“O Lord!

Father!

Ruler of my life!

Do not abandon me

To their designs!

Do not let me fall

Because of them!

Who will set whips

Over my thoughts?

Who will set

The discipline of wisdom

Over my mind?

Do not spare me

In my errors!

Do not overlook my sins!

Otherwise my mistakes

May be multiplied.

My sins may abound.

I may fall

Before my adversaries.

My enemy may rejoice

Over me.

From them,

The hope of your mercy

Is remote.”

Sirach prays to the Lord, the Father, the ruler of his life. He did not want to fall into the hands of his enemies. He wanted to be disciplined with wisdom. He did not want to be spared from his errors and sins. If these sins and errors were not corrected now, they would multiply. His sins would increase exponentially. He would fall before his adversaries. Then his enemies would rejoice over him. He knew that he had no chance of mercy from them, unlike the mercy of God that protected his life.