2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned wchild with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 xO Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.
A Song of mAscents.
1 Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor,
all ythe hardships he endured,
2 how he swore to the Lord
and zvowed to athe Mighty One of Jacob,
3 “I will not enter my house
or get into my bed,
4 I will not bgive sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I cfind a place for the Lord,
a dwelling place for athe Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 Behold, we heard of it in dEphrathah;
we found it in ethe fields of Jaar.
7 “Let us go to his dwelling place;
8 hArise, O Lord, and go to your iresting place,
you and the ark of your jmight.
9 Let your kpriests be lclothed with righteousness,
and let your msaints shout for joy.
10 For the sake of your servant David,
11 pThe Lord swore to David a sure oath
qfrom which he will not turn back:
r“One of the sons of your body1
I will set on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their sons also forever
shall ssit on your throne.”
13 For the Lord has tchosen Zion;
he has udesired it for his dwelling place:
14 “This is my vresting place forever;
here I will wdwell, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly xbless her provisions;
I will ysatisfy her poor with bread.
16 Her zpriests I will clothe with salvation,
and her zsaints will shout for joy.
17 There I will make aa horn to sprout for David;
I have prepared ba lamp for cmy anointed.
18 His enemies I will dclothe with shame,
but on him his crown will shine.”
A Song of mAscents. Of David.
1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when ebrothers dwell in unity!2
2 It is like the precious foil on gthe head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on hthe collar of his robes!
3 It is like ithe dew of jHermon,
which falls on kthe mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord lhas commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.
A Song of mAscents.
1 Come, bless the Lord, all you mservants of the Lord,
who nstand oby night in the house of the Lord!
2 pLift up your hands to qthe holy place
and bless the Lord!
3 May the Lord rbless you sfrom Zion,
he who tmade heaven and earth!
1 uPraise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord,
give praise, O vservants of the Lord,
2 who nstand in the house of the Lord,
in wthe courts of the house of our God!
3 Praise the Lord, for xthe Lord is good;
sing to his name, yfor it is pleasant!3
4 For the Lord has zchosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his aown possession.
5 For I know that bthe Lord is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods.
6 cWhatever the Lord pleases, he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
7 dHe it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
who emakes lightnings for the rain
and brings forth the wind from his fstorehouses.
8 He it was who gstruck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both of man and of beast;
9 who in your midst, O Egypt,
sent hsigns and wonders
against Pharaoh and all his servants;
10 iwho struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings,
11 jSihon, king of the Amorites,
and kOg, king of Bashan,
and lall the kingdoms of Canaan,
12 and mgave their land as a heritage,
a heritage to his people Israel.
13 nYour name, O Lord, endures forever,
oyour renown,4 O Lord, throughout all ages.
14 pFor the Lord will vindicate his people
and qhave compassion on his servants.
15 rThe idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but do not speak;
they have eyes, but do not see;
17 they have ears, but do not hear,
nor is there any breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.
19 sO house of Israel, bless the Lord!
O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!
20 O house of Levi, bless the Lord!
You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!
21 Blessed be the Lord tfrom Zion,
he who udwells in Jerusalem!
vPraise the Lord!
1 wGive thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
xfor his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to ythe God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to ythe Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
4 to him who alone zdoes great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
5 to him who aby understanding bmade the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 to him who cspread out the earth dabove the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
7 to him who emade the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
10 to him who fstruck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
11 and gbrought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
12 with ha strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
13 to him who idivided the Red Sea in two,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
14 jand made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
15 but koverthrew5 Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
16 to him who lled his people through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
17 to him mwho struck down great kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
18 and killed mighty kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
20 and Og, king of Bashan,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
21 and gave their land as a heritage,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
22 a heritage to Israel his nservant,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
23 It is he who oremembered us in our low estate,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
24 and prescued us from our foes,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
25 he who qgives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to rthe God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
1 By the waters of Babylon,
there we sat down and wept,
when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows6 there
we hung up our lyres.
3 For there our captors
required of us songs,
and our tormentors, mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 sHow shall we sing the Lord’s song
in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
tlet my right hand forget its skill!
6 Let my utongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy!
7 Remember, O Lord, against the vEdomites
wthe day of Jerusalem,
how they said, x“Lay it bare, lay it bare,
down to its foundations!”
