| | | English | Latin |
| 23 | 1 | O Lord, father, and sovereign ruler of my life, leave me not to their counsel: nor suffer me to fall by them. | Domine pater et dominator vitae meae non relinquas me ne sinas me cadere in illis |
| 23 | 2 | Who will set scourges over my thoughts, and the discipline of wisdom over my heart, that they spare me not in their ignorances, and that their sins may not appear: | quis superponet in me in cogitatu meo flagella et in corde meo doctrinam sapientiae ut ignorationibus eorum non parcant mihi et non pareant delicta illorum |
| 23 | 3 | Lest my ignorances increase, and my offences be multiplied, and my sins abound, and I fall before my adversaries, and my enemy rejoice over me? | et adincrescant ignorantiae meae et multiplicentur delicta mea et peccata mea abundent et incidam in conspectu adversariorum et gaudeat inimicus meus |
| 23 | 4 | O Lord, father, and God of my life, leave me not to their devices. | Domine pater et Deus vitae meae ne derelinquas me in cogitatu illorum |
| 23 | 5 | Give me not haughtiness of my eyes, and turn away from me all coveting. | extollentiam oculorum meorum ne dederis mihi et omne desiderium averte a me |
| 23 | 6 | Take from me the greediness of the belly, and let not the lusts of the flesh take hold of me, and give me not over to a shameless and foolish mind. | aufer a me ventris concupiscentias et concubitus concupiscentiae ne adprehendant me et animae inreverenti et infrunitae ne tradas me |
| 23 | 7 | Hear, O ye children, the discipline of the mouth, and he that will keep it shall not perish by his lips, nor be brought to fall into most wicked works. | doctrina oris doctrinam oris audite filii et qui custodierit illam non periet in labiis suis nec scandalizabitur in operibus nequissimis |
| 23 | 8 | A sinner is caught in his own vanity, and the proud and the evil speakers shall fall thereby. | in vanitate sua adprehendetur peccator et superbus et maledicus scandalizabitur in illo |
| 23 | 9 | Let not thy mouth be accustomed to swearing: for in it there are many falls. | iurationi non adsuescat os tuum multus enim casus in illa |
| 23 | 10 | And let not the naming of God be usual in thy mouth, and meddle not with the names of saints, for thou shalt not escape free from them. | nominatio vero Dei non sit adsidua in ore tuo et nominibus sanctorum non admiscearis quoniam non eris inmunis ab eis |
| 23 | 11 | For as a slave daily put to the question, is never without a blue mark: so every one that sweareth, and nameth, shall not be wholly pure from sin. | sicut enim servus interrogatus adsidue a livore non minuetur sic omnis iurans et nominans in toto a peccato non purgabitur |
| 23 | 12 | A man that sweareth much, shall be filled with iniquity, and a scourge shall not depart from his house. | vir multum iurans implebitur iniquitate et non discedet a domo illius plaga |
| 23 | 13 | And if he make it void, his sin shall be upon him, and if he dissemble it, he offendeth double: | et si frustraverit delictum ipsius super ipsum erit et si dissimulaverit delinquet dupliciter |
| 23 | 14 | And if he swear in vain, he shall not be justified: for his house shall be filled with his punishment. | et si in vacuum iuraverit non iustificabitur replebitur enim retributione domus illius |
| 23 | 15 | There is also another speech opposite to death, let it not be found in the inheritance of Jacob. | est et alia loquella contraria morti non inveniatur in hereditate Iacob |
| 23 | 16 | For from the merciful all these things shall be taken away, and they shall not wallow in sins. | etenim a misericordibus omnia haec auferentur et in delictis non volutabunt |
| 23 | 17 | Let not thy mouth be accustomed to indiscreet speech: for therein is the word of sin. | indisciplinose non adsuescat os tuum est enim in illa verbum peccati |
| 23 | 18 | Remember thy father and thy mother, for thou sittest in the midst of great men: | memento patris et matris tuae in medio enim magnatorum consistis |
| 23 | 19 | Lest God forget thee in their sight, and thou, by thy daily custom be infatuated and suffer reproach: and wish that thou hadst not been born, and curse the day of thy nativity. | ne forte obliviscatur te in conspectu illorum et adsiduitate tua infatuatus inproperium patiaris et maluisses non nasci et diem nativitatis tuae maledicas |
