1You are my Father

and rule my life--

don't let my mouth

control my destiny

and bring me down.

2Please send wisdom

to whip my thoughts

and train my mind,

to tell me when I have sinned,

and to correct me

when I am wrong.

3Otherwise, I will sin more often

and make more mistakes,

allowing my enemies

to destroy me and celebrate.

4Our Lord, you are God;

you gave me life.

Don't let me look with arrogance

at other people.

5Help me not to want things

that are not rightfully mine.

6And don't let me be controlled

by shameless desires

for food or sex

or anything else.

Controlling What You Say

7Students, if you listen to me

and control what you say,

your words cannot trap you.

8Sinners are caught

when they talk too much,

and the arrogant are tripped up

because they insult others.

9 Don't get in the habit

of using God's name

when you make promises.

10Every time you do this,

God starts watching you closely

as a master watches a slave,

and he will notice all your sins

and punish you for them.

11The wicked make promises

with God as their witness,

but when a promise is broken,

they just explain

that it was made by mistake.

Or they forget it on purpose,

which means that they

are twice as guilty.

And if they lied in God's name,

they will not be forgiven

and their family is doomed.

* 12Vulgar talk is sinful

and deadly.

Godly people do not enjoy sin,

so they don't use evil words,

and I pray that none

will ever be heard in Israel.

13Avoid sin

by training your mouth

not to use bad language,

14and always remember

your parents will be honored

if you behave properly.

Then when you meet

with important people,

you won't get excited

and start talking like a fool

and end up wishing

you had never been born.

15As long as you are in the habit

of insulting others,

you will always be a fool.

Three Kinds of Sinners

16Three kinds of sinners

bring down God's anger:

first are those who always burn

with desire for sex.

Their desire is a flame

that must burn itself out.

Next are those

who won't stop having sex

with a near relative.

God will send fire

to destroy them!

17Last are those who have sex

with anyone they can

and will do so

until they die.

Unfaithfulness in Marriage

18A man unfaithful to his wife

says to himself,

"It's dark outside,

and no one can see me here

inside the house.

Why worry, anyway?

God will forgive me."

19People like that are only afraid

of being seen by others

and forget that God's eyes shine

ten thousand times brighter

than the sun.

He can see every hidden place

in our lives.

20He knew all things

before he created them,

just as he knows them now.

21So unfaithful husbands

will be caught

when they suspect nothing

and will be punished

in the city streets.

22If an unfaithful wife

has a child by another man,

she will be punished.

23She has broken God's Law

and sinned against her husband

by having sex with another man

and giving birth to his child.

24She will be put on trial

in a town meeting,

and she will be punished.

Even her children will suffer,

25because they will be rejected

by the people of the town.

26Her shame will never be erased,

and people will curse

when they remember her.

27But they will be reminded

that it is always best

to fear the Lord

and obey his commands.