Chapter Nine

Do not be jealous without cause. Guard against immorality and adultery. Be faithful in friendship. Do not envy the apparent prosperity of sinners. Be cautious regarding the powerful. Do not turn away from the counsel of wisdom.

Sirach 9:1. Do not be jealous of the wife of your heart, and do not teach her an evil lesson against yourself. Sirach 9:2. Do not give your soul to a woman, so that she may not rise up against your authority. Sirach 9:3. Do not approach a woman of loose morals, so that you may not fall into her snares. Sirach 9:4. Do not spend much time with a singing woman, so that you may not be captivated by her art. 4. So that you may not be captivated by her art and fall into the snares of her womanly seduction.

Sirach 9:5. Do not gaze at a young woman, so that you may not be seduced by her beauty. Sirach 9:6. Do not give yourself to harlots, so that you may not lose your inheritance. 6. Do not associate with harlots, so that you may not squander with them what has been given to you as an inheritance (τήν κληρονομίαν σού).

Sirach 9:7. Do not look around in the streets of a city, and do not roam in its deserted places. 7. Avoid idle walks and idle curiosity, so that you may not be exposed to temptations.

Sirach 9:8. Turn your eye away from a beautiful woman, and do not gaze upon the beauty of another: Sirach 9:9. many have gone astray from the right path because of the beauty of women; from it, as from fire, love kindles. Sirach 9:10. Do not sit together with a married woman, and do not recline with her at a meal over wine, Sirach 9:11. so that your soul may not be drawn toward her, and you may not stumble in spirit into ruin. Sirach 9:12. Do not abandon an old friend, for the new one cannot compare with him; Sirach 9:13. a new friend is like new wine: when it becomes old, you will drink it with pleasure. Sirach 9:14. Do not envy the glory of a sinner, for you do not know what his end will be. Sirach 9:15. Do not approve of what the ungodly approve: remember that they will not reform even up to the grave. 15. Knowing the incorrigibility of the ungodly, be cautious in approving what the ungodly like.

Sirach 9:16. Keep yourself far from a man who has the power to kill, and you will not be troubled by the fear of death; Sirach 9:17. but if you draw near to him, do not make a mistake, so that he may not take your life: Sirach 9:18. know that you are walking in the midst of snares and passing along the battlements of the city walls. 18. Closeness to the powerful, “who have the power to kill,” can be as dangerous for a man as walking in the midst of snares and passing along the battlements of city walls.

Sirach 9:19. According to your ability, know your neighbor, and take counsel with the wise. Sirach 9:20. Let your deliberation be with the wise, and all your conversation be in the law of the Most High. Sirach 9:21. Let righteous men be your table companions, and let your glory be in the fear of the Lord. Sirach 9:22. A work is praised according to the hands of the craftsman, and a ruler of the people is judged wise by his words. Sirach 9:23. A loud-mouthed man is feared in his city, and one rash in speech is hated.