Bernard of Clairvaux

Prologue. Listen, O my son, to the precepts of the master and incline the ear of your heart; willingly receive the advice of a tender father, and put it into practice, so that the labor of obedience may bring you back to Him from whom the cowardice of disobedience had estranged you. It is therefore to you, whoever you are, that I now address myself, you who, renouncing your own wills, take in hand the very powerful and noble weapons of obedience to fight under the true King, Christ the Lord...

The first is to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. (Deut. 6.)

Then, love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt. 22.)

After that, do not kill. (Luke 18.)

Do not commit fornication. (Matt. 19.)

Do not steal. (Levit. 19.)

Do not have bad desires. (Dom. 5.)

Do not bear false witness. (Mark 10.)

Honor all kinds of people. (1 Pet. 2.)

Do not do to others what you would not want done to you. (Tob. 4.)

Renounce entirely to yourself, to follow Jesus Christ. (Joel 9.)

Discipline your body. (1 Cor. 9.)

Flee from pleasures. (Tim. 5.)

Love fasting. (Joel 1.)

Assist the poor. (Eccl. 4.)

Clothe those who are naked. (Isaiah 58.)

Visit the sick. (Eccli. 7.)

Bury the dead. (Tob. 1.)

Help those who are in oppression. (Eccl. 6.)

Comfort the afflicted. (1 Thess. 5.)

Stay away from the conduct and principles of worldly people. (James 1.)

21. Prefer nothing to the love of Jesus Christ. (Matt. 10)

22. Resist the movements of anger. (Matt. 5)

23. Do not reserve a time for vengeance. (Eph. 4)

24. Do not harbor deceit or trickery in your heart. (Prov. 12. Job. 36)

25. Do not give signs of friendship that are not sincere. (Ps. 27)

26. Never separate from charity. (1 Pet. 4)

27. Do not swear, for fear of falling into perjury. (Matt. 5)

28. Speak the truth from the heart as well as from the mouth. (Ps. 14)

29. Do not repay evil for evil. (1 Thess. 5)

30. Do not insult anyone; but patiently endure when insulted. (1 Cor. 6)

31. Love your enemies. (Matt. 5)

32. Do not speak badly of those who speak badly of us, and have only feelings of blessing for them. (1 Pet. 3)

33. Suffer persecution for righteousness. (Matt. 5)

34. Be not proud. (Job. 4)

35. Neither addicted to wine. (1 Tim. 3)

36. Nor intemperate. (Eccl. 37)

37. Nor sleepy. (Prov. 20)

38. Nor lazy. (Prov. 42)

39. Nor a murmurer. (1 Cor. 10)

40. Nor a slanderer. (Wis. 6)

41. Put all your trust in God. (Ps. 72.)

42. If you see some good in yourself, give it to God, and do not claim it for yourself. (1 Cor. 4.)

43. Blame yourself for all the evil you do, and believe you are the cause of it. (Hosea, 13.)

44. Fear the day of judgment. (Luke, 19.)

45. Look at hell with fear. (Matthew 10.)

46. Desire eternal life with all the extent of your charity. (Phil. 1.)

47. Keep death before your eyes every day, as it is close to surprising you. (Matthew 24.)

48. Watch over your actions at all moments of your life. (Deut. 4.)

49. Be convinced that there is no place where God does not see us. (Prov. 5.)

50. Reject all the bad thoughts that come to you, crush them the moment they are born, against the stone, which is Jesus Christ. (Ps. 136.)

51. And reveal them to the spiritual father.

52. Guard your tongue from all disordered speech. (Ps. 33, 38.)

53. Do not like to talk a lot. (Prov. 10.)

54. Do not say empty words, nor those that may provoke laughter. (Matthew 12.)

55. Do not love to laugh a lot, nor in an immodest way. (Ecclus. 21.)

56. Listen with pleasure to the holy readings. (Luke 11.)

57. Pray often. (Luke 18.)

58. Confess every day to God in prayer, with groans and with tears, the irregularities of your past life, and correct yourself with care. (Ps. 6.)

59. Do not consent to the desires that flesh and blood may inspire. (Gal. 5.)

60. Hate your own will. (Ecclus. 18.)

61. Obey in all things the orders of the Abbot, even if (God forbid) he does not do what he teaches (Heb. 13); remembering this commandment of the Lord, Do what they say, and not what they do. (Matthew 23.)

62. Do not wish to be considered holy before being so; but be holy in fact, so as to deserve to be considered such. (Matthew 6.)

63. Express each day the commandments of God in one's works. (Ecclesiasticus 6.)

64. Love chastity. (1 Timothy 1.)

65. Do not hate anyone. (Leviticus 19.)

66. Be neither envious nor jealous. (Galatians 5.)

67. Do not love disputes. (2 Timothy 2.)

68. Flee the pride of vain glory. (Psalm 130.)

69. Honor your elders. (Leviticus 19.)

70. Love your inferiors. (1 Timothy 5.)

71. Pray for your enemies out of love for Jesus Christ. (Matthew 5.)

72. Be reconciled before the sun goes down with those who have any differences with us. (Ephesians 4.)

73. And never despair of the mercy of God. (Isaiah 51; Ezekiel 18.)