top Wisdom of Sirach ch 9

Chapter 9

1 Μὴ ζήλου γυναῖκα τοῦ κόλπου σου μηδὲ διδάξῃς ἐπὶ σεαυτὸν παιδείαν πονηράν. 1 Be not jealous over the wife of thy bosom, and teach her not an evil lesson against thyself.
2 μὴ δῷς γυναικὶ τὴν ψυχήν σου ἐπιβῆναι αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τὴν ἰσχύν σου. 2 Give not thy soul unto a woman to set her foot upon thy substance.
3 μὴ ὑπάντα γυναικὶ ἑταιριζομένῃ, μήποτε ἐμπέσῃς εἰς τὰς παγίδας αὐτῆς. 3 Meet not with an harlot, lest thou fall into her snares.
4 μετὰ ψαλλούσης μὴ ἐνδελέχιζε, μήποτε ἁλῷς ἐν τοῖς ἐπιχειρήμασιν αὐτῆς. 4 Use not much the company of a woman that is a singer, lest thou be taken with her attempts.
5 παρθένον μὴ καταμάνθανε, μήποτε σκανδαλισθῇς ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτιμίοις αὐτῆς. 5 Gaze not on a maid, that thou fall not by those things that are precious in her.
6 μὴ δῷς πόρναις τὴν ψυχήν σου, ἵνα μὴ ἀπολέσῃς τὴν κληρονομίαν σου. 6 Give not thy soul unto harlots, that thou lose not thine inheritance.
7 μὴ περιβλέπου ἐν ῥύμαις πόλεως καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις αὐτῆς μὴ πλανῶ. 7 Look not round about thee in the streets of the city, neither wander thou in the solitary place thereof.
8 ἀπόστρεψον ὀφθαλμὸν ἀπὸ γυναικὸς εὐμόρφου καὶ μὴ καταμάνθανε κάλλος ἀλλότριον· ἐν κάλλει γυναικὸς πολλοὶ ἐπλανήθησαν, καὶ ἐκ τούτου φιλία ὡς πῦρ ἀνακαίεται. 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 μετὰ ὑπάνδρου γυναικὸς μὴ κάθου τὸ σύνολον καὶ μὴ συμβολοκοπήσῃς μετ᾿ αὐτῆς ἐν οἴνῳ, μήποτε ἐκκλίνῃ ἡ ψυχή σου ἐπ᾿ αὐτὴν καὶ τῷ πνεύματί σου ὀλίσθῃς εἰς ἀπώλειαν. 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 μὴ ἐγκαταλίπῃς φίλον ἀρχαῖον, ὁ γὰρ πρόσφατος οὐκ ἔστιν ἔφισος αὐτῷ· οἶνος νέος φίλος νέος· ἐὰν παλαιωθῇ, μετ᾿ εὐφροσύνης πίεσαι αὐτόν. 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 μὴ ζηλώσῃς δόξαν ἁμαρτωλοῦ· οὐ γὰρ οἶδας τί ἔσται ἡ καταστροφὴ αὐτοῦ. 11 Envy not the glory of a sinner: for thou knowest not what shall be his end.
12 μὴ εὐδοκήσῃς ἐν εὐδοκίᾳ ἀσεβῶν· μνήσθητι ὅτι ἕως ᾅδου οὐ μὴ δικαιωθῶσιν. 12 Delight not in the thing that the ungodly have pleasure in; but remember they shall not go unpunished unto their grave.
13 μακρὰν ἄπεχε ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπου, ὃς ἔχει ἐξουσίαν τοῦ φονεύειν, καὶ οὐ μὴ ὑποπτεύσῃς φόβον θανάτου· κἂν προσέλθῃς, μὴ πλημμελήσῃς, ἵνα μὴ ἀφέληται τὴν ζωήν σου· ἐπίγνωθι ὅτι ἐν μέσῳ παγίδων διαβαίνεις καὶ ἐπὶ ἐπάλξεων πόλεως περιπατεῖς. 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 κατὰ τὴν ἰσχύν σου στόχασαι τοὺς πλησίον καὶ μετὰ σοφῶν συμβουλεύου. 14 As near as thou canst, guess at thy neighbour, and consult with the wise.
15 μετὰ συνετῶν ἔστω ὁ διαλογισμός σου καὶ πᾶσα διήγησίς σου ἐν νόμῳ ὑψίστου. 15 Let thy talk be with the wise, and all thy communication in the law of the most High.
16 ἄνδρες δίκαιοι ἔστωσαν σύνδειπνοί σου, καὶ ἐν φόβῳ κυρίου ἔστω τὸ καύχημά σου. 16 And let just men eat and drink with thee; and let thy glorying be in the fear of the Lord.
17 ἐν χειρὶ τεχνιτῶν ἔργον ἐπαινεσθήσεται, καὶ ὁ ἡγούμενος λαοῦ σοφὸς ἐν λόγῳ αὐτοῦ. 17 For the hand of the artificer the work shall be commended: and the wise ruler of the people for his speech.
18 φοβερὸς ἐν πόλει αὐτοῦ ἀνὴρ γλωσσώδης, καὶ ὁ προπετὴς ἐν λόγῳ αὐτοῦ μισηθήσεται. 18 A man of an ill tongue is dangerous in his city; and he that is rash in his talk shall be hated.