In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

There are six things which the Lord hates,
Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:

And behold, a woman comes to meet him,
Dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart.

So she seizes him and kisses him
And with a brazen face she says to him:

He has taken a bag of money with him,
At the full moon he will come home.”

With her many persuasions she entices him;
With her flattering lips she seduces him.

Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
As a bird hastens to the snare,
So he does not know that it will cost him his life.

“They are all straightforward to him who understands,
And right to those who find knowledge.

Then I was beside Him, as a master workman;
And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,

“Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!”
To him who lacks understanding she says,

“Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,”
And to him who lacks understanding she says,

On the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found,
But a rod is for the back of him who lacks understanding.

What the wicked fears will come upon him,
But the desire of the righteous will be granted.

Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the lazy one to those who send him.

He who withholds grain, the people will curse him,
But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.

He who diligently seeks good seeks favor,
But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.

An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
But she who shames him is like rottenness in his bones.

A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words,
And the deeds of a man’s hands will return to him.

Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline,
But he who regards reproof will be honored.

He who withholds his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.

He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
But he who is devious in his ways despises Him.

He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker,
But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.

The king’s favor is toward a servant who acts wisely,
But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully.

Grievous punishment is for him who forsakes the way;
He who hates reproof will die.

A scoffer does not love one who reproves him,
He will not go to the wise.

Folly is joy to him who lacks sense,
But a man of understanding walks straight.

When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

A worker’s appetite works for him,
For his hunger urges him on.

A man of violence entices his neighbor
And leads him in a way that is not good.

A rebellious man seeks only evil,
So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

A foolish son is a grief to his father
And bitterness to her who bore him.

He also who is slack in his work
Is brother to him who destroys.

He who gives an answer before he hears,
It is folly and shame to him.

A man’s gift makes room for him
And brings him before great men.

The first to plead his case seems right,
Until another comes and examines him.

Many will seek the favor of a generous man,
And every man is a friend to him who gives gifts.

All the brothers of a poor man hate him;
How much more do his friends abandon him!
He pursues them with words, but they are gone.

A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger,
And it is his glory to overlook a transgression.

One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord,
And He will repay him for his good deed.

A man of great anger will bear the penalty,
For if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.

The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion;
He who provokes him to anger forfeits his own life.

A righteous man who walks in his integrity—
How blessed are his sons after him.

Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger;
And for foreigners, hold him in pledge.

The desire of the sluggard puts him to death,
For his hands refuse to work;

Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.

To make you know the certainty of the words of truth
That you may correctly answer him who sent you?

Do not hold back discipline from the child,
Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die.

You shall strike him with the rod
And rescue his soul from Sheol.

The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,
And he who sires a wise son will be glad in him.

Or the Lord will see it and be displeased,
And turn His anger away from him.

He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
Peoples will curse him, nations will abhor him;

Do not say, “Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me;
I will render to the man according to his work.”

Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
Is a faithful messenger to those who send him,
For he refreshes the soul of his masters.

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;

Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Or you will also be like him.

Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Like one who takes a dog by the ears
Is he who passes by and meddles with strife not belonging to him.

When he speaks graciously, do not believe him,
For there are seven abominations in his heart.

He who digs a pit will fall into it,
And he who rolls a stone, it will come back on him.

Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,
That I may reply to him who reproaches me.

Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger;
And for an adulterous woman hold him in pledge.

He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning,
It will be reckoned a curse to him.

The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold,
And each is tested by the praise accorded him.

Though you pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain,
Yet his foolishness will not depart from him.

He who increases his wealth by interest and usury
Gathers it for him who is gracious to the poor.

The rich man is wise in his own eyes,
But the poor who has understanding sees through him.

A man who is laden with the guilt of human blood
Will be a fugitive until death; let no one support him.

A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth
And does not know that want will come upon him.

Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

He who pampers his slave from childhood
Will in the end find him to be a son.

A man’s pride will bring him low,
But a humble spirit will obtain honor.

Every word of God is tested;
He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

The strutting rooster, the male goat also,
And a king when his army is with him.

The words of King Lemuel, the oracle which his mother taught him:

Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
And wine to him whose life is bitter.

Let him drink and forget his poverty
And remember his trouble no more.

She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.