2  ^bTo know wisdom and ^cinstruction,

to understand words of insight,

3  to ^dreceive instruction in wise dealing,

in ^erighteousness, justice, and equity;

4  to ^fgive prudence to the ^gsimple,

knowledge and discretion to the youth—

5  Let the wise hear and ^hincrease in learning,

and the one who understands obtain guidance,

6  to understand a ⁱproverb and a saying,

^jthe words of the wise and their riddles.

7  ^kThe fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and ^linstruction.

8  Hear, my son, your ^mfather’s ⁿinstruction,

and ^oforsake not ^pyour mother’s teaching,

9  for they are a ^qgraceful garland for your head

and pendants ^rfor your neck.

10  My son, if sinners ^sentice you,

do not consent.

11  If they say, “Come with us, let us ^tlie in wait for blood;

let us ambush the innocent without reason;

12  like Sheol let us swallow them alive,

and whole, like ^uthose who go down to the pit;

13  we shall find all precious goods,

we shall fill our houses with plunder;

14  throw in your lot among us;

we will all have one purse”—

15  ^vmy son, do not ^wwalk in the way with them;

^xhold back your foot from their paths,

16  for ^ytheir feet run to evil,

and they make haste to shed blood.

17  For in vain is a net spread

in the sight of any bird,

18  but these men lie in wait for their own blood;

they set an ambush for their own lives.

19  Such are the ways of everyone who is ^zgreedy for unjust gain;

it takes away the life of its possessors.

20  ^aWisdom cries aloud in the street,

in the markets she raises her voice;

21  at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;

at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:

22  “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?

How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing

and fools ^bhate knowledge?

23  If you ^cturn at my reproof,¹

behold, I will ^dpour out my spirit to you;

I will make my words known to you.

24  ^eBecause I have called and you refused to listen,

have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,

25  because you have ^fignored all my counsel

and would have none of my reproof,

26  I also will ^glaugh at your calamity;

I will mock when terror strikes you,

27  when terror strikes you like a storm

and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,

when distress and anguish come upon you.

28  Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;

they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

29  Because they hated knowledge

and did not choose the fear of the Lord,

30  would have none of my ^hcounsel

and ⁱdespised all my reproof,

31  therefore they shall ^jeat the fruit of their way,

and have their fill of their own devices.

32  For the ^ksimple are killed by their turning away,

and the complacency of fools destroys them;

33  but whoever listens to me will dwell secure

and will be at ease, ^lwithout dread of disaster.”

1  My son, if you ^mreceive my words

and ⁿtreasure up my commandments with you,

2  making your ear ^oattentive to wisdom

and inclining your heart to understanding;

3  yes, if you ^pcall out for insight

and raise your voice for understanding,

4  if you ^qseek it like silver

and search for it as for hidden treasures,

5  then you will understand the ^rfear of the Lord

and find the knowledge of God.

6  For ^sthe Lord gives wisdom;

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

7  he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

he is a ^tshield to those who walk in integrity,

8  guarding the paths of justice

and watching over the way of his saints.

9  Then you will understand ^urighteousness and justice

and equity, every good path;

10  for wisdom will come ^vinto your heart,

and knowledge will be ^wpleasant to your soul;

11  discretion will watch over you,

understanding will ^xguard you,

12  delivering you from the way of evil,

from men of ^yperverted speech,

13  who forsake the ^zpaths of uprightness

to ^awalk in the ways of darkness,

14  who ^brejoice in doing evil

and delight in the perverseness of evil,

15  men whose paths are ^ccrooked,

and who are ^ddevious in their ways.

16  ^eSo you will be delivered from the forbidden² woman,

from the adulteress³ with her smooth words,

17  who forsakes the companion of her youth

and ^fforgets the covenant of her God;

18  ^gfor her house sinks down to death,

and her paths to the departed;⁴

19  none who go to her come back,

nor do they regain the paths of life.

20  So you will walk in the way of the good

and keep to the paths of the righteous.

21  For the upright will inhabit the land,

and those with integrity will remain in it,

22  but the wicked will be cut off from the land,

and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.

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 success⁵

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 flesh⁶

and refreshment⁷ 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.

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 ruin⁸ 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,⁹

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.¹⁰

35  The wise will inherit honor,

but fools get^{11 q}disgrace.

1  Hear, O sons, a father’s ^rinstruction,

and be attentive, that you may gain¹² insight,

2  for I give you good precepts;

^sdo not forsake my teaching.

3  When I was a son with my father,

tender, the only one in the sight of my mother,

4  he taught me and said to me,

“Let your ^theart hold fast my words;

^ukeep my commandments, ^vand live.

5  ^wGet wisdom; get insight;

^xdo not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

6  Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;

love her, and she will ^yguard you.

7  The ^zbeginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,

and whatever you get, get insight.

8  Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;

she will honor you if you embrace her.

9  She will place on your head a ^agraceful garland;

she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”

10  Hear, my son, and ^baccept my words,

that the years of your life may be ^cmany.

11  I have taught you the way of wisdom;

I have led you in the ^dpaths of uprightness.

