.
The sin of the tongue (or the lips) means, first of all, proud words and
proud projects. This is always the beginning of all the other sins.
• 12. Ben Sira speaks of impurity in the traditional sense: sin against
chastity.
�C In 23:12-15, he speaks of vulgar words and malicious conversations. As
Jesus says in Matthew 12:34: the mouth speaks of what fills the heart.
�C 23:16-21 refers to extramarital relationships.
23:22-23 deals with an adulterous woman, though it can also be applied to
the adulterous man: 1) it is a sin against God; 2) it is a sin against the
spouse; 3) it is a sin against the family��s honor.