23
O Lord, Father and Master of my life,
Abandon me not to their counsel:
Suffer me not to fall by them.
Who will set scourges over my thought,
And a discipline of wisdom over mine heart?
That they spare me not for mine ignorances,
And my heart pass not by their sins:
That mine ignorances be not multiplied,
And my sins abound not;
And I shall fall before mine adversaries,
And mine enemy rejoice over me. The
O Lord, Father and God of my life,
Give me not a lifting proud look, The
And turn away concupiscense from me. The
Let not appetite greediness and chambering overtake me;
And give me not over to a shameless mind.
 
Hear you⌃, my children, the discipline of the mouth;
And he that keeps it shall not be taken.
The sinner shall be Most overtaken in his lips;
And the reviler and the proud man shall stumble therein.
Accustom not your mouth to an oath;
And be not accustomed to the naming of the Holy One.
10 For as a servant that is continually scourged shall not lack a bruise,
So he also that swears and names God continually shall not be cleansed from sin.
11 A man of many oaths shall be filled with iniquity;
And the scourge shall not depart from his house:
If he shall offend, his sin shall be upon him;
And if he disregard it, he has sinned doubly;
And if he has sworn in vain, he shall not be justified;
For his house shall be filled with calamities.
12 There is a manner of speech that is clothed about with death:
Let it not be found in the heritage of Jacob;
For all these things shall be far from the godly,
And they shall not wallow in sins.
13 Accustom not your mouth to gross rudeness,
For therein is the word of sin.
14 Remember your father and your mother,
For you sit in the midst of great men;
That you be not forgetful before them,
And become a fool by your custom;
So shall you wish that you had not been born,
And curse the day of your nativity.
15 A man that is accustomed to words of reproach
Will not be corrected all the days of his life.
 
16 Two sorts of men multiply sins,
And the third will bring wrath:
A hot mind, as a burning fire, will not be quenched till it be consumed:
A fornicator in the body of his flesh will never cease till he has made burned out the fire.
17 All bread is sweet to a fornicator:
He will not leave off till he die.
18 A man that goes astray from his own bed,
Saying in his heart, Who sees me?
Darkness is round about me, and the walls hide me,
And no man sees me; of whom am I afraid?
The Most High will not remember my sins;
19 —And the eyes of men are his terror,
And he knows not that the eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun,
Beholding all the ways of men,
And looking into secret places.
20 All things were known to him or ever they were created;
And in like manner also after they were perfected.
21 This man shall be punished in the streets of the city;
And where he suspected not he shall be taken.
22 So also a wife that leaves her husband,
And brings in an heir by a stranger.
23 For first, she was disobedient in the law of the Most High;
And secondly, she trespassed against her own husband;
And thirdly, she played the adulteress in whoredom,
And brought in children by a stranger.
24 She shall be brought out into the congregation;
And upon her children shall there be visitation.
25 Her children shall not spread into roots,
And her branches shall bear no fruit.
26 She shall leave her memory for a curse;
And her reproach shall not be blotted out.
27 And they that are left behind shall know that there is nothing better than the fear of the Lord,
And nothing sweeter than to take heed to the commandments of the Lord. 28  Verse
+Or,alike workTheword is of very doubtful meaning.1:5+Verses1:55 and 7 are omitted by the best authorities1:7+Verses1:75 and 7 are omitted by the best authorities1:15+1:15Gr.1:15nested.1:18+1:18Gr.health1:18of cure.1:18+The1:18remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.1:21+Verse1:2121 is omitted by the best authorities.1:23+Most1:23authorities read1:23resist.1:23+1:23Or,1:23until1:23his1:23season1:24+1:24Or,1:24until1:24his1:24season1:28+The1:28remainder of this line is omitted by the best authorities.2:4+2:4Gr.in2:4the changes of your humiliation.3:7+The3:7preceding words of this verse are omitted by the best authorities.3:19+Verse3:1919 is omitted by the best authorities.3:25+Most3:25authorities omit verse 25, and transpose the lines in verse 26.3:27+3:27Gr.3:27sins.4:13+4:13Or,4:13she4:19+4:19Gr.to4:19the hands of his