12  When you walk, your step will not be hampered,

and if you run, you will not stumble.

13  ^eKeep hold of ^finstruction; do not let go;

guard her, for she is your ^glife.

14  Do not enter the ^hpath of the wicked,

and do not walk in the way of the evil.

15  Avoid it; do not go on it;

turn away from it and pass on.

16  For ⁱthey cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;

they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.

17  For they eat the bread of wickedness

and drink the wine of violence.

18  But the path of the righteous is ^jlike the light of dawn,

which shines brighter and brighter until ^kfull day.

19  The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;

they do not know over what they stumble.

20  My son, be ^lattentive to my words;

incline your ear to my sayings.

21  ^mLet them not escape from your sight;

keep them within your heart.

22  For they are life to those who find them,

and ⁿhealing to all their¹³ flesh.

23  Keep your heart with all vigilance,

^ofor from it flow the springs of life.

24  Put away from you ^pcrooked speech,

and put devious talk far from you.

25  ^qLet your eyes look directly forward,

and your gaze be straight before you.

26  ^rPonder¹⁴ the path of your feet;

then all your ways will be sure.

27  Do not swerve ^sto the right or to the left;

turn your foot away from evil.

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 forbidden¹⁵ woman drip honey,

and ^wher speech¹⁶ 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 to¹⁷ 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 intoxicated¹⁸ always in her love.

20  Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman

and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?¹⁹

21  For ^da man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord,

and he ^eponders²⁰ 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.

1  My son, if you have ^fput up security for your neighbor,

have given your pledge for a stranger,

2  if you are ^gsnared in the words of your mouth,

caught in the words of your mouth,

3  then do this, my son, and save yourself,

for you have come into the hand of your neighbor:

go, hasten,²¹ and plead urgently with your neighbor.

4  ^hGive your eyes ⁱno sleep

and your eyelids no slumber;

5  save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,²²

like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6  ^jGo to the ^kant, O sluggard;

consider her ways, and be wise.

7  ^lWithout having any chief,

officer, or ruler,

8  she prepares her bread ^min summer

and gathers her food in harvest.

9  How long will you lie there, O sluggard?

When will you arise from your sleep?

10  ⁿA little sleep, a little slumber,

a little ^ofolding of the hands to rest,

11  and ^ppoverty will come upon you like a robber,

and want like an armed man.

12  A worthless person, a wicked man,

goes about with ^qcrooked speech,

13  ^rwinks with his eyes, signals²³ with his feet,

^spoints with his finger,

14  with perverted heart ^tdevises evil,

continually sowing ^udiscord;

15  therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;

^vin a moment he will be broken beyond healing.

16  There are ^wsix things that the Lord hates,

seven that are an abomination to him:

17  haughty eyes, a lying tongue,

and hands that shed innocent blood,

18  a heart that devises wicked plans,

^xfeet that make haste to run to evil,

19  a false witness who ^ybreathes out lies,

and one who sows discord among brothers.

20  My son, keep your ^zfather’s commandment,

and ^aforsake not ^byour mother’s teaching.

21  ^cBind them on your heart always;

tie them around your neck.

22  ^dWhen you walk, they²⁴ will lead you;

when you lie down, they will watch over you;

and when you awake, they will talk with you.

23  For the commandment is a ^elamp and the teaching a light,

and the ^freproofs of ^gdiscipline are the way of life,

24  ^hto preserve you from the evil woman,²⁵

from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.²⁶

25  Do not desire her beauty in your heart,

and do not let her capture you ⁱwith her eyelashes;

26  for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,²⁷

but a married woman²⁸ hunts down a precious life.

27  Can a man carry ^jfire next to his chest

and his clothes not be burned?

28  Or can one walk on hot coals

and his feet not be scorched?

29  So is he who goes in to ^khis neighbor’s wife;

none who touches her will go unpunished.

30  People do not despise a thief if he steals

to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,

31  but ^lif he is caught, he will pay ^msevenfold;

he will give all the goods of his house.

32  He who ⁿcommits adultery lacks sense;

he who does it destroys himself.

33  He will get wounds and dishonor,

and his disgrace will not be wiped away.

34  For ^ojealousy makes a man furious,

and he will not spare when he takes revenge.

35  He will accept no compensation;

he will refuse though you multiply gifts.

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 forbidden²⁹ woman,

from the adulteress³⁰ 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.³¹

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,³²

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 fast³³

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  ^jDoes not wisdom call?

Does not understanding raise her voice?

2  ^kOn the heights beside the way,

at the crossroads she takes her stand;

3  beside the gates in front of the town,

at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:

4  “To you, O men, I call,

and my cry is to the children of man.

5  O ^lsimple ones, learn prudence;

O fools, ^mlearn sense.

6  Hear, for I will speak noble things,

and from my lips will come what is right,

7  for my mouth will utter truth;

wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

8  All the words of my mouth are righteous;

there is nothing twisted or ⁿcrooked in them.

9  They are all straight to him who understands,

and right to those who find knowledge.

10  ^oTake my ^pinstruction instead of ^qsilver,