8 O daughter of Babylon, ydoomed to be destroyed,
blessed shall he be who zrepays you
with what you have done to us!
9 Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones
and adashes them against the rock!
Of David.
1 bI give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before cthe gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down dtoward your eholy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.7
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.8
4 fAll the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
5 and they shall sing of gthe ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 hFor though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.
7 iThough I walk in the midst of trouble,
you jpreserve my life;
you kstretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your lright hand delivers me.
8 The Lord will mfulfill his purpose for me;
nyour steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake othe work of your hands.
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord, you have psearched me and known me!
2 You qknow when I sit down and when I rise up;
you rdiscern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, syou know it altogether.
5 You them me in, behind and before,
and ulay your hand upon me.
6 vSuch knowledge is wtoo wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
7 xWhere shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where yshall I flee from your presence?
8 zIf I ascend to heaven, you are there!
aIf I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall blead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, c“Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
12 deven the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
13 For you eformed my inward parts;
you fknitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.9
gWonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 hMy frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in ithe depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your jbook were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious to me are your kthoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 lIf I would count them, they are more than mthe sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.
19 Oh that you would nslay the wicked, O God!
O omen of blood, pdepart from me!
20 They qspeak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies rtake your name in vain.10
21 sDo I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not tloathe those who urise up against you?
22 I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
vTry me and know my thoughts!11
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 yDeliver me, O Lord, from evil men;
preserve me from zviolent men,
2 who plan evil things in their heart
and astir up wars continually.
4 Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
preserve me from zviolent men,
who have planned to trip up my feet.
5 The arrogant have fhidden a trap for me,
and with cords they have spread ga net;13
beside the way they have set hsnares for me. Selah
6 iI say to the Lord, You are my God;
give ear to jthe voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord!
7 O Lord, my Lord, kthe strength of my salvation,
you have covered my head in the day of battle.
8 lGrant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
do not further their14 evil plot, or mthey will be exalted! Selah
9 As for the head of those who surround me,
let nthe mischief of their lips overwhelm them!
10 Let oburning coals fall upon them!
Let them be cast into fire,
into miry pits, no more to rise!
11 Let not the slanderer be established in the land;
let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!
12 I know that the Lord will pmaintain the cause of the afflicted,
and qwill execute justice for the needy.
13 Surely rthe righteous shall give thanks to your name;
sthe upright shall dwell in your presence.
A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord, I call upon you; thasten to me!
Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
2 Let umy prayer be counted as incense before you,
3 xSet a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
ykeep watch over the door of my lips!
4 zDo not let my heart incline to any evil,
to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with men who awork iniquity,
and blet me not eat of their delicacies!
5 cLet a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it.
Yet dmy prayer is continually against their evil deeds.
6 When their judges are ethrown over the cliff,15
then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one plows and breaks up the earth,
8 But gmy eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord;
hin you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!17
9 Keep me from ithe trap that they have laid for me
and from the snares of evildoers!
10 Let the wicked jfall into their own nets,
while I pass by safely.
A Maskil18 of David, when he was in kthe cave. A Prayer.
1 With my voice I lcry out to the Lord;
with my voice I mplead for mercy to the Lord.
2 I npour out my complaint before him;
I tell my trouble before him.
3 When my spirit ofaints within me,
you know my way!
In the path where I walk
they have phidden a trap for me.
4 qLook to the rright and see:
sthere is none who takes notice of me;
tno refuge remains to me;
no one cares for my soul.
5 I cry to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my urefuge,
my vportion in wthe land of the living.”
6 xAttend to my cry,
for yI am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
zfor they are too strong for me!
7 aBring me out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
for you will bdeal bountifully with me.
A Psalm of David.
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord;
cgive ear to my pleas for mercy!
In your dfaithfulness answer me, in your drighteousness!
2 eEnter not into judgment with your servant,
for no one living is righteous fbefore you.
3 For the enemy has pursued my soul;
ghe has crushed my life to the ground;
hhe has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit ifaints within me;
my heart within me is appalled.
5 jI remember the days of old;
kI meditate on all that you have done;
I ponder the work of your hands.
6 lI stretch out my hands to you;
7 oAnswer me quickly, O Lord!
pMy spirit fails!
qHide not your face from me,
rlest I be like those who go down to the pit.
