Sirach · Revised Version with Apocrypha
Sirach 9 Revised Version with Apocrypha
1 Be not jealous over the wife of thy bosom, And teach her not an evil lesson against thyself.
1 Don’t be jealous over the wife of your bosom, and don’t teach her an evil lesson against yourself.
2 Give not thy soul unto a woman, That she should set her foot upon thy strength.
2 Don’t give your soul to a woman and let her trample down your strength.
3 Go not to meet a woman that playeth the harlot, Lest haply thou fall into her snares.
3 Don’t go to meet a woman who plays the prostitute, lest perhaps you fall into her snares.
4 Use not the company of a woman that is a singer, Lest haply thou be caught by her attempts.
4 Don’t associate with a woman who is a singer, lest perhaps you be caught by her tricks.
5 Gaze not on a maid, lest haply thou be trapped in her penalties.
5 Don’t gaze at a virgin, lest perhaps you stumble and incur penalties for her.
6 Give not thy soul unto harlots, That thou lose not thine inheritance.
6 Don’t give your soul to prostitutes, that you not lose your inheritance.
7 Look not round about thee in the streets of the city, Neither wander thou in the solitary places thereof.
7 Don’t look around in the streets of the city. Don’t wander in its deserted places.
8 Turn away thine eye from a comely woman, And gaze not on another’s beauty: By the beauty of a woman many have been led astray; And herewith love is kindled as a fire.
8 Turn your eye away from a beautiful woman, and don’t gaze at another’s beauty. Many have been led astray by the beauty of a woman; and with this, passion is kindled like a fire.
9 Sit not at all with a woman that hath a husband; And revel not with her at the wine; Lest haply thy soul turn aside unto her, And with thy spirit thou slide into destruction.
9 Don’t dine at all with a woman who has a husband, or revel with her at wine, lest perhaps your soul turn away to her, and with your spirit you slide into destruction.
10 Forsake not an old friend; For the new is not comparable to him: [As ] new wine, [so ] is a new friend; If it become old, thou shalt drink it with gladness.
10 Don’t forsake an old friend; for a new one is not comparable to him. A new friend is like new wine: if it becomes old, you will drink it with gladness.
11 Envy not the glory of a sinner; For thou knowest not what shall be his overthrow.
11 Don’t envy the success of a sinner; for you don’t know what his end will be.
12 Delight not in the delights of the ungodly: Remember they shall not go unpunished unto the grave.
12 Don’t delight in the delights of the ungodly. Remember they will not go unpunished to the grave.
13 Keep thee far from the man that hath power to kill, And thou shalt have no suspicion of the fear of death: And if thou come unto him, commit no fault, Lest he take away thy life: Know surely that thou goest about in the midst of snares, And walkest upon the battlements of a city.
13 Keep yourself far from the man who has power to kill, and you will not be troubled by the fear of death. If you come to him, commit no fault, lest he take away your life. Know surely that you go about in the midst of snares, and walk upon the battlements of a city.
14 As well as thou canst, guess at thy neighbours; And take counsel with the wise.
14 As well as you can, aim to know your neighbors, and take counsel with the wise.
15 Let thy converse be with men of understanding; And let all thy discourse be in the law of the Most High.
15 Let your conversation be with men of understanding. Let all your discourse be in the law of the Most High.
16 Let just men be the companions of thy board; And let thy glorying be in the fear of the Lord.
16 Let righteous people be companions at your table. Let your glorying be in the fear of the Lord.
17 For the hand of the artificers a work shall be commended: And he that ruleth the people [shall be counted ] wise for his speech.
17 A work is commended because of the skill of the artisan; so he who rules the people will be considered wise for his speech.
18 A man full of tongue is dangerous in his city; And he that is headlong in his speech shall be hated.
18 A loudmouthed man is dangerous in his city. He who is reckless in his speech will be hated.
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Whence too it is said in the Psalm, "They have laid stumblingblocks for me by the way side." And another Scripture saith, "Remember that thou walkest in the midst of snares." These snares among which we walk are not in the way; but yet they are "by the way side." What fearest thou, what art thou alarmed at, so thou …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
This even the ancient Scripture corrects from the first, saying, "Contemplate not beauty which is another's." And then, lest any one should say, "what then, if I contemplate, and be not taken captive," He punishes the look, lest confiding in this security thou shouldest some time fall into sin.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
… a better thing than a gift," and "answer the poor man peaceably with meekness." And all the rest of thy time too adorn it with the rehearsing of the laws of God; "Yea, let all thy communication be in the law of the Most High." Having thus adorned ourselves, let us come to our King, and fall at His knees, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)