1. Lord, Father, and master of my life,don’t abandon me to their will,and don’t let me fall because of them.
2. Who will station whipsto keep my thoughts in lineand set the discipline of wisdomover my heart,so that I might not be spared my faultsdue to ignoranceand my sins not go unnoticed?
3. Otherwise, my acts of ignorancemight multiply,and my sins might increase,and I’ll fall before my adversaries,and my enemy will rejoice over me.
4. Lord, Father, God of my life,don’t let me have prideful eyes;
5. turn desire away from me.
6. Don’t allow gluttony or sexual desireto overtake me,and don’t hand me overto a shameless spirit.
7. Listen, my children, to instructionabout your mouth;whoever follows my instructionwill never succumb to it.
8. The lips of sinners will seize themand make abusersand the arrogant stumble.
9. Don’t let your mouthget used to making solemn pledges,and don’t get accustomedto saying the name of the holy one.
10. Just as a household slavewho is constantly examinedwon’t be lacking bruises,so also the person who always swearsand speaks the Lord’s namewill never be cleansed from sin.
11. People who make many solemn pledgeswill be full of lawlessness,and a scourge won’t departfrom their house.If they break their solemn pledges,their sin is on them,and if they disregard it, they sin doubly,and if they swear falsely,they won’t be justified,but their houses will be full of misery.
12. There is a way of speakingthat’s comparable to death;don’t let it be foundamong Jacob’s descendants.All these things will stay far awayfrom the godly,and they will not wallow in their sins.
13. Don’t grow accustomedto saying coarse things,because to do so is to engagein sinful speech.
14. Remember your father and mother,because you sit in the councilamong officials.This way, you won’t forget yourselfin front of themand act foolishly out of habit—then you’d wishthat you hadn’t been born,and you’d curse the day of your birth.
15. People who are accustomedto reproachful wordswill never learn anythingtheir whole life.
16. Two types of people multiply sins,and a third will bring wrath.A hot temperament that burns like firewill never be quenched until it is spent.People who are promiscuouswith their kinwill never stop until the fire burns out.
17. To promiscuous people all bread is sweet;they don’t become weary until they die.
18. There are peoplewho violate their marriage bed,saying to themselves, Who will see me?Darkness envelops me;the walls hide me;no one will see me.Why do I have a care?The Most Highwill never recall my sins.
19. They fear human eyes,but they are unawarethat the eyes of the Lordare ten thousand times brighterthan the sun;they observe all the waysof human beingsand look into hidden places.
20. Before all things were created,God knew them;so as well after they were finished.
21. These people will be punishedin the streets of the city,and when they least expect it,they will be seized.
22. So it is with a womanwhen she is unfaithful to her husbandand she presents him with an heirby another man.
23. First, she’s disobeyedthe Law of the Most High;second, she’s wronged her husband;third, she’s committed adulteryby her illicit sexual behaviorand produced childrenby another man.
24. She will be led into the assembly,and her punishmentwill be upon her children.
25. Her children won’t take root,and her branches won’t bear fruit.
26. She will leave behind a cursed memory,and her reproach won’t be wiped clean.
27. And those who remain will knowthat nothing is betterthan fearing the Lord,and nothing is sweeter than keeping the Lord’s commandments.