1  I ^ylove the Lord, because he has ^zheard

my voice and my pleas for mercy.

2  Because he ^ainclined his ear to me,

therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

3  ^bThe snares of death encompassed me;

the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;

I suffered distress and anguish.

4  Then ^cI called on the name of the Lord:

“O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

5  ^dGracious is the Lord, and ^erighteous;

our God is ^fmerciful.

6  The Lord preserves ^gthe simple;

when ^hI was brought low, he saved me.

7  Return, O my soul, to your ⁱrest;

for the Lord has ^jdealt bountifully with you.

8  For ^kyou have delivered my soul from death,

my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling;

9  I will walk before the Lord

^lin the land of the living.

10  ^mI believed, ⁿeven when¹ I spoke:

“I am greatly afflicted”;

11  ^oI said in my alarm,

^p“All mankind are liars.”

12  What shall I ^qrender to the Lord

for all his benefits to me?

13  I will lift up ^rthe cup of salvation

and ^scall on the name of the Lord,

14  I will ^tpay my vows to the Lord

in the presence of all his people.

15  ^uPrecious in the sight of the Lord

is the death of his ^vsaints.

16  O Lord, I am your ^wservant;

I am your servant, ^xthe son of your maidservant.

You have ^yloosed my bonds.

17  I will ^zoffer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving

and ^scall on the name of the Lord.

18  I will ^tpay my vows to the Lord

in the presence of all his people,

19  in ^athe courts of the house of the Lord,

in your midst, O Jerusalem.

^bPraise the Lord!

1  Be not ^uenvious of evil men,

nor desire to be ^vwith them,

2  for their hearts ^wdevise violence,

and their lips ^xtalk of trouble.

3  By ^ywisdom a house is built,

and by understanding it is established;

4  by knowledge the rooms are filled

with all ^zprecious and pleasant riches.

5  ^aA wise man is full of strength,

and a man of knowledge enhances his might,

6  for by ^bwise guidance you can wage your war,

and in ^cabundance of counselors there is victory.

7  Wisdom is ^dtoo high for a fool;

in ^ethe gate he does not open his mouth.

8  Whoever ^fplans to do evil

will be called a schemer.

9  ^gThe devising¹ of folly is sin,

and ^hthe scoffer is an abomination to mankind.

10  If you ⁱfaint in the day of adversity,

your strength is small.

11  ^jRescue those who are being taken away to death;

hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.

12  If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”

^kdoes not he who ^lweighs the heart perceive it?

Does not he who ^mkeeps watch over your soul know it,

and will he not repay man ⁿaccording to his work?

13  My son, ^oeat honey, for it is good,

and ^pthe drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.

14  Know that wisdom is such to your soul;

if you find it, there will be ^qa future,

and your hope will not be cut off.

15  ^rLie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous;

do no violence to his home;

16  ^sfor the righteous falls ^tseven times and rises again,

but ^uthe wicked stumble in times of calamity.

17  ^vDo not rejoice when your enemy falls,

and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,

18  lest the Lord see it and be displeased,

and turn away his anger from him.

19  ^wFret not yourself because of evildoers,

and be not ^xenvious of the wicked,

20  for the evil man has no ^qfuture;

^ythe lamp of the wicked will be put out.

21  My son, ^zfear the Lord and the king,

and do not join with those who do otherwise,

22  for disaster will arise suddenly from them,

and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?

^bPartiality in judging is not good.

24  Whoever ^csays to the wicked, “You are in the right,”

^dwill be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations,

25  but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,

and a good blessing will come upon them.

26  Whoever gives an honest answer

kisses the lips.

27  ^ePrepare your work outside;

get everything ready for yourself in the field,

and after that build your house.

28  ^fBe not a witness against your neighbor without cause,

and do not deceive with your lips.

29  Do not say, ^g“I will do to him as he has done to me;

I will pay the man back for what he has done.”

30  ^hI passed by the field of a sluggard,

by the vineyard of a man ⁱlacking sense,

31  and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;

the ground was covered with nettles,

and its stone ^jwall was broken down.

32  Then I saw and ^kconsidered it;

I looked and received instruction.

33  ^lA little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest,

34  and poverty will come upon you like a robber,

and want like an armed man.