No sies perjur
The Gravity of Oaths
The author warns against taking the Lord's name in vain and explains the spiritual danger of swearing falsely.
The second commandment is this, son: that no one take the name of God in vain—and those who take the name of our Lord God in vain are the ones who swear by God and by his works and then lie and say things contrary to the truth. Know, son, that those who swear while lying love what they're swearing for more than they love God, by whom they swear; and because this is a great offense, God has given the commandment that no one swear falsely.1 If for you, son, it isn't lawful to swear "God help you" or "may God give you good," how much less is it lawful for you to swear "may God not help you" and "may God give you evil"!✦23 Remember, son, the first commandment when you're about to take an oath; for anyone who knowingly commits perjury makes a god of the thing they lie about.✦✦4
Truthfulness Over Swearing
A truthful person has no need for oaths, while a liar uses them to compensate for a lack of credibility.
A truthful person doesn't need to take an oath, and a liar doesn't need to take many oaths.5 Dear son, truth in the mouth is far better than a chest of gold or silver amassed by a false oath.6 A mouth is given to a man, and a will is given to him, so that he may hate falsehood. Do you know, son, why a liar swears so many oaths?7 Because he isn't believed on a single oath.
The Objects of Our Oaths
The author cautions against swearing by one's own life, family, or faith, and condemns blasphemous oaths against the body of Christ.
Son, don't swear by your head, because you wouldn't give it for all the king's treasure; and don't swear by your soul, because you neither know nor can estimate the glory and the virtue you'll be able to have in it. Son, don't swear by your father or your mother, for you can't give them as much good as you've received; and don't swear by your faith, for if you lie, you have none at all. Son, if you want to swear an oath, say "It is true," and "It is truly certain": for by these oaths you can make good everything you buy or sell or affirm, if you're truthful; and if you're a liar, you can't make anything good by any oaths at all.89 If even a single drop of blood from the body of our Lord Jesus Christ is worth more than every creature there is, then, son, how great a fault it is to swear by God's head, and by his mouth, and by his belly, and by God's liver.10
Read the original Latin
Lo segon manament es, fill, que hom no prena lo nom de Deu vanament, lo qual nom de nostro Senyor Deu prenen en va aquells qui juren per Deu e per les sues obres e menten e dien contraríes coses a veritat.
Sapies, fill, que aquells amen més so per que juren mintent, que no fan Deu per lo qual juren; e car assó es gran falliment, per assó Deus ha fet manament que nuyl hom no jur falsament.
Si a tu, fill, no es leguda cosa que jurs si Dcus tajut ne si Deus te don be, ¡quant menys tes legut que jurs si Deus not ajut e si Deus te don mal!
Remembra, fill, lo primer manament con voirás fer sagrament; car aquell quis perjura a scient, fa deus dassó per que ment.
A home vertader no li cal fer sagrament, ne a home mentider no li cal fer molts sagraments.
Amable fill, molt mils está veritat en boca, que en caxa aur ni argent ajustat per fals sagrament. Boca es donada a home, e volentat li es donada, per ahirar falsetat.
¿Sabs, fill, per que hom mentider fa molts sagraments? per so car no es creegut per un sagrament.
Fill, no jurs per ton cap, car nol daries per tot lo tresor del Rey; ne no jurs per ta anima, car no saps ne pots aesmar la gloria e la vertut que aver hi porás.
Fill, no jurs ton pare ni ta mare, car donar nols pots tant de be con has reebut: ne no jurs ta fe, car si ments, jens non has.
Fill, si vols jurar, digues veritat es, e cert es verament: car per aquests sagraments pots avercompliment a tot quant comprarás ne vendrás ne afermerás, si est vertader; e si est mentider, non pots aver per neguns sagraments.
Si sol una gota de sanch del cors de nostro Senyor Jhesu Christ val més que totes quantes creatures son, aesmet, fill, con gran falliment es jurar per lo cap de Deu e per la boca e per lo ventre e lo fetge de Deu.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Jas.5.12 — Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear — not by heaven, not by earth, not by any other oath. But let your 'Yes' be yes, and your 'No' be no, so that you may not fall under judgment.
- ↩Exod.20.7;Deut.5.11 — You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold guiltless anyone who takes His name in vain. Deut.5.11 — You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold guiltless anyone who takes His name in vain.
- ↩Matt.5.33-Matt.5.37;Lev.19.12 — Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients, 'You shall not swear falsely, but you shall fulfill your oaths to the Lord.' Matt.5.34 — But I say to you, do not swear at all—neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; Matt.5.35 — Neither by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Matt.5.36 — Neither swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Matt.5.37 — Let your word be 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these comes from the evil one. Lev.19.12 — You shall not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God; I am the LORD.
Notes
- 1 ↩«so per que juren mintent» rendered as the worldly end or matter of a false oath (what they swear for while lying), not as the sacred object sworn by; «falliment» as moral offense/fault rather than commercial failure.
- 2 ↩Normalized source reads "Dcus tajut"; taken as "Deus t'ajut" (God help you), parallel to the later "Deus not ajut" / "Deus no t'ajut".
- 3 ↩The paired "si…" clauses are read as the wording of oath/imprecation formulas ("si Déus t'ajut," "si Déus te don bé/mal"), not as circumstances under which one may swear. "leguda/legut" = lawful/permitted (lícit).
- 4 ↩In this chapter sagrament means a solemn oath (sacramentum), not the Eucharist. The clause fa deus dassó per que ment is rendered as making a god of the matter of the lie—the false thing is treated as if divine by the perjured oath; an alternate reading is that the perjurer makes God a party to the falsehood.
- 5 ↩Here Catalan *sagrament* means a sworn oath (Lat. *sacramentum*), not a Church sacrament; the chapter treats perjury.
- 6 ↩In this chapter on perjury, Catalan sagrament means an oath (sacramentum), not the Eucharist; cf. neighboring sections on true men and liars swearing.
- 7 ↩Medieval Catalan sagrament here means oath (sacramentum), not the Eucharist; so throughout this perjury chapter.
- 8 ↩Medieval Catalan sagrament here means a sworn oath (Latin sacramentum), not the Eucharist; the whole chapter treats perjury and lawful forms of swearing.
- 9 ↩Read as the two permitted simple affirmation formulas ('It is true' / 'It is truly certain'), not as free paraphrase of 'speak truthfully.'
- 10 ↩Medieval Catalan aesmet is read as així met / així mateix ('so', 'then', 'accordingly'), introducing the moral conclusion after the comparison. Sense is clear from context; surface form is archaic.
Doctrine for Children — Opening companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit