Do not let mercy and kindness and truth leave you [instead let these qualities define you];
Bind them [securely] around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.

My son, do not reject or take lightly the discipline of the Lord [learn from your mistakes and the testing that comes from His correction through discipline];
Nor despise His rebuke,

So that she does not think [seriously] about the path of life;
Her ways are aimless and unstable; you cannot know where her path leads.

A worthless person, a wicked man,
Is one who walks with a perverse (corrupt, vulgar) mouth.

Bind them continually upon your heart (in your thoughts),
And tie them around your neck.

He who goes about as a gossip reveals secrets,
But he who is trustworthy and faithful keeps a matter hidden.

“It is [almost] worthless, it is [almost] worthless,” says the buyer [as he negotiates the price];
But when he goes his way, then he boasts [about his bargain].

He who goes about as a gossip reveals secrets;
Therefore do not associate with a gossip [who talks freely or flatters].