1. O Lord, my Father and Master of my life, do not leave me at the mercy of my own words; don't let them cause my downfall.
2. I wish I could be whipped for my thoughts, so that Wisdom could discipline my mind. I would not want to be spared when I am wrong; I would not want a single sin to be overlooked!
3. Then I would not keep on sinning, making one mistake after another. I could not fall to my enemies and be humiliated by them.
4. O Lord, my Father, God of my life, keep me from being arrogant;
5. protect me from evil desires.
6. Keep me from being overcome by greed or lust; do not leave me at the mercy of these shameless passions.
7. My children, listen to what I have to say about proper speech; do as I teach you and you will never get trapped.
8. Sinners are caught by their own arrogant, insulting words.
9. Don't fall into the habit of taking oaths, and don't use God's holy name too freely.
10. A slave who is constantly beaten will never be free of bruises; someone who is always taking an oath by the Holy Name will never be free of sin.
11. Anyone who takes oaths all the time is sinful to the core, and punishment is never far away from his household. If he fails to fulfil his oath, he is guilty. If he ignores his oath, he is twice as guilty. If his oath was insincere in the first place, he cannot be pardoned and will have a house full of trouble.
12. There is one way of speaking that is like death itself — may no Israelite ever be guilty of it! Devout people do not wallow in such sin, and they will keep away from such behaviour.