Ecclesiasticus 23
How to read these pages: the text itself comes first, verse by verse, in the volume's own translation. Beneath each verse stands its Meaning — a rendering of what the passage's terms name in the inner life, drawn from the correspondences the text itself uses. The text is never altered; the meaning is offered, not imposed.
King James Version
1O Lord, Father and Governor of all my whole life, leave me not to their counsels, and let me not fall by them.
O indwelling LORD, Father and Governor of all my whole life, leave me not to their counsels, and let me not fall by them.
2Who will set scourges over my thoughts, and the discipline of wisdom over mine heart? that they spare me not for mine ignorances, and it pass not by my sins:
Who will set scourges over my thoughts, and the discipline of Wisdom over my heart? that they spare me not for my ignorances, and pass not by my errors:
3Lest mine ignorances increase, and my sins abound to my destruction, and I fall before mine adversaries, and mine enemy rejoice over me, whose hope is far from thy mercy.
Lest my ignorances increase, and my errors abound to my destruction, and I fall before my adversaries — the adversarial states — and my enemy rejoice over me, whose hope is far from Your mercy.
4O Lord, Father and God of my life, give me not a proud look, but turn away from thy servants always a haughty mind.
O indwelling LORD, Father and God of my life, give me not a proud look, but turn away from Your servants always a haughty mind.
5Turn away from me vain hopes and concupiscence, and thou shalt hold him up that is desirous always to serve thee.
Turn away from me vain hopes and concupiscence, and You shall hold him up that is desirous always to serve You.
6Let not the greediness of the belly nor lust of the flesh take hold of me; and give not over me thy servant into an impudent mind.
Let not the greediness of the belly nor lust of the flesh take hold of me; and give not over Your servant into an impudent mind.
7Hear, O ye children, the discipline of the mouth: he that keepeth it shall never be taken in his lips.
Hear, O you children, the discipline of the mouth: he that keeps it shall never be taken in his lips.
8The sinner shall be left in his foolishness: both the evil speaker and the proud shall fall thereby.
The error-bound state shall be left in his foolishness: both the evil speaker and the proud shall fall thereby.
9Accustom not thy mouth to swearing; neither use thyself to the naming of the Holy One.
Accustom not your mouth to swearing; neither use yourself to the naming of the Holy One — the One wholly of the divine order.
10For as a servant that is continually beaten shall not be without a blue mark: so he that sweareth and nameth God continually shall not be faultless.
For as a servant continually beaten shall not be without a blue mark: so he that swears and names the Source continually shall not be faultless.
11A man that useth much swearing shall be filled with iniquity, and the plague shall never depart from his house: if he shall offend, his sin shall be upon him: and if he acknowledge not his sin, he maketh a double offence: and if he swear in vain, he shall not be innocent, but his house shall be full of calamities.
A man that uses much swearing shall be filled with iniquity, and the plague shall never depart from his house: if he offends, his error shall be upon him: and if he acknowledges not his error, he makes a double offence: and if he swears in vain, he shall not be innocent, but his house shall be full of calamities.
12There is a word that is clothed about with death: God grant that it be not found in the heritage of Jacob; for all such things shall be far from the godly, and they shall not wallow in their sins.
There is a word that is clothed about with the death-state: may it not be found in the heritage of Jacob — the striving intellect: for all such things shall be far from the godly, and they shall not wallow in their errors.
13Use not thy mouth to intemperate swearing, for therein is the word of sin.
Use not your mouth to intemperate swearing, for therein is the word of error.
14Remember thy father and thy mother, when thou sittest among great men. Be not forgetful before them, and so thou by thy custom become a fool, and wish that thou hadst not been born, and curse the day of thy nativity.
Remember your father and your mother, when you sit among great men. Be not forgetful before them, lest by your custom you become a fool, and wish that you had not been born, and curse the day of your nativity.
15The man that is accustomed to opprobrious words will never be reformed all the days of his life.
The man accustomed to opprobrious words will never be reformed all the days of his life.
16Two sorts of men multiply sin, and the third will bring wrath: a hot mind is as a burning fire, it will never be quenched till it be consumed: a fornicator in the body of his flesh will never cease till he hath kindled a fire.
Two sorts of men multiply error, and the third will bring the settling wrath: a hot mind is as a burning fire, it will never be quenched till it is consumed: a fornicator in the body of his flesh will never cease till he has kindled a fire.
17All bread is sweet to a whoremonger, he will not leave off till he die.
All bread — all truth-substance, misused as mere sense-food — is sweet to a whoremonger, he will not leave off till he dies.
18A man that breaketh wedlock, saying thus in his heart, Who seeth me? I am compassed about with darkness, the walls cover me, and no body seeth me; what need I to fear? the most High will not remember my sins:
A man that breaks wedlock, saying thus in his heart, Who sees me? I am compassed about with darkness — unilluminated consciousness — the walls cover me, and nobody sees me; what need I fear? the most High will not remember my errors:
19Such a man only feareth the eyes of men, and knoweth not that the eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun, beholding all the ways of men, and considering the most secret parts.
Such a man only fears the eyes of men, and knows not that the eyes of the indwelling LORD are ten thousand times brighter than the sun — the greater light itself — beholding all the ways of men, and considering the most secret parts.
20He knew all things ere ever they were created; so also after they were perfected he looked upon them all.
He knew all things before ever they were created; so also after they were perfected He looked upon them all.
21This man shall be punished in the streets of the city, and where he suspecteth not he shall be taken.
This man shall be confronted in the streets of the city — the established centre of consciousness laid open — and where he suspects not he shall be taken.
22Thus shall it go also with the wife that leaveth her husband, and bringeth in an heir by another.
Thus shall it go also with the wife — the affection-faculty — that leaves her husband, and brings in an heir by another.
23For first, she hath disobeyed the law of the most High; and secondly, she hath trespassed against her own husband; and thirdly, she hath played the whore in adultery, and brought children by another man.
For first, she has disobeyed the law of the most High; and secondly, she has trespassed against her own husband; and thirdly, she has played the whore in adultery, and brought children — new states — by another man.
24She shall be brought out into the congregation, and inquisition shall be made of her children.
She shall be brought out into the congregation, and inquisition shall be made of her children.
25Her children shall not take root, and her branches shall bring forth no fruit.
Her children shall not take root, and her branches shall bring forth no fruit — no lasting results of belief.
26She shall leave her memory to be cursed, and her reproach shall not be blotted out.
She shall leave her memory to be cursed, and her reproach shall not be blotted out.
27And they that remain shall know that there is nothing better than the fear of the Lord, and that there is nothing sweeter than to take heed unto the commandments of the Lord.
And they that remain shall know that there is nothing better than the fear of the indwelling LORD, and that there is nothing sweeter than to take heed unto the commandments of the indwelling LORD.
28It is great glory to follow the Lord, and to be received of him is long life.
It is great glory — the manifested weight of the Presence in a life — to follow the indwelling LORD, and to be received of Him is long life.
Companion volume to The Why Bible — the King James Apocrypha, rendered in its spiritual meanings. First final edition, October 2026.