fall.4:20+4:20Or,an4:20evil man4:22+4:22Or,be4:22not abashed4:23+4:23Gr.in4:23an occasion of safety.4:23+Most4:23authorities omit this line.4:29+Some4:29authorities read4:29rough.4:31+4:31Or,drawn4:31back5:4+The5:4remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.5:7+A5:7line of this verse is here omitted by the best authorities.5:11+The5:11remainder of this line is omitted by the best authorities.6:4+6:4Or,a6:4rejoicing6:5+6:5Gr.A6:5sweet throat.6:5+6:5Gr.6:5his.6:7+6:7Or,in6:7the time of trial6:14+6:14Or,6:14covert6:15+6:15Gr.6:15weight.6:28+6:28Or,6:28it6:30+Numbers6:3015:38.6:32+6:32Or,6:32shrewd7:9+7:9Or,7:9them7:12+7:12Gr.Plow7:12not.7:15+7:15Gr.7:15created.7:20+7:20Or,7:20soul.7:26+Many7:26authorities omit this line7:26+7:26Or,7:26hated7:36+7:36Or,7:36words8:10+8:10Gr.fire8:10of his flame.8:18+8:18Or,8:18it9:9+A9:9line of this verse is here omitted by the best authorities.9:12+9:12Gr.9:12Hades.9:13+9:13Or,9:13authority10:9+The10:9text here is uncertain.10:9+Two10:9lines of this verse are here omitted by the best authorities.10:19+The10:19MSS. here greatly differ. The rendering represents the most probable text.10:21+Verse10:2121 is omitted by the best authorities.10:27+The10:27Greek text of this verse is uncertain.11:5+11:5Gr.11:5tyrants11:15-16+Verses11:15-1615 and 16 are omitted by the best authorities.12:6+The12:6remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.12:8+12:8Or,12:8punished12:11+12:11Or,it12:11has not utterly rusted him13:13+13:13Gr.along13:13with.13:14+The13:14remainder of verse 13, and verse 14, are omitted by the best authorities.13:22+13:22Or,secrets,13:22and13:25+The13:25remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.14:12+14:12Gr.14:12Hades.14:16+14:16Gr.14:16Hades.14:20+Most14:20authorities readcome14:20to an end.16:15-16+Verses16:15-1615 and 16 are omitted by the best authorities.16:21+16:21Gr.among16:21hidden things.16:22+The16:22remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.16:23+16:23Gr.16:23heart.16:30+The16:30Greek text of this line is uncertain.16:30+16:30Gr.The16:30soul of every living thing.17:4+17:4Gr.17:4him.17:5+Verse17:55 is omitted by the best authorities.17:9+Verse17:99 is omitted by the best authorities.17:10+This17:10line is added by the best authorities.17:13+Some17:13ancient authorities read17:13their.17:16+Verses17:1616, 18, and 21 are omitted by the best authorities.17:17+The17:17preceding part of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.17:18+Verses17:1816, 18, and 21 are omitted by the best authorities.17:21+Verses17:2116, 18, and 21 are omitted by the best authorities.17:22+The17:22remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.17:26+A17:26line is here omitted by the best authorities.17:27+17:27Gr.17:27Hades.18:3+The18:3remainder of verse 2, and verse 3, are omitted by the best authorities.18:27+The18:27remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.18:31+18:31Or,a18:31rejoicing to18:33+The18:33remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.19:5+The19:5remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.19:6+The19:6preceding part of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.19:12+19:12Gr.thigh19:12of flesh.19:18-19+Verses19:18-1918 and 19 are omitted by the best authorities.19:21+The19:21remainder of verse 20, and verse 21, are omitted by the best authorities.19:25+19:25Gr.to19:25bring to light.19:25+The19:25remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.19:30+19:30Gr.laughter19:30of the teeth.20:3+Verse20:33 is omitted by the best authorities.20:14+A20:14line of this verse is here omitted by the best authorities.20:17+The20:17latter part of verse 17 is omitted by the best authorities.20:20+20:20Gr.20:20parable.20:32+Verse20:3232 is omitted by the best authorities.21:5+21:5Gr.21:5him.21:18+21:18Gr.unexamined21:18words.21:25+The21:25text seems to be uncertain.22:9-10+Verses22:9-109 and 10 are omitted by the best authorities.22:13+22:13Or,defiled:22:13in his onslaught turn22:23+The22:23remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.23:3+The23:3remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.23:4+23:4Gr.lifting23:4up of eyes.23:4+The23:4remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.23:5+The23:5remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.23:6+23:6Gr.appetite23:6of the belly.23:8+Most23:8authorities read23:8left.23:16+23:16Or,made23:16a fire blaze up23:28+Verse23:2828 is omitted by the best authorities.