8 sLet me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I ttrust.
uMake me know the way I should go,
vfor to you I lift up my soul.
9 wDeliver me from my enemies, O Lord!
I have fled to you for refuge.19
10 xTeach me to do your will,
for you are my God!
yLet your good Spirit zlead me
on alevel ground!
11 bFor your name’s sake, O Lord, cpreserve my life!
In your righteousness dbring my soul out of trouble!
12 And in your steadfast love you will ecut off my enemies,
and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,
for I am your fservant.
Of David.
1 Blessed be the Lord, my grock,
hwho trains my hands for war,
and my fingers for battle;
2 he is my isteadfast love and my jfortress,
my kstronghold and my deliverer,
my lshield and he in whom I take refuge,
3 O Lord, nwhat is man that you oregard him,
or the son of man that you think of him?
4 pMan is like a breath;
5 sBow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!
tTouch the mountains so that they smoke!
6 uFlash forth the lightning and scatter them;
usend out your arrows and rout them!
7 vStretch out your hand from on high;
wrescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
from the hand xof foreigners,
8 whose mouths speak ylies
and whose right hand is za right hand of falsehood.
9 I will sing aa new song to you, O God;
upon aa ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
10 who gives victory to kings,
who brescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me
from the hand xof foreigners,
whose mouths speak ylies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
12 May our sons in their youth
be like cplants full grown,
our daughters like dcorner pillars
cut for the structure of a palace;
13 emay our granaries be full,
fproviding all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands
and ten thousands in our fields;
14 may our cattle be heavy with young,
suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;21
may there be no gcry of distress in our streets!
15 hBlessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
iBlessed are the people whose God is the Lord!
22 A Song of Praise. Of David.
1 jI will extol you, my God and kKing,
and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
land praise your name forever and ever.
3 mGreat is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his ngreatness is unsearchable.
4 oOne generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On pthe glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 They shall speak of qthe might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall pour forth the fame of your rabundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
8 The Lord is sgracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The Lord is tgood to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.
10 uAll your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your vsaints shall bless you!
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
12 to wmake known to the children of man your23 xmighty deeds,
and ythe glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 zYour kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
[The Lord is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.24]
14 The Lord aupholds all who are falling
and braises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all clook to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
16 You dopen your hand;
you esatisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is frighteous in all his ways
and gkind in all his works.
18 The Lord is hnear to all who call on him,
to all who call on him iin truth.
19 He jfulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also khears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord lpreserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and mlet all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
1 nPraise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord oas long as I live;
pI will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 qPut not your trust in princes,
rin a son of man, in whom there is sno salvation.
4 When this breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
5 uBlessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose vhope is in the Lord his God,
6 wwho made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
xwho keeps faith forever;
7 ywho executes justice for the oppressed,
zwho gives food to the hungry.
aThe Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 bthe Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
cThe Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
dthe Lord loves the righteous.
9 eThe Lord watches over the sojourners;
fhe upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but gthe way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 hThe Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
nPraise the Lord!
1 iPraise the Lord!
For jit is good to sing praises to our God;
for kit is pleasant,25 and la song of praise is fitting.
2 The Lord mbuilds up Jerusalem;
he ngathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals othe brokenhearted
and pbinds up their wounds.
4 He qdetermines the number of the stars;
he rgives to all of them their names.
5 sGreat is our Lord, and tabundant in power;
uhis understanding is beyond measure.
6 The Lord vlifts up the humble;26
he casts the wicked to the ground.
7 wSing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on xthe lyre!
8 He covers the heavens with clouds;
he prepares yrain for the earth;
he makes zgrass grow on the hills.
9 He agives to the beasts their food,
and to bthe young ravens that cry.
10 His delight is not in cthe strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
11 but the Lord dtakes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who ehope in his steadfast love.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens fthe bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
14 He gmakes peace in your borders;
he hfills you with the ifinest of the wheat.
15 He jsends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives ksnow like wool;
he scatters lfrost like ashes.
17 He hurls down his crystals of mice like crumbs;
who can stand before his ncold?
18 He osends out his word, and melts them;
he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
19 He declares his word to Jacob,
his pstatutes and rules27 to Israel.
