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.
– 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.
– 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.