CHAPTER 23
1 Lord, Father, and lordly governor of my life, forsake thou me not in the thought [or the thinking] and counsel of them, that is, of fools and un-faithful men; neither suffer thou me to fall in that shame [or reproving].
2 Who setteth above in my thoughts beatings [or scourges], and in mine heart the teaching of wisdom, that in the unknowings of them he spare not me, and that the trespasses of them appear not?
3 Lest mine unknowings increase, and my trespasses be multiplied, and my sins be plenteous [or abound]; and lest I fall [or and I fall] in the sight of mine adversaries, and mine enemy have joy.
4 Lord, Father, and God of my life, forsake thou not me in the thoughts of them. Give thou not to me enhancing of mine eyes, yea, suffer not that pride be lord over me;
5 and turn thou away from me all shrewd desire.
6 Do thou away from me the covet-ousnesses of the womb, and the covetousnesses of lechery [or of lust] take me not; and give thou not me to a soul unreverent and undiscreet or unsavoury.
7 Sons, hear ye the teaching [or the doctrine] of [the] mouth; and he that keepeth it, shall not perish by his lips, neither shall be caused to stumble in worst works.
8 A sinner and proud man shall be taken [or caught] in his vanity; and a cursed man shall be caused to stumble in those [or them].
9 Thy mouth be not customable to swearing; for why many fallings be therein. [To swearing use not thy mouth; many forsooth fallings be in it.]
10 Forsooth the naming of God be not customable [or continual] in thy mouth, and be thou not meddled to [or mingled with] the names of saints; for thou shalt not be guiltless of them.
11 For as a servant that is asked busily, shall not want wanness, [or envy]; so each man swearing and naming shall not be purged of sin in all. A man swearing much shall be filled with wickedness; and venge-ance shall not go away from his house. And if he deceiveth a brother, his trespass shall be above him; and if he feigneth, he shall trespass doubly [or if he shall beguile the brother, the guilt of him upon him shall be; and if he shall feign, he shall trespass double]. And if he sweareth in vain, he shall not be justified; for why his house shall be filled with worst yielding.
12 Also again-ward another speech is into death; be it not found in the heritage of Jacob. For why all these things shall be done away from merciful men; and they shall not delight in trespasses.
13 Thy mouth be not customable to unreverent speech; for why a word of sin is in it. [To the undisciplined speech use not thy mouth; forsooth there is in it the word of sin.]
14 Have thou mind on thy father and mother; for thou standest in the midst of great men. Lest peradventure God forget thee in the sight of them; and lest thou made a fool by thus customableness, suffer shame, either scorning, [or through thy busyness greatly made fool, reproof thou suffer], and haddest rather to be not born, and curse the day of thy birth.
15 A man customable in the words of shame, in all days shall not be taught. [A man used in words of reproof, in all his days shall not be learned.]
16 Two kinds be plenteous [or abound] in sins, and the third bringeth ire and perdition. An hot soul burning as fire shall not be quenched, till it swallow something; and a wicked [or shrewd] man in the mouth of his flesh shall not fail, till he kindle fire.
17 Each bread is sweet to a lecherous man; he shall not be made weary, trespassing till to the end.
18 Each man that passeth [or over-goeth] his bed, doeth despite against his soul, and saith, Who seeth me? Darknesses encompass me, and walls cover me, and no man beholdeth me. Whom dread I? The Highest shall not have mind on my sins.
19 And he understandeth not, that the eye of him, that is, of God, seeth all things; for why the dread of such a man putteth away from him the dread of God [or he put away from him the dread of God], and the eyes of men that dread him put away from him God’s dread. And he knew not, that the eyes of the Lord be much more clearer than [or lighter over] the sun, and behold all the ways of men, and the depth of the sea, and they behold the hearts of men into [the] hid parts.
20 For why all things were known to the Lord, before that they were made of nought, [or To the Lord God forsooth, ere they were formed, all things be known]; so and after the making, he beholdeth all things.
21 This man shall be punished in the streets of the city; he shall be driven away as an horse colt, and he shall be taken [or caught], where he hopeth not. And he shall be shame to all men; for he understood not the dread of the Lord.
22 So and each woman forsaking her husband shall do sin, and ordaining heritage, that is, heir of her husband, of an alien matrimony.
23 For first she was unbelieveful in the law of the Highest, and the second time [or second] she forsook her husband; and the third time [or third] she was defouled in adultery, and ordained to him sons of another man.
24 She, this woman, shall be brought into the church, and men shall behold on her sons.
25 Her sons shall not give [or take] roots, and her branches shall not give fruit.
26 They shall leave the mind of her into cursing, and the shame [or the villainy] of her shall not be done away.
27 And they that be left shall know, that nothing is better than the dread of God, and nothing is sweeter than to behold in the commandments of the Lord.
28 It is great glory to pursue [or to follow] the Lord; for why length of days shall be taken of him.