20 He qhas not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his rules.28
rPraise the Lord!
1 rPraise the Lord!
Praise the Lord sfrom the heavens;
praise him tin the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his uhosts!
3 Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you vhighest heavens,
and you wwaters above the heavens!
5 xLet them praise the name of the Lord!
For yhe commanded and they were created.
6 And he zestablished them forever and ever;
7 Praise the Lord cfrom the earth,
you dgreat sea creatures and all deeps,
9 iMountains and all hills,
10 lBeasts and all livestock,
creeping things and mflying birds!
11 Kings of the earth and nall peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!
13 oLet them praise the name of the Lord,
for phis name alone is exalted;
qhis majesty is above earth and heaven.
14 He has rraised up a horn for his people,
spraise for all his saints,
for the people of Israel who are tnear to him.
uPraise the Lord!
1 uPraise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord va new song,
his praise in wthe assembly of the godly!
2 Let Israel xbe glad in yhis Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their zKing!
3 Let them praise his name with adancing,
making melody to him with btambourine and clyre!
4 For the Lord dtakes pleasure in his people;
he eadorns the humble with salvation.
5 Let the godly exult in glory;
let them fsing for joy on their gbeds.
6 Let hthe high praises of God be in their throats
and itwo-edged swords in their hands,
7 to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishments on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with jchains
and their nobles with fetters of iron,
9 to execute on them the judgment kwritten!
lThis is honor for all his godly ones.
uPraise the Lord!
1 uPraise the Lord!
Praise God in his msanctuary;
praise him in nhis mighty heavens!30
2 Praise him for his omighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent pgreatness!
3 Praise him with qtrumpet sound;
praise him with rlute and rharp!
4 Praise him with stambourine and sdance;
praise him with tstrings and upipe!
5 Praise him with sounding vcymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let weverything that has breath praise the Lord!
xPraise the Lord!
1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
to understand words of insight,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,
in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 to give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the youth—
5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
and the one who understands obtain guidance,
6 to understand a proverb and a saying,
the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching,
9 for they are a graceful garland for your head
and pendants for your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you,
do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;
let us ambush the innocent without reason;
12 like Sheol let us swallow them alive,
and whole, like those 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 my son, do not walk in the way with them;
hold back your foot from their paths,
16 for their 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 greedy for unjust gain;
it takes away the life of its possessors.
20 Wisdom 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 hate knowledge?
23 If you turn at my reproof,31
behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I have called and you refused to listen,
have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,
25 because you have ignored all my counsel
and would have none of my reproof,
26 I also will laugh 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 counsel
and despised all my reproof,
31 therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,
and have their fill of their own devices.
32 For the simple 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, without dread of disaster.”
1 My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
3 yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield 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 righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path;
10 for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 discretion will watch over you,
understanding will guard you,
12 delivering you from the way of evil,
from men of perverted speech,
13 who forsake the paths of uprightness
to walk in the ways of darkness,
14 who rejoice in doing evil
and delight in the perverseness of evil,
15 men whose paths are crooked,
and who are devious in their ways.
16 So you will be delivered from the forbidden32 woman,
from the adulteress33 with her smooth words,
17 who forsakes the companion of her youth
and forgets the covenant of her God;
18 for her house sinks down to death,
and her paths to the departed;34
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 My son, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments,
2 for length of days and years of life
and peace they will add to you.
3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and good success35
in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust 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 make straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your flesh36
and refreshment37 to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.
11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline
or be weary of his reproof,
12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights.
13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
14 for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
and her profit better than gold.
15 She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing 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 tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called blessed.
19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding he established the heavens;
20 by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
and the clouds drop down the dew.
21 My son, do not lose sight of these—
keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22 and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
23 Then you will walk on your way securely,
and your foot will not stumble.
24 If 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 ruin38 of the wicked, when it comes,
26 for the Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught.
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,39
when it is in your power to do it.
28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
29 Do not plan 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 envy 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 Toward the scorners he is scornful,
but to the humble he gives favor.40
35 The wise will inherit honor,
but fools get41 disgrace.
1 Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction,
and be attentive, that you may gain42 insight,
2 for I give you good precepts;
do 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 heart hold fast my words;
keep my commandments, and live.
