For giving To the simple shrewdness, To the young man, knowledge and discretion.

Hear, my son, the correction of thy father, and do not reject the instruction of thy mother;

For, a wreath of beauty, shall they be to thy head, and chains of ornament, to thy neck.

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

Let us engulf them, like hades, alive, While in health, like them who are going down to the pit;

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

For, their feet, to mischief, do run, and haste to the shedding of blood.

Will ye turn, at my reproof? Lo! I will pour out to you my spirit, I will make known my words to you.

But ye dismissed all my counsel, and, to my rebuke, would not yield,

Consented not to my counsel, disdained all my rebuke,

Yea he treasureth, for the upright, safety, A shield is he to them who walk in integrity,

To him that observeth the paths of justice, yea, the way of his men of lovingkindness, he doth guard.

When wisdom entereth thy heart, and, knowledge, to thy soul, is sweet,

To rescue thee from the way of the wrongful, from the man that speaketh perverse things;

From them who forsake the paths of rectitude, to walk in this ways of darkness;

Who rejoice to do wrong, exult in the perversities of the wrongful;

To rescue thee, from the woman that is a stranger, from the female unknown, who with her speeches seduceth;

To the end that thou walk in the way of good men, and, the paths of the righteous, that thou observe.

My son, mine instruction, do not thou forget, and, my commandment, let thy heart observe;

For, length of days and years of life, and blessedness, shall they and to thee.

Trust thou in Yahweh, with all thy heart, and, unto thine own understanding, do not lean:

Do not become wise in thine own eyes, revere Yahweh, and avoid evil:

Healing, shall it be to thy body, and refreshing, to thy bones.

The, chastening of Yahweh, my son, do not reject, nor loathe his rebuke;

For, whom Yahweh loveth, he correcteth, he causeth pain to the son in whom he delighteth.

A tree of life, is she, to them who secure her, - and, they who hold her fast, are every one to be pronounced happy.

By his knowledge, the resounding deeps were burst open, and, the skies, drop down dew.

So shall they become life to thy soul, and an adorning to thy neck;

Withhold not good from them who ask it, when it is in power of thy hand to do it:

Do not say to thy neighbour, Go and come again, and to-morrow I will give, when thou hast it by thee.

Do not thou envy the man of violence, neither choose thou any of his ways;

For, an abomination to Yahweh, is the tortuous man, but, with the upright, he is intimate.

Though at scoffers he scoffeth, yet, to the humbled, he granteth favour.

For, good teaching, have I given you, mine instruction, do not ye forsake.

For, a son, became I to my father, tender and most precious in the sight of my mother.

So he taught me, and said to me - Let thy heart, lay hold of my words, Keep my commandments and live!

Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding, Do not forget, neither decline thou from the sayings of my mouth.

Do not forsake her, and she will guard thee, - love her and she will keep thee.

Exalt her, and she will set thee on high, she will bring thee to honour, when thou dust embrace her:

Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and they will multiply to thee the years of life.

Upon the path of the lawless, do not thou enter, and do not advance in the way of the wicked:

Avoid it, do not pass thereon - turn from it, and depart.

For they sleep not, unless they can do mischief, - They rob themselves of their sleep, if they cannot cause someone to stumble,

But, the path of the righteous, is as the light of dawn, - going on and brightening, unto meridian day.

My son, to my words, attend, to my sayings, incline thou thine ear;

For, life, they are, to them who find them, - and, to every part of one's flesh, they bring healing.

Decline not, to the right hand or to the left, - Turn away thy foot from wickedness.

My son, to my wisdom, attend, and, to mine understanding, incline thou thine ear:

But, the latter end of her, is bitter as wormwood, sharp, as a two-edged sword!

Her feet, are going down to death, - on hades, will her steps take firm hold.

Now, therefore, ye sons, hearken unto me, and do not turn away from the sayings of my mouth.

