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23:1  O Lord, Father and Master of my life, do not abandon me to their control, and do not permit me to fall because of them.
23:2  Who will administer whips to my thoughts and the discipline of wisdom to my mind, lest my failings may be spared or any sins of mine be overlooked,
23:3  lest my failings be multiplied and my sins abound, lest I succumb to my adversaries and my enemy gloat over me? [For hope of receiving mercy from them is remote.]
23:4  O Lord, Father and God of my life, do not allow haughtiness to mark my gaze,
23:5  and remove evil desire from my heart.
23:6  Let neither gluttony nor lust gain power over me, and do not give me over to shameless passions.
23:7  Listen, my children, to the instruction of my mouth; anyone who does so will never be shamed.
23:8  The sinner is ensnared by his own lips; both the abusive and the arrogant man are tripped up by them.
23:9  Do not let your mouth fall into the habit of swearing oaths, or become accustomed to uttering the name of the Holy One.
23:10  For just as a servant who is constantly observed is never without bruises, so also the person who swears continuously by the Name will never be cleansed from sin.
23:11  The one who swears many oaths is filled with iniquity, and the scourge will never be far from his home. If he swears in error, he still incurs guilt, and if he disregards his oath, he sins twice. If he swears a false oath, he will not be treated as innocent, and his house will be filled with calamities.
23:12  There are words that are fraught with death; may they never be heard among Jacob’s descendants. For such conduct will be avoided by the devout; they will not wallow in sin.
23:13  Do not use your mouth for coarse and foul language, since that involves sinful speech.
23:14  Remember your father and mother when you are sitting among the mighty, or you may forget yourself in their presence and by such habits make a fool of yourself. Then you will wish you had never been born and curse the day of your birth.
23:15  A man who gets into the habit of using shameful language will never be reformed as long as he lives.
23:16  Two types of people multiply sins, and a third incurs wrath. For burning passion that blazes like a fire cannot be quenched until it burns itself out: One who becomes sexually involved with close relatives will never cease until the fire consumes him.
23:17  A fornicator finds every cake is sweet and he will not desist until he dies.
23:18  One who dishonors his marriage bed says to himself: “Who can see me? Darkness surrounds me, walls conceal me, and no one can see me; why should I worry? The Most High will not remember my sins.”
23:19  He fears only human eyes and does not realize that the eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun, observing every aspect of human behavior and gazing into the most secret corners.
23:20  All things were known to him before they were created, and they still are, now that they are finished.
23:21  This man will be punished in the streets of the city; when he least expects it, he will be seized.
23:22  The same is true of a woman who is unfaithful to her husband and presents him with an heir by another man.
23:23  For first of all she has disobeyed the law of the Most High; second, she has been false to her husband; third, by her fornication she has committed adultery and conceived children by another man.
23:24  She will be presented before the assembly for judgment, and her punishment will extend to her children.
23:25  Her children will not strike root, nor will her branches bear fruit.
23:26  She will leave behind an accursed memory, and her disgrace will never be effaced.
23:27  Thus, those who survive her will recognize that nothing is better than fear of the Lord and that nothing is sweeter than to adhere to his commandments.
23:28  [ To follow God is a great honor, and to be acceptable to him is to lengthen one’s days.]