Ben Sira 23:5-15

5 and remove evil desire from me.
6 Let neither gluttony nor lust overcome me, and do not give me over to shameless passion.
7 Listen, my children, to instruction concerning the mouth; the one who observes it will never be caught.
8 Sinners are overtaken through their lips; by them the reviler and the arrogant are tripped up.
9 Do not accustom your mouth to oaths, nor habitually utter the name of the Holy One;
10 for as a servant who is constantly under scrutiny will not lack bruises, so also the person who always swears and utters the Name will never be cleansed from sin.
11 The one who swears many oaths is full of iniquity, and the scourge will not leave his house. If he swears in error, his sin remains on him, and if he disregards it, he sins doubly; if he swears a false oath, he will not be justified, for his house will be filled with calamities.
12 There is a manner of speaking comparable to death; may it never be found in the inheritance of Jacob! Such conduct will be far from the godly, and they will not wallow in sins.
13 Do not accustom your mouth to coarse, foul language, for it involves sinful speech.
14 Remember your father and mother when you sit among the great, or you may forget yourself in their presence, and behave like a fool through bad habit; then you will wish that you had never been born, and you will curse the day of your birth
15 Those who are accustomed to using abusive language will never become disciplined as long as they live.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Syr [be free]
  • [b]. Other ancient authorities read [clothed about with death]
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.