1 yMy son, do not forget my teaching,
zbut let your heart keep my commandments,
2 for alength of days and years of life
and bpeace they will add to you.
3 Let not csteadfast love and dfaithfulness forsake you;
ebind them around your neck;
fwrite them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will gfind favor and hgood success1
in the sight of God and man.
5 iTrust in the Lord with all your heart,
and jdo not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways kacknowledge him,
and he lwill make straight your paths.
7 mBe not wise in your own eyes;
nfear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with qthe firstfruits of all your produce;
10 then your rbarns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.
11 sMy son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline
or be weary of his reproof,
12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
as ta father the son in whom he delights.
13 uBlessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
14 vfor the gain from her is better than gain from silver
and her profit better than wgold.
15 She is more precious than xjewels,
and ynothing you desire can compare with her.
16 zLong life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are ariches and honor.
17 Her bways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace.
18 She is ca tree of life to those who dlay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called blessed.
19 eThe Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding ehe established the heavens;
20 by his knowledge fthe deeps broke open,
and gthe clouds drop down the dew.
21 My son, hdo not lose sight of these—
keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22 and they will be ilife for your soul
and jadornment for your neck.
23 kThen you will walk on your way securely,
land your foot will not stumble.
24 mIf you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, nyour sleep will be sweet.
25 oDo not be afraid of sudden terror
or of pthe ruin4 of the wicked, when it comes,
26 for the Lord will be your confidence
and will qkeep your foot from being caught.
27 rDo not withhold good from those to whom it is due,5
when it is in your power to do it.
28 sDo not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
29 tDo not plan evil against your neighbor,
who udwells trustingly beside you.
30 vDo not contend with a man for no reason,
when he has done you no harm.
31 wDo not envy xa man of violence
and do not choose any of his ways,
32 for ythe devious person is an abomination to the Lord,
but the upright are zin his confidence.
33 aThe Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he bblesses the dwelling of the righteous.
34 Toward the cscorners he dis scornful,
ebut to the humble he gives favor.6
35 The wise will inherit honor,
but fools get7 disgrace.
Proverbs 5
1 wMy son, be attentive to my wisdom;
xincline your ear to my understanding,
2 that you may keep ydiscretion,
and your lips may zguard knowledge.
3 For the lips of aa forbidden1 woman drip honey,
and her speech2 is bsmoother than oil,
4 but in the end she is cbitter as dwormwood,
5 Her feet ggo down to death;
her steps follow the path to3 Sheol;
6 she hdoes not ponder the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it.
7 And inow, O sons, listen to me,
and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Keep 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 jlabors go to the house of a foreigner,
11 and at the end of your life you kgroan,
when your flesh and body are consumed,
12 and you say, l“How I hated discipline,
and my heart mdespised reproof!
13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
or incline my ear to my instructors.
14 nI am at the brink of utter ruin
in the assembled congregation.”
15 Drink owater from your own cistern,
flowing water from your own well.
16 Should your psprings be scattered abroad,
streams of water qin the streets?
17 rLet them be for yourself alone,
and not for strangers with you.
18 Let your ofountain be blessed,
and srejoice in tthe wife of your youth,
19 a lovely udeer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts vfill you at all times with delight;
be intoxicated4 always in her love.
20 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with wa forbidden woman
and embrace the bosom of wan adulteress?5
21 For xa man’s ways are ybefore the eyes of the Lord,
and he zponders6 all his paths.
22 The ainiquities of the wicked bensnare him,
and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
23 cHe dies for lack of discipline,
and because of his great folly he is dled astray.
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