Sirach chapter 23
[This chapter is in Orthodox and Catholic Bibles] Prevent me from falling. Control your own tongue, Part 2. Sins of the flesh have deadly effects.
The Book of Sirach is recognized as Deuterocanonical Scripture by the Orthodox and Catholic Churches
PREVENT ME FROM FAILING
VERSE 1. O Lord, Father and Master of my life, Abandon me not to their counsel: Suffer me not to fall by them.
Father and Master of my life. This lovely phrase expresses a precious relationship between the author and the LORD God.
VERSE 2. Who will set scourges over my thought, And a discipline of wisdom over my heart? That they spare me not for my ignorances, And my heart pass not by their sins:
set scourges over my thought. If his thoughts go in an unwanted direction, the author wants someone to reign them in.
discipline of wisdom over my heart. If his heart goes in an unwanted direction, the author wants someone to reign it in.
VERSE 3. That my ignorances be not multiplied, And my sins abound not; And I will fall before my adversaries, And my enemy rejoice over me.
The remainder of this verse is omitted in the best manuscripts.
VERSE 4. O Lord, Father and God of my life, Give me not a proud look,
The remainder of this verse is omitted in the best manuscripts.
VERSE 5. And turn away concupiscense from me.
The remainder of this verse is omitted in the best manuscripts.
VERSE 6. Let not greediness and chambering overtake me; And give me not over to a shameless mind.
CONTROL YOUR OWN TONGUE, PART 2
VERSE 7. Hear you, my children, the discipline of the mouth; And he that keeps it will not be taken.
VERSE 8. The sinner will be overtaken in his lips; And the reviler and the proud man will stumble therein.
VERSE 9. Accustom not your mouth to an oath; And be not accustomed to the naming of the Holy One.
Accustom not your mouth to an oath. Many Christians routinely make promises.
However, they should not.
Matthew 5:34. but I tell you, don’t swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;
be not accustomed to the naming of the Holy One. The LORD God did not prohibit people from saying his name.
However, it became a practice within the culture of the Old Testament era.
This verse reinforces that custom.
VERSE 10. For as a servant that is continually scourged will not lack a bruise, So he also that swears and names God continually will not be cleansed from sin.
VERSE 11. A man of many oaths will be filled with iniquity; And the scourge will not depart from his house: If he shall offend, his sin will be upon him; And if he disregard it, he has sinned doubly; And if he has sworn in vain, he will not be justified; For his house will be filled with calamities.
VERSE 12. There is a manner of speech that is clothed about 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.
VERSE 13. Accustom not your mouth to gross rudeness, For therein is the word of sin.
Accustom not your mouth to gross rudeness. Many people in the U.S. equate Christian belief with a prohibition against profanities.
The LORD God did not command such a thing. Rather, it is a custom within the Christian subculture of the U.S. It is a man-made tradition.
This verse reinforces that custom.
VERSE 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 custom; So will you wish that you had not been born, And curse the day of your nativity.
VERSE 15. A man that is accustomed to words of reproach Will not be corrected all the days of his life.
words of reproach. That is, “abusive language.”
Abusive language is akin to other forms of abuse. All types of abuse are heinous.
All types of abuse do real damage to people.
SINS OF THE FLESH HAVE DEADLY EFFECTS
VERSE 16. Two sorts of men multiply sins, And the third will bring wrath: A hot mind, as a burning fire, will not be quenched till it be consumed: A fornicator in the body of his flesh will never cease till he has burned out the fire.
A hot mind, as a burning fire. Some people are hotheads. They seethe with anger. They explode with anger.
A fornicator. Fornication is when two people who are not married to each other have sexual intercourse.
VERSE 17. All bread is sweet to a fornicator: He will not leave off till he die.
VERSE 18. A man that goes astray from his own bed, Saying in his heart, Who sees me? Darkness is round about me, and the walls hide me, And no man sees me; of whom am I afraid? The Most High will not remember my sins;
no man sees me. A fornicator only worries about being seen by other people.
VERSE 19. And the eyes of men are his terror, And he knows not that the eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun, Beholding all the ways of men, And looking into secret places.
VERSE 20. All things were known to him or ever they were created; And in like manner also after they were perfected.
KJV translation. He knew all things ere ever they were created; so also after they were perfected he looked upon them all.
All things were known to him. God fully knew you before you were created. He continues to know you fully.
Psalm 139:1. LORD, you have searched me, and you know me.
Psalm 139:2. You know my sitting down and my rising up. You perceive my thoughts from afar.
VERSE 21. This man will be punished in the streets of the city; And where he suspected not he will be taken.
VERSE 22. So also a wife that leaves her husband, And brings in an heir by a stranger.
VERSE 23. For first, she was disobedient in the law of the Most High; And secondly, she trespassed against her own husband; And thirdly, she played the adulteress in whoredom, And brought in children by a stranger.
VERSE 24. She shall be brought out into the congregation; And upon her children will there be visitation.
VERSE 25. Her children will not spread into roots, And her branches will bear no fruit.
Her children will not spread into roots. This passage envisions children being punished for the sins of their parents.
In ancient times most cultures assumed that children will suffer for the sins of their parents. That notion of the Generational Curse was abolished by Moses. Read more »
VERSE 26. She will leave her memory for a curse; And her reproach will not be blotted out.
VERSE 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 take heed to the commandments of the Lord.
there is nothing better than the fear of the Lord. If you area “God-fearing” person, you are very fortunate!
VERSE 28.
This verse is omitted in the best manuscripts.
SIRACH
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, Chronology
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.