The Rewards of Wisdom
My son, ado not forget my teaching,
But let your heart bkeep my commandments;
2 For alength of days and years of life
And peace they will add to you.
3 Do not let akindness and truth leave you;
bBind them around your neck,
cWrite them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will afind favor and bgood repute
In the sight of God and man.
5 aTrust in the Lord with all your heart
And bdo not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways aacknowledge Him,
And He will bmake your paths straight.
7 aDo not be wise in your own eyes;
bFear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 It will be ahealing to your body
And brefreshment to your bones.
9 aHonor the Lord from your wealth
And from the bfirst of all your produce;
10 So your abarns will be filled with plenty
And your bvats will overflow with new wine.
11 aMy son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord
Or loathe His reproof,
12 For awhom the Lord loves He reproves,
Even bas a father corrects the son in whom he delights.
13 aHow blessed is the man who finds wisdom
And the man who gains understanding.
14 For her aprofit is better than the profit of silver
And her gain better than fine gold.
15 She is amore precious than jewels;
And nothing you desire compares with her.
16 aLong life is in her right hand;
In her left hand are briches and honor.
17 Her aways are pleasant ways
And all her paths are bpeace.
18 She is a atree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who hold her fast.
19 The Lord aby wisdom founded the earth,
By understanding He bestablished the heavens.
20 By His knowledge the adeeps were broken up
And the bskies drip with dew.
21 My son, alet them not vanish from your sight;
Keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22 So they will be alife to your soul
And badornment to your neck.
23 Then you will awalk in your way securely
And your foot will not bstumble.
24 When you alie down, you will not be afraid;
When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 aDo not be afraid of sudden fear
Nor of the bonslaught of the wicked when it comes;
26 For the Lord will be your confidence
And will akeep your foot from being caught.
27 aDo not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
When it is in your power to do it.
28 aDo not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,”
When you have it with you.
29 aDo not devise harm against your neighbor,
While he lives securely beside you.
30 aDo not contend with a man without cause,
If he has done you no harm.
31 aDo not envy a man of violence
And do not choose any of his ways.
32 For the adevious are an abomination to the Lord;
But He is bintimate with the upright.
33 The acurse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked,
But He bblesses the dwelling of the righteous.
34 Though aHe scoffs at the scoffers,
Yet bHe gives grace to the afflicted.
35 aThe wise will inherit honor,
But fools display dishonor.
A Father’s Instruction
Hear, O sons, the ainstruction of a father,
And bgive attention that you may gain understanding,
2 For I give you sound ateaching;
bDo not abandon my instruction.
3 When I was a son to my father,
aTender and bthe only son in the sight of my mother,
4 Then he ataught me and said to me,
“Let your heart bhold fast my words;
cKeep my commandments and live;
5 aAcquire wisdom! bAcquire understanding!
Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
6 “Do not forsake her, and she will guard you;
aLove her, and she will watch over you.
7 “aThe beginning of wisdom is: bAcquire wisdom;
And with all your acquiring, get understanding.
8 “aPrize her, and she will exalt you;
She will honor you if you embrace her.
9 “She will place aon your head a garland of grace;
She will present you with a crown of beauty.”
10 Hear, my son, and aaccept my sayings
And the byears of your life will be many.
11 I have adirected you in the way of wisdom;
I have led you in upright paths.
12 When you walk, your asteps will not be impeded;
And if you run, you bwill not stumble.
13 aTake hold of instruction; do not let go.
Guard her, for she is your blife.
14 aDo not enter the path of the wicked
And do not proceed in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it, do not pass by it;
Turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they acannot sleep unless they do evil;
And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.
17 For they aeat the bread of wickedness
And drink the wine of violence.
18 But the apath of the righteous is like the blight of dawn,
That cshines brighter and brighter until the dfull day.
19 The away of the wicked is like darkness;
They do not know over what they bstumble.
20 My son, agive attention to my words;
bIncline your ear to my sayings.
21 aDo not let them depart from your sight;
bKeep them in the midst of your heart.
22 For they are alife to those who find them
And bhealth to all their body.
23 Watch over your heart with all diligence,
For afrom it flow the springs of life.
24 Put away from you a adeceitful mouth
And bput devious speech far from you.
25 Let your eyes look directly ahead
And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.
26 aWatch the path of your feet
And all your bways will be established.
27 aDo not turn to the right nor to the left;
bTurn your foot from evil.
Pitfalls of Immorality
My son, agive attention to my wisdom,
bIncline your ear to my understanding;
2 That you may aobserve discretion
And your blips may reserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of an aadulteress bdrip honey
And csmoother than oil is her speech;
4 But in the end she is abitter as wormwood,
bSharp as a two‑edged sword.
5 Her feet ago down to death,
Her steps take hold of Sheol.
6 She does not ponder the apath of life;
Her ways are bunstable, she cdoes not know it.
7 aNow then, my sons, listen to me
And bdo not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 aKeep your way far from her
And do not go near the bdoor of her house,
9 Or you will give your vigor to others
And your years to the cruel one;
10 And strangers will be filled with your strength
And your hard‑earned goods will go to the house of an alien;
11 And you groan at your final end,
When your flesh and your body are consumed;
12 And you say, “How I have ahated instruction!
And my heart bspurned reproof!
13 “I have not listened to the voice of my ateachers,
Nor inclined my ear to my instructors!
14 “I was almost in utter ruin
In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”
15 Drink water from your own cistern
And fresh water from your own well.
16 Should your asprings be dispersed abroad,
Streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be yours alone
And not for strangers with you.
18 Let your afountain be blessed,
And brejoice in the cwife of your youth.
19 As a loving ahind and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
Be exhilarated always with her love.
20 For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an aadulteress
And embrace the bosom of a bforeigner?
21 For the aways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord,
And He bwatches all his paths.
22 His aown iniquities will capture the wicked,
And he will be held with the cords of his sin.
23 He will adie for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.