For their feet are running after evil, and they are quick to take a man's life.

And they are secretly waiting for their blood and making ready destruction for themselves.

Her words are sounding in the meeting-places, and in the doorways of the town:

Truly, if you are crying out for good sense, and your request is for knowledge;

If you are looking for her as for silver, and searching for her as for stored-up wealth;

He keeps watch on the ways which are right, and takes care of those who have the fear of him.

Giving you salvation from the evil man, from those whose words are false;

Whose ways are not straight, and whose footsteps are turned to evil:

But sinners will be cut off from the land, and those whose acts are false will be uprooted.

For to those who are dear to him the Lord says sharp words, and makes the son in whom he has delight undergo pain.

Long life is in her right hand, and in her left are wealth and honour.

Her ways are ways of delight, and all her goings are peace.

For I give you good teaching; do not give up the knowledge you are getting from me.

For they are life to him who gets them, and strength to all his flesh.

She never keeps her mind on the road of life; her ways are uncertain, she has no knowledge.

And you will be full of grief at the end of your life, when your flesh and your body are wasted;

For a man's ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he puts all his goings in the scales.

You are taken as in a net by the words of your mouth, the sayings of your lips have overcome you.

Six things are hated by the Lord; seven things are disgusting to him:

A heart full of evil designs, feet which are quick in running after sin;

In your walking, it will be your guide; when you are sleeping, it will keep watch over you; when you are awake, it will have talk with you.

For the rule is a light, and the teaching a shining light; and the guiding words of training are the way of life.

He will not take any payment; and he will not make peace with you though your money offerings are increased.

Say to wisdom, You are my sister; let knowledge be named your special friend:

So that they may keep you from the strange woman, even from her whose words are smooth.

For those wounded and made low by her are great in number; and all those who have come to their death through her are a great army.

Give ear, for my words are true, and my lips are open to give out what is upright.

For good faith goes out of my mouth, and false lips are disgusting to me.

All the words of my mouth are righteousness; there is nothing false or twisted in them.

They are all true to him whose mind is awake, and straightforward to those who get knowledge.

For wisdom is better than jewels, and all things which may be desired are nothing in comparison with her.

The fear of the Lord is seen in hating evil: pride, a high opinion of oneself, the evil way, and the false tongue, are unpleasing to me.

Wise design and good sense are mine; reason and strength are mine.

Through me chiefs have authority, and the noble ones are judging in righteousness.

Those who have given me their love are loved by me, and those who make search for me with care will get me.

Wealth and honour are in my hands, even wealth without equal and righteousness.

Give ear to me then, my sons: for happy are those who keep my ways.

But he who does evil to me, does wrong to his soul: all my haters are in love with death.

If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if your heart is full of pride, you only will have the pain of it.

But he does not see that the dead are there, that her guests are in the deep places of the underworld.

Blessings are on the head of the upright, but the face of sinners will be covered with sorrow.

He whose ways are upright will go safely, but he whose ways are twisted will be made low.

Hate is a cause of violent acts, but all errors are covered up by love.

The lips of the upright man have knowledge of what is pleasing, but twisted are the mouths of evil-doers.

Scales of deceit are hated by the Lord, but a true weight is his delight.

With his mouth the evil man sends destruction on his neighbour; but through knowledge the upright are taken out of trouble.

When things go well for the upright man, all the town is glad; at the death of sinners, there are cries of joy.

The uncontrolled are hated by the Lord, but those whose ways are without error are his delight

The purposes of upright men are right, but the designs of evil-doers are deceit.

The words of sinners are destruction for the upright; but the mouth of upright men is their salvation.

Evil-doers are overturned and never seen again, but the house of upright men will keep its place.

An upright man has thought for the life of his beast, but the hearts of evil-doers are cruel.

There are some whose uncontrolled talk is like the wounds of a sword, but the tongue of the wise makes one well again.

True lips are certain for ever, but a false tongue is only for a minute.

Deceit is in the heart of those whose designs are evil, but for those purposing peace there is joy.

False lips are hated by the Lord, but those whose acts are true are his delight.

A wise son is a lover of teaching, but the ears of the haters of authority are shut to sharp words.

He who keeps a watch on his mouth keeps his life; but he whose lips are open wide will have destruction.

Righteousness keeps safe him whose way is without error, but evil-doers are overturned by sin.

He who goes on his way in righteousness has before him the fear of the Lord; but he whose ways are twisted gives him no honour.

Where there are no oxen, their food-place is clean; but much increase comes through the strength of the ox.

Foolish behaviour is the heritage of the simple, but men of good sense are crowned with knowledge.

The knees of the evil are bent before the good; and sinners go down in the dust at the doors of the upright.

Will not the designers of evil come into error? But mercy and good faith are for the designers of good.

He who is hard on the poor puts shame on his Maker; but he who has mercy on those who are in need gives him honour.

The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.

Before the Lord are the underworld and destruction: how much more, then, the hearts of the children of men!

The heart of the man of good sense goes in search of knowledge, but foolish things are the food of the unwise.

All the days of the troubled are evil; but he whose heart is glad has an unending feast.

Thorns are round the way of the hater of work; but the road of the hard worker becomes a highway.

Where there are no wise suggestions, purposes come to nothing; but by a number of wise guides they are made certain.

Evil designs are disgusting to the Lord, but the words of the clean-hearted are pleasing.

He whose desires are fixed on profit is a cause of trouble to his family; but he who has no desire for offerings will have life.

The designs of the heart are man's, but the answer of the tongue comes from the Lord.

All a man's ways are clean to himself; but the Lord puts men's spirits into his scales.

By mercy and good faith evil-doing is taken away: and by the fear of the Lord men are turned away from evil.

When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his haters be at peace with him.

True measures and scales are the Lord's: all the weights of the bag are his work.

Lips of righteousness are the delight of kings; and he who says what is upright is dear to him.

Pleasing words are like honey, sweet to the soul and new life to the bones.

He whose eyes are shut is a man of twisted purposes, and he who keeps his lips shut tight makes evil come about.

Children's children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their fathers.

Fair words are not to be looked for from a foolish man, much less are false lips in a ruler.

He who gives a decision for the evil-doer and he who gives a decision against the upright, are equally disgusting to the Lord.

Wisdom is before the face of him who has sense; but the eyes of the foolish are on the ends of the earth.

Even the foolish man, when he keeps quiet, is taken to be wise: when his lips are shut he is credited with good sense.

The words of a man's mouth are like deep waters: the fountain of wisdom is like a flowing stream.

A foolish man's lips are a cause of fighting, and his mouth makes him open to blows.

The mouth of a foolish man is his destruction, and his lips are a net for his soul.

The words of one who says evil of his neighbour secretly are like sweet food, and go down into the inner parts of the stomach.

A brother wounded is like a strong town, and violent acts are like a locked tower.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and those to whom it is dear will have its fruit for their food.

There are friends who may be a man's destruction, but there is a lover who keeps nearer than a brother.

Better is the poor man whose ways are upright, than the man of wealth whose ways are twisted.

By his foolish behaviour a man's ways are turned upside down, and his heart is bitter against the Lord.

All the brothers of the poor man are against him: how much more do his friends go far from him! ...

A foolish son is the destruction of his father; and the bitter arguments of a wife are like drops of rain falling without end.

House and wealth are a heritage from fathers, but a wife with good sense is from the Lord.

Rods are being made ready for the man of pride, and blows for the back of the foolish.

It is an honour for a man to keep from fighting, but the foolish are ever at war.