Man with women
1 Do not be jealous of your own wife; do not give her reason to disgrace you.
2 Do not put yourself into the power of any woman to the point where she can dominate you.
3 Do not go near a woman of ill-repute for fear of falling into her nets.
4 Do not dally with a singing girl for fear of being caught in her snare.
5 Do not fix your gaze on a young girl for fear of being involved in her condemnation.
6 Do not deliver yourself into the power of prostitutes lest you lose your inheritance.
7 Do not glance about you in the streets of the town; do not loiter in lonely places.
8 Turn your eyes away from a good-looking woman and do not stare at a beautiful foreigner. For the beauty of a woman has caused many to fall; in her presence love blazes up like a fire.
9 Never sit near a married woman or drink wine with her, for fear that your feelings towards her be roused and that in your passion you slide towards your downfall.
10 Do not abandon an old friend, for a new one has not the same value.
New wine, new friend; let them ma ture, then you will enjoy them with pleasure.
11 Do not envy the success of the sinner, you do not know what his end will be.
12 Do not take pleasure in what pleases the godless, remember that they will be punished before they die.
13 Keep well away from the man who has power to kill and you will not experience the fear of death. But if you go with him avoid all offense for fear that he will deprive you of life: realize that you are passing through deathtraps and that you are walking on top of the wall.
14 As far as you can, be sociable and take counsel with learned men.
15 Love to speak with intelligent men and let all your discourses be about the law of the Most High.
16 Let just men be your companions at table; take pride in your fear of the Lord.
17 An artisan is judged by his work and a leader of the community, by the wisdom of his words.
18 A talkative man is dreaded in his town and the gossip makes him self disliked.
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Comments Sirach, Chapter 9
• 9.1 Ben Sira lives in a society which holds women in contempt. It is a society which had not yet discovered the rich quality of married love, so there were great temptations for young and adult men who would easily be satisfied with occasional love. Thus Ben Sira has many war nings against women’s seduction, but always as if they were in the first place culpable. See 23:12 and 42:12.