that the wise man may hear, and increase in learning, and that the man of understanding may attain to sound counsels,

My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.

My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

My son, walk not thou in the way with them. Restrain thy foot from their path.

Turn back at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you. I will make my words known to you.

Because I have called, and ye have refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man has regarded,

but ye have made all my counsel void, and want none of my reproof,

Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me,

They wanted none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof.

But he who hearkens to me shall dwell securely, and shall be quiet without fear of evil.

My son, if thou will receive my words, and lay up my commandments with thee,

that he may guard the paths of justice, and preserve the way of his sanctified.

that thou may walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

My son, do not forget my law, but let thy heart keep my commandments.

My son, despise not the chastening of LORD, nor be weary of his reproof.

My son, let them not depart from thine eyes. Keep sound wisdom and discretion,

For I give you good doctrine. Forsake ye not my law.

For I was a son to my father, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.

And he taught me, and said to me, Let thy heart retain my words. Keep my commandments, and live.

Get wisdom, get understanding. Do not forget, nor decline from the words of my mouth.

Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of thy life shall be many.

My son, attend to my words. Incline thine ear to my sayings.

My son, attend to my wisdom. Incline thine ear to my understanding,

that thou may preserve discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.

Now therefore, ye sons, hearken to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth.

and say, How I have hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof.

Neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!

For why should thou, my son, be ravished with an interloping woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

My son, if thou have become surety for thy neighbor, if thou have struck thy hands for a stranger,

Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, since thou have come into the hand of thy neighbor. Go, humble thyself, and importune thy neighbor.

My son, keep the commandment of thy father, and do not forsake the law of thy mother.

My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.

Keep my commandments and live, and my law as the apple of thine eye.

Say to wisdom, Thou are my sister, and call understanding [thy] kinswoman,

that they may keep thee from the interloping woman, from the stranger who flatters with her words.

For at the window of my house I looked forth through my lattice,

Sacrifices of peace-offerings are with me. I have paid my vows this day.

I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, with striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.

I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

Now therefore, ye sons, hearken to me, and attend to the words of my mouth.

To you, O men, I call. And my voice is to the sons of men.

Hear, for I will speak excellent things. And the opening of my lips shall be right things.

For my mouth shall utter truth. And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

All the words of my mouth are in righteousness. There is nothing crooked or perverse in them.

Receive my instruction, and not silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold.

For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.

I, wisdom, have made prudence my dwelling, and find out knowledge [and] discretion.

By me kings reign, and rulers decree justice.

By me rulers rule, and ranking men, [even] all the judges of the earth.

I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently shall find me.

Riches and honor are with me, durable wealth and righteousness.

My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold, and my revenue than choice silver.

that I may cause those who love me to inherit substance, and that I may fill their treasuries.

LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

rejoicing in his habitable earth. And my delight was with the sons of men.

Now therefore, ye sons, hearken to me. For blessed are those who keep my ways.

Blessed is the man who hears me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.

For he who finds me finds life, and shall obtain favor of LORD.

But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul. All those who hate me love death.

Come, eat ye of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.

For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.

To the wise man the way of life [is] upward, that he may depart from Sheol beneath.

A fool has no delight in understanding, but only that his heart may reveal itself.

Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou may be wise in thy latter end.

To err from the words of knowledge, cease, my son, to hear instruction.

Who can say, I have made my heart clean. I am pure from my sin?

Incline thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thy heart to my knowledge.

That thy trust may be in LORD, I have made [them] known to thee this day, even to thee.

to make thee know the certainty of the words of truth, that thou may carry back words of truth to those who send thee?

My son, eat thou honey, for it is good, and the droppings of the honeycomb, which are sweet to thy taste,

My son, fear thou LORD and the king, [and] do not associate with those who are given to change.

Say not, I will do so to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.

Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou know not what a day may bring forth.

My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me.

Two things I have asked of thee, deny me not before I die:

Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me,

lest I be full, and deny [thee], and say, Who is LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and use the name of my God profanely.

There are three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:

What, my son? And what, O son of my womb? And what, O son of my vows?