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; refrain thy foot from their path:

Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

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

But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:

Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;

My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:

My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:

My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:

For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.

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

He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither 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 unto my sayings.

My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:

That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.

Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.

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

And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!

And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,

Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.

My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not 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 unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:

That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.

For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,

I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.

I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.

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

Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.

Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.

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

For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward 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.

By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.

By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.

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

That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.

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

Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.

Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.

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

For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.

But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

Come, eat 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.

The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.

A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.

Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.

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

An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed.

Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.

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

My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.

Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.

Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.

My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:

My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:

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

Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

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

Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:

Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:

Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

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

What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows?