Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart
1 hMy son, ido not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments,
2 for jlength of days and years of life
and peace they will add to you.
3 Let not ksteadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
lbind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and mgood success1
in the sight of God and man.
5 nTrust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will omake straight your paths.
7 Be not pwise in your own eyes;
qfear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be rhealing to your flesh2
and refreshment3 to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
10 then your sbarns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.
11 tMy son, do not udespise the Lord’s vdiscipline
or be weary of his reproof,
12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
was a father the son in whom he delights.
Blessed Is the One Who Finds Wisdom
13 xBlessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
14 for the gain from her is ybetter than gain from zsilver
and her profit better than gold.
15 She is more precious than jewels,
and anothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a btree of life to those who clay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called blessed.
19 The Lord dby wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding he established the heavens;
20 by his knowledge ethe deeps broke open,
and the clouds drop down the dew.
21 My son, fdo not lose sight of these—
keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22 and they will be glife for your soul
and adornment hfor your neck.
23 Then you will iwalk on your way securely,
and your foot will not stumble.
24 jIf you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror
or of the ruin4 of the wicked, kwhen it comes,
26 for the Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught.
27 lDo not withhold good from those to whom it is due,5
when it is in your power to do it.
28 mDo not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
29 Do not nplan evil against your neighbor,
who dwells trustingly beside you.
30 Do not contend with a man for no reason,
when he has done you no harm.
31 Do not oenvy a man of violence
and do not choose any of his ways,
32 for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord,
but the upright are in his confidence.
33 The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
34 pToward the scorners he is scornful,
but to the humble he gives favor.6
35 The wise will inherit honor,
Warning Against Adultery
1 My son, be tattentive to my wisdom;
incline your ear to my understanding,
2 that you may keep discretion,
and uyour lips may guard knowledge.
3 vFor the lips of a forbidden1 woman drip honey,
and wher speech2 is smoother than oil,
4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 xHer feet go down to death;
her steps follow the path to3 Sheol;
6 she does not ponder the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it.
7 And now, O sons, listen to me,
and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 yKeep your way far from her,
and do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you give your honor to others
and your years to the merciless,
10 lest strangers take their fill of your strength,
and your labors go to the house of a foreigner,
11 and at the end of your life you groan,
when your flesh and body are consumed,
12 and you say, “How I zhated adiscipline,
and my heart bdespised reproof!
13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
or incline my ear to my instructors.
14 I am at the brink of utter ruin
in the assembled congregation.”
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
flowing water from your own well.
16 Should your csprings be scattered abroad,
streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be for yourself alone,
and not for strangers with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
and rejoice in the wife of your youth,
19 a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;
be intoxicated4 always in her love.
20 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman
and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?5
21 For da man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord,
and he eponders6 all his paths.
22 The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,
and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
23 He dies for lack of discipline,
and because of his great folly he is led astray.
Warning Against the Adulteress
1 My son, keep my words
and ptreasure up my commandments with you;
2 qkeep my commandments rand live;
keep my teaching as sthe apple of your eye;
3 tbind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are umy sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
5 vto keep you from the forbidden1 woman,
from the adulteress2 with her smooth words.
6 For at the window of my house
I have looked out through my lattice,
7 and I have seen among the simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man lacking sense,
8 passing along the street near her corner,
taking the road to wher house
9 in the xtwilight, in the evening,
at the time of night and darkness.
10 And behold, the woman meets him,
dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.3
11 She is yloud and wayward;
her feet do not stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the market,
and at every corner zshe lies in wait.
13 aShe seizes him and kisses him,
and with bold face she says to him,
14 “I had to offer bsacrifices,4
and today I have paid my vows;
15 so now I have come out to meet you,
to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
16 I have spread my couch with coverings,
colored linens from Egyptian clinen;
17 I have dperfumed my bed with myrrh,
aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our efill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For fmy husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey;
20 he took a bag of money with him;
at full moon he will come home.”
21 With much seductive speech she persuades him;
with her gsmooth talk she compels him.
22 All at once he follows her,
as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast5
23 till an arrow pierces its liver;
as a bird rushes into a snare;
he does not know that it will cost him his life.
24 And now, O sons, listen to me,
and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
25 hLet not your heart turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths,
26 for many a victim has she laid low,
and all her slain are a mighty throng.
27 iHer house is the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.
1 jThe plans of the heart belong to man,
but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
2 All the ways of a man are kpure in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the spirit.1
3 lCommit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established.
4 mThe Lord has made everything for its purpose,
even the wicked for the day of trouble.
5 Everyone who is narrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
obe assured, he will not go unpunished.
6 By psteadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
and qby the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.
7 When a man’s ways please the Lord,
he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
8 rBetter is a little with righteousness
than great revenues swith injustice.
9 The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps.
10 An oracle is on the lips of a king;
his mouth does not sin in judgment.
11 tA just balance and scales are the Lord’s;
all the weights in the bag are his work.
12 It is an abomination to kings to do evil,
for uthe throne is established by righteousness.
13 vRighteous lips are the delight of a king,
and he loves him who speaks what is right.
14 A king’s wrath is a messenger of death,
and a wise man will appease it.
15 In the wlight of a king’s face there is life,
and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain.
16 How much better to get wisdom than xgold!
To get yunderstanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
17 The highway of the upright turns aside from evil;
whoever guards his way preserves his life.
18 zPride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 It is better to be of a alowly spirit with the poor
than to divide the spoil with the proud.
20 Whoever gives thought to the word2 will discover good,
and bblessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
21 The wise of heart is called discerning,
and csweetness of speech dincreases persuasiveness.
22 Good sense eis a fountain of life to him who has it,
but the instruction of fools is folly.
23 The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious
and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
24 fGracious words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
25 gThere is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is hthe way to death.3
26 A worker’s appetite works for him;
ihis mouth urges him on.
27 A worthless man plots evil,
and his speech4 is jlike a scorching fire.
28 A dishonest man spreads strife,
and ka whisperer separates close friends.
29 A man of violence lentices his neighbor
and leads him in a way that is not good.
30 Whoever mwinks his eyes plans5 dishonest things;
he who purses his lips brings evil to pass.
31 nGray hair is oa crown of glory;
it is gained in a righteous life.
32 Whoever is pslow to anger is better than the mighty,
and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
33 qThe lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the Lord.
The Words of King Lemuel
1 The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:
2 What are you doing, my son?1 What are you doing, son of my womb?
What are you doing, son of my vows?
3 pDo not give your strength to qwomen,
your ways to those who destroy kings.
4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
it is not for kings to drink rwine,
or for rulers to take strong drink,
5 lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
6 Give strong drink to the one who is perishing,
and wine to those in bitter distress;2
7 let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
8 sOpen your mouth for the mute,
for the rights of all who are destitute.3
9 Open your mouth, tjudge righteously,
udefend the rights of the poor and needy.
The Woman Who Fears the Lord
10 4 vAn excellent wife wwho can xfind?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She seeks ywool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises zwhile it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She dresses herself5 with astrength
and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She bopens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.6
22 She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known cin the gates
when he dsits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are eher clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and fthe teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to gthe ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done hexcellently,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.