Keep far from her thy way, and do not go near the opening of her house:

Lest thou give, to other men, thy vigour, and thy years, to him that is cruel:

Neither hearkened I to the voice of my teachers, nor, to my instructors, inclined I mine ear:

A loving hind! a graceful doe! let, her bosom, content thee at all times, and, in her love, mayst thou stray evermore.

He, shall die, for lack of discipline, and, by the abounding of his perversity, shall he be lost.

Do this then, my son, and deliver thyself, When thou hast come into the hand of thy neighbour, Go, haste thee, and urge thy neighbour;

Do not give sleep to thine eyes, or slumber to thine eyelashes;

Go to the ant, thou sluggard, observe her ways, and be wise;

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest: -

A heart contriving iniquitous devices, feet hasting to run into mischief;

Observe thou, my son, the commandment of thy father, and do not decline from the instruction of thy mother:

When thou walkest abroad, it shall guide thee, when thou sleepest, it shall watch over thee, when thou wakest, it shall speak to thee:

To keep thee from the wicked woman, from the flattery of the tongue of her that is a stranger.

Do not covet her beauty, in thy heart, neither let her take thee, by her eyelashes;

Because, for the sake of an impure woman, a man may be brought even to a cake of bread, - and, a man's wife, for a precious soul, may hunt!

Men despise not a thief, when he stealeth, to satisfy his appetite, because he is famished;

For, jealousy, is the rage of a man, nor will he spare, in the day of avenging;

Passing through the street, near her corner, and, on the way to her house, he sauntered along;

In the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the midst of the night, and the gloom;

And lo! a woman, came to meet him, attired as one unchaste, of a wily heart.

So she caught him, and kissed him, and, embolding her face, she said to him:

Peace-offerings, are by me, to-day, have I paid my vows;

For this cause, came I forth to meet thee, to seek diligently thy face, and I have found thee:

A bag of silver, hath he taken in his hand, On the day of the full moon, will he enter his house.

Going after her instantly, as an ox, to the slaughter, he entereth, and, as in fetters, unto the correction of a fool.

Now, therefore, ye sons, hearken unto me, and attend, to the sayings of my mouth;

Let not thy heart, turn aside to her ways, Do not go astray, in her paths.

For, many, wounded, hath she caused to fail, - yea strong men, slain wholly by her:

Ways to hades, are in her house, descending into the chambers of death.

All of them, shall be plain, to them who would understand, and just, to such as would gain knowledge.

The reverence of Yahweh, is to hate wickedness: pride, arrogance, and the way of wickedness; And a mouth of perverse things, do I hate.

That I may cause them who love me to inherit substance, and, their treasuries, I may fill.

Then became I beside him, a firm and sure worker, then became I filled with delight, day by day, exulting before him on every occasion;

Now, therefore, ye sons, hearken to me, for how happy are they who, to my ways, pay regard!

Hear ye correction, and be wise, and do not neglect.

How happy the man that doth hearken to me, - keeping guard at my doors, day by day, watching at the posts of my gates;

Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither, as for him that lacketh sense, she saith to him -

He that rebuketh a scoffer, getteth to himself contempt, and, he that reproveth a lawless man, getteth to himself his shame.

Do not reprove a scoffer, lest he hate thee, Reprove a wise man, and he will love thee.

Give to a wise man, and he will be wiser still, Inform a righteous man, and he will increase learning.

For, by me, shall be multiplied - thy days, and there be added to thee - the years of life.

The woman Stupidity, is boisterous, so simple that she knoweth not what she would do;

To invite them who pass by the way, who are going straight on in their paths:

Whoso is simple, let him turn aside hither, and, as for him that lacketh sense, she saith to him:

The treasures of lawlessness, do not profit, but, righteousness, delivereth from death.

Yahweh, suffereth not to famish, the soul of the righteous, but, the desire of the lawless, he thrusteth away.

The labour of the righteous, leadeth to life, the increase of the lawless, to sin.

On the way to life, is he that heedeth correction, but, he that hateth reproof, is going astray.

The lips of the righteous, feed multitudes, but, the foolish, for lack of sense, shall die.