Sirach 9

¹You should not be jealous of the wife of your bosom, lest she reveal, because of you, the malice of a wicked lesson

²You should not give authority over your soul to a woman, lest she obtain your strength, and then you would be confounded

³You should not look with favor on a woman with many desires, lest perhaps you may fall into her traps

⁴You should not be continually in need of entertainment, nor should you be persuaded by it, lest perhaps you may perish by its effectiveness

⁵You should not stare at a virgin, lest perhaps you may be scandalized by her beauty

⁶You should not give your soul, in any way, to fornicators, lest you destroy yourself and your inheritance

⁷Do not choose to look around in the streets of the city, nor should you wander along its thoroughfares

⁸Avert your face from an ornate woman, for you should not gaze upon strange beauty

⁹Many have perished because of the beauty of a woman; and by this, desire is kindled like a fire

¹⁰Every woman who is a fornicator will be trampled down, like the filth in the street

¹¹Many, by admiring the beauty of the wife of another, have become reprobate. For familiarity with her flares up like a fire

¹²You should not sit down at all with another man’s wife, nor recline with her on a couch

¹³And you should not argue with her over wine, lest perhaps your heart may turn toward her, and by your emotion, you would be toppled into perdition

¹⁴You should not abandon an old friend. For a new one will not be similar to him

¹⁵A new friend is like new wine. It will grow old, and then you will enjoy drinking it

¹⁶You should not envy the glory and wealth of a sinner. For you do not know what may be his undoing in the future

¹⁷The injury of the unjust should not please you, knowing that, until they are in hell, the impious will not please

¹⁸Keep yourself far from a man having the power to kill, and then you will not have the fear of death suspended over you

¹⁹But if you do approach him, do nothing to offend, lest perhaps he may take away your life

²⁰Know that this is a communion with death. For you would be entering the midst of snares, and walking upon the arms of the grieving

²¹According to your ability, be cautious of your neighbor, and treat him as the wise and prudent would

²²Let just men be your companions, and let your glory be in the fear of God

²³And let the thought of God be in your mind, and let all your discourse be on the precepts of the Most High

²⁴Works will be praised for the hands of the artists, and a leader of the people will be praised for the wisdom of his words, yet truly, the word of the elders will be praised for its understanding

²⁵A man full of words is a dread to his city, but one who speaks rashly will be hated for his word