5 Get wisdom; get insight;
do 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 guard you.
7 The beginning 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 graceful garland;
she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”
10 Hear, my son, and accept my words,
that the years of your life may be many.
11 I have taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
12 When you walk, your step will not be hampered,
and if you run, you will not stumble.
13 Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
guard her, for she is your life.
14 Do not enter the path 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 they 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 like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know over what they stumble.
20 My son, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their43 flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
24 Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.
25 Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
26 Ponder44 the path of your feet;
then all your ways will be sure.
27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.
1 My son, be attentive to my wisdom;
incline your ear to my understanding,
2 that you may keep discretion,
and your lips may guard knowledge.
3 For the lips of a forbidden45 woman drip honey,
and her speech46 is smoother than oil,
4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps follow the path to47 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 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 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 hated discipline,
and my heart despised 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 springs 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 intoxicated48 always in her love.
20 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman
and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?49
21 For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord,
and he ponders50 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 put up security for your neighbor,
have given your pledge for a stranger,
2 if you are snared 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,51 and plead urgently with your neighbor.
4 Give your eyes no sleep
and your eyelids no slumber;
5 save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,52
like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, O sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise.
7 Without having any chief,
officer, or ruler,
8 she prepares her bread in summer
and gathers her food in harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.
12 A worthless person, a wicked man,
goes about with crooked speech,
13 winks with his eyes, signals53 with his feet,
points with his finger,
14 with perverted heart devises evil,
continually sowing discord;
15 therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;
in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.
16 There are six 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,
feet that make haste to run to evil,
19 a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers.
20 My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them on your heart always;
tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they54 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 lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
24 to preserve you from the evil woman,55
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.56
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;
26 for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,57
but a married woman58 hunts down a precious life.
27 Can a man carry fire 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 his 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 if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold;
he will give all the goods of his house.
32 He who commits 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 jealousy 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 treasure up my commandments with you;
2 keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;
3 bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
5 to keep you from the forbidden59 woman,
from the adulteress60 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 her house
9 in the twilight, in the evening,
at the time of night and darkness.
10 And behold, the woman meets him,
dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.61
11 She is loud and wayward;
her feet do not stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the market,
and at every corner she lies in wait.
13 She seizes him and kisses him,
and with bold face she says to him,
14 “I had to offer sacrifices,62
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 linen;
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,
aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For my 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 smooth talk she compels him.
22 All at once he follows her,
as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast63
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 Let 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 Her house is the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.
1 Does not wisdom call?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
2 On 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 simple ones, learn prudence;
O fools, learn 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 crooked in them.
9 They are all straight to him who understands,
and right to those who find knowledge.
10 Take my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold,
11 for wisdom is better than jewels,
and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.
12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
and I find knowledge and discretion.
13 The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
and perverted speech I hate.
14 I have counsel and sound wisdom;
I have insight; I have strength.
15 By me kings reign,
and rulers decree what is just;
16 by me princes rule,
and nobles, all who govern justly.64
17 I love those who love me,
and those who seek me diligently find me.
18 Riches and honor are with me,
enduring wealth and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,
and my yield than choice silver.
20 I walk in the way of righteousness,
in the paths of justice,
21 granting an inheritance to those who love me,
and filling their treasuries.
22 “The Lord possessed65 me at the beginning of his work,66
the first of his acts of old.
23 Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth,
26 before he had made the earth with its fields,
or the first of the dust of the world.
27 When he established the heavens, I was there;
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 when he made firm the skies above,
when he established67 the fountains of the deep,
29 when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 then I was beside him, like a master workman,
and I was daily his68 delight,
rejoicing before him always,
31 rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the children of man.
32 “And now, O sons, listen to me:
blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction and be wise,
and do not neglect it.
34 Blessed is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors.
35 For whoever finds me finds life
and obtains favor from the Lord,
36 but he who fails to find me injures himself;
all who hate me love death.”
1 Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn her seven pillars.
2 She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
3 She has sent out her young women to call
from the highest places in the town,
4 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
To him who lacks sense she says,
5 “Come, eat of my bread
and drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 Leave your simple ways,69 and live,
and walk in the way of insight.”
7 Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
8 Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Give instruction70 to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
11 For by me your days will be multiplied,
and years will be added to your life.
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