Sirach

¹ Be not jealous over the wife of thy bosom, and teach her not an evil lesson against thyself.

² Give not thy soul unto a woman to set her foot upon thy substance.

³ Meet not with an harlot, lest thou fall into her snares.

⁴ Use not much the company of a woman that is a singer, lest thou be taken with her attempts.

⁵ Gaze not on a maid, that thou fall not by those things that are precious in her.

⁶ Give not thy soul unto harlots, that thou lose not thine inheritance.

⁷ Look not round about thee in the streets of the city, neither wander thou in the solitary places thereof.

⁸ Turn away thine eye from a beautiful woman, and look not upon another's beauty; for many have been deceived by the beauty of a woman; for herewith love is kindled as a fire.

⁹ Sit not at all with another man's wife, nor sit down with her in thine arms, and spend not thy money with her at the wine; lest thine heart incline unto her, and so through thy desire thou fall into destruction.

¹⁰ Forsake not an old friend; for the new is not comparable to him: a new friend is as new wine; when it is old, thou shalt drink it with pleasure.

¹¹ Envy not the glory of a sinner: for thou knowest not what shall be his end.

¹² Delight not in the thing that the ungodly have pleasure in; but remember they shall not go unpunished unto their grave.

¹³ Keep thee far from the man that hath power to kill: so shalt thou not doubt the fear of death: and if thou come unto him, make no fault, lest he take away thy life presently: remember that thou goest in the midst of snares, and that thou walkest upon the battlements of the city.

¹⁴ As near as thou canst, guess at thy neighbour, and consult with the wise.

¹⁵ Let thy talk be with the wise, and all thy communication in the law of the most High.

¹⁶ And let just men eat and drink with thee; and let thy glorying be in the fear of the Lord.

¹⁷ For the hand of the artificer the work shall be commended; and the wise ruler of the people for his speech.

¹⁸ A man of an ill tongue is dangerous in his city; and he that is rash in his talk shall be hated.