| 23 | 20 | The man that is accustomed to opprobrious words, will never be corrected all the days of his life. | homo adsuetus in verbis inproperii in omnibus diebus suis non erudietur |
| 23 | 21 | Two sorts of men multiply sins, and the third bringeth wrath and destruction. | duo genera abundant in peccatis et tertium adducit iram et perditionem |
| 23 | 22 | A hot soul is a burning fire, it will never be quenched, till it devour some thing. | anima calida quasi ignis ardens non extinguetur donec aliquid gluttiat |
| 23 | 23 | And a man that is wicked in the mouth of his flesh, will not leave off till he hath kindled a fire. | et homo nequam in ore carnis suae non desinet donec incendat ignem |
| 23 | 24 | To a man that is a fornicator all bread is sweet, he will not be weary of sinning unto the end. | homini fornicario omnis panis dulcis non cessabit transgrediens a lecto suo |
| 23 | 25 | Every man that passeth beyond his own bed, despising his own soul, and saying: Who seeth me? | omnis homo qui transgreditur lectum suum contemnens in animam suam et dicens quis me videt |
| 23 | 26 | Darkness compasseth me about, and the walls cover me, and no man seeth me: whom do I fear? the most High will not remember my sins. | tenebrae circumdant me et parietes cooperiunt me et nemo circumspicit me quem vereor delictorum meorum non memorabitur Altissimus |
| 23 | 27 | And he understandeth not that his eye seeth all things, for such a man's fear driveth him from the fear of God, and the eyes of men fearing him: | et non intelleget quoniam omnia videt oculus illius quoniam expellit a se timorem Dei huiusmodi hominis timor et oculi hominum timentes illum |
| 23 | 28 | And he knoweth not that the eyes of the Lord are far brighter than the sun, beholding round about all the ways of men, and the bottom of the deep, and looking into the hearts of men, into the most hidden parts. | et non cognovit quoniam oculi Domini multo plus lucidiores super solem circumspicientes omnes vias hominum et profundum abyssi et hominum corda intuentes in absconsas partes |
| 23 | 29 | For all things were known to the Lord God, before they were created: so also after they were perfected he beholdeth all things. | Domino enim Deo antequam crearentur omnia sunt agnita sic et post perfectum respicit omnia |
| 23 | 30 | This man shall be punished in the streets of the city, and he shall be chased as a colt: and where he suspected not, he shall be taken. | hic in plateis civitatis vindicabitur quasi pullus equinus fugabitur et ubi non speravit adprehendetur |
| 23 | 31 | And he shall be in disgrace with all men, because he understood not the fear of the Lord. | et erit dedecus omnibus quod non intellexerit timorem Dei |
| 23 | 32 | So every woman also that leaveth her husband, and bringeth in an heir by another: | sic et mulier omnis relinquens virum suum et statuens hereditatem ex alieno matrimonio |
| 23 | 33 | For first she hath been unfaithful to the law of the most High: and secondly, she hath offended against her husband: thirdly, she hath fornicated in adultery, and hath gotten her children of another man. | primo enim in lege Altissimi incredibilis fuit et secundo virum suum dereliquit tertio in adulterio fornicata est et ex alio viro filios statuit sibi |
| 23 | 34 | This woman shall be brought into the assembly, and inquisition shall be made of her children. | haec in ecclesiam adducetur et in filios eius respicietur |
| 23 | 35 | Her children shall not take root, and her branches shall bring forth no fruit. | non tradent filii eius radices et rami eius non dabunt fructum |
| 23 | 36 | She shall leave her memory to be cursed, and her infamy shall not be blotted out. | derelinquent in maledictum memoriam illius et dedecus illius non delebitur |
| 23 | 37 | And they that remain shall know, that there is nothing better than the fear of God: and that there is nothing sweeter than to have regard to the commandments of the Lord. | et agnoscent qui derelicti sunt quoniam nihil melius quam timor Dei et nihil dulcius quam respicere in mandatis Domini |
| 23 | 38 | It is great glory to follow the Lord: for length of days shall be received from him. | et gloria magna est sequi Dominum longitudo enim dierum adsumetur ab eo |