¹⁷ My son, bow down thine ear, and hearken unto the words of wisdom, apply thy mind unto my doctrine - ¹⁸ for it is a pleasant thing if thou keep it in thine heart, and practice it in thy mouth - ¹⁹ that thou mayest always put thy trust in the LORD. ²⁰ Have not I warned thee very oft with counsel and learning? ²¹ That I might show thee the truth and that thou with the verity mightest answer them that lay anything against thee?

²² See that thou rob not the poor because he is weak, and oppress not the simple in judgment; ²³ for the LORD himself will defend their cause, and do violence unto them that have used violence.

²⁴ Make no friendship with an angry willful man, and keep no company with the furious; ²⁵ lest thou learn his ways, and receive hurt unto thy soul.

²⁶ Be not thou one of them that bind their hand upon promise, and are surety for debt; ²⁷ for if thou hast nothing to pay, they shall take away thy bed from under thee.

²⁸ Thou shalt not remove the landmark, which thy fore elders have set.

²⁹ Seest thou not, that they which be diligent in their business stand before kings, and not among the simple people?

¹ When thou sittest at the table to eat with a lord, order thyself mannerly with the things that are set before thee. ² Measure thine appetite: ³ and if thou wilt rule thy own self, be not over greedy of his meat, for meat beguileth and deceiveth.

⁴ Take not over great travail and labour to be rich, beware of such a purpose. ⁵ Why wilt thou set thine eye upon the thing, which suddenly vanisheth away? For riches make themselves wings, and take their flight like an Eagle into the air.

⁶ Eat not thou with the envious, and desire not his meat, ⁷ for he doth as a man that pescribeth a measure in his heart. He sayeth unto thee, "Eat and drink," whereas his heart is not with thee. ⁸ Yea the morsels that thou hast eaten shalt thou parbreak and loose those sweet words.

⁹ Tell nothing into the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

¹⁰ Remove not the old landmark, and come not within the field of the fatherless. ¹¹ For he that delivereth them is mighty, even he shall defend their cause against thee.

¹² Apply thine heart unto learning, and thine ear to the words of knowledge.

¹³ Withhold not correction from the child; for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die thereof. ¹⁴ Thou smitest him with the rod; but thou deliverest his soul from hell.

¹⁵ My son, if thy heart receive wisdom, my heart also shall rejoice: ¹⁶ yea, my reins shall be very glad, if thy lips speak the thing that is right.

¹⁷ Let not thine heart be jealous to follow sinners; but keep thee still in the fear of the LORD all the day long: ¹⁸ For the end is not yet come and thy patient abiding shall not be in vain.

¹⁹ My son, give ear and be wise, so shall thine heart prosper in the way. ²⁰ Keep no company with winebibbers and riotous eaters of flesh; ²¹ for such as be drunkards and riotous shall come to poverty, and he that is given to much sleep, shall go with a ragged coat.

²² Give ear unto thy father that begat thee; and despise not thy mother when she is old. ²³ Labour for to get the truth, sell not away wisdom, nurture and understanding; ²⁴ for a righteous father is marvelous glad of a wise son, and delighteth in him. ²⁵ So shall thy father be glad, and thy mother that bare thee, shall rejoice.

²⁶ My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes have pleasure in my ways. ²⁷ For a whore is a deep grave, and a harlot is a narrow pit. ²⁸ She lurketh like a thief, and those that be not aware, she bringeth unto her.

²⁹ Where is woe? Where is sorrow? Where is strife? Where is brawling? Where are wounds without cause? Where be red eyes? ³⁰ Even among those that be ever at the wine, and seek excess. ³¹ Look not thou upon the wine, how red it is, and what a color it giveth in the glass. ³² It goeth down softly; but at the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth as an adder. ³³ So shall thine eyes look unto strange women, and thine heart shall muse upon froward things. ³⁴ Yea, thou shalt be as though thou slept in the midst of the sea, or on the top of the mast of a ship. ³⁵ "They wounded me," shalt thou say, "but it hath not hurt me. They smote me, but I felt it not. When I am well awakened, I will go to the drink again."

¹ Be not thou jealous over wicked men, and desire not thou to be among them. ² For their heart imagineth to do hurt, and their lips talk of mischief.

³ Through wisdom a house shall be builded, and with understanding it shall be set up. ⁴ Through discretion shall the chambers be filled with all costly and pleasant riches.

⁵ A wise man is strong; yea, a man of understanding is better than he that is mighty of strength. ⁶ For with discretion must wars be taken in hand, and whereas are many that can give counsel, there is the victory.

⁷ Wisdom is a high thing; yea, even to the fool, for he dare not open his mouth in the gate.

⁸ He that imagineth mischief, may well be called an ungracious person. ⁹ The thought of the foolish is sin, and the scornful is an abomination unto men.

¹⁰ If thou be overseen and negligent in time of need, then is thy strength but small. ¹¹ Deliver them that go unto death, and are led away to be slain, and be not negligent therein. ¹² If thou wilt say, "I knew not of it"; Thinkest thou that he which made the hearts, doth not consider it? And that he which regardeth thy soul, seeth it not? Shall not he recompense every man according to his works?

¹³ My son, thou eatest honey and the sweet honeycomb, because it is good and sweet in thy mouth. ¹⁴ Even so shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul, as soon as thou hast gotten it. And there is good hope; yea, thy hope shall not be in vain.

¹⁵ Lay no privy wait wickedly upon the house of the righteous, and disquiet not his resting place. ¹⁶ For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again; but the ungodly fall into wickedness.

¹⁷ Rejoice not thou at the fall of thine enemy; and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth. ¹⁸ Lest the LORD, when he seeth it, be angry and turn his wrath from him unto thee.

¹⁹ Let not thy wrath and jealousy move thee, to follow the wicked and ungodly. ²⁰ And why? The wicked hath nothing to hope for, and the candle of the ungodly shall be put out.

²¹ My son, fear thou the LORD and the king, and keep no company with them that slide back from his fear: ²² For their destruction shall come suddenly, and who knoweth the fall of them both?

²³ These are also the sayings of the wise. It is not good to have respect of any person in judgment. ²⁴ He that sayeth unto the ungodly, "Thou art righteous," him shall the people curse; yea, the commonality shall abhor him. ²⁵ But they that rebuke the ungodly shall be commended, and a rich blessing shall come upon them.

²⁶ He maketh himself to be well loved, that giveth a good answer.

²⁷ First, make up thy work that is without, and look well unto that which thou hast in the field, and then build thine house.

²⁸ Be no false witness against thy neighbour, and hurt him not with thy lips. ²⁹ Say not, "I will handle him, even as he hath dealt with me, and will reward every man according to his deeds."

³⁰ I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyards of the foolish man. ³¹ And lo, it was all covered with nettles, and stood full of thistles, and the stone wall was broken down. ³² This I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and took it for a warning. ³³ Yea, sleep on still a little, slumber a little, fold thine hands together yet a little; ³⁴ so shall poverty come unto thee as one that travaileth by the way, and necessity like a weaponed man.