a wise man will listen and increase his learning,
and a discerning man will obtain guidance—

for they will be a garland of grace on your head
and a gold chain around your neck.

We’ll find all kinds of valuable property
and fill our houses with plunder.

Throw in your lot with us,
and we’ll all share our money”—

Such are the paths of all who make profit dishonestly;
it takes the lives of those who receive it.

“How long, foolish ones, will you love ignorance?
How long will you mockers enjoy mocking
and you fools hate knowledge?

If you respond to my warning,
then I will pour out my spirit on you
and teach you my words.

since you neglected all my counsel
and did not accept my correction,

I, in turn, will laugh at your calamity.
I will mock when terror strikes you,

Then they will call me, but I won’t answer;
they will search for me, but won’t find me.

were not interested in my counsel,
and rejected all my correction,

they will eat the fruit of their way
and be glutted with their own schemes.

For the turning away of the inexperienced will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them.

But whoever listens to me will live securely
and be free from the fear of danger.”

then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and discover the knowledge of God.

Then you will understand righteousness, justice,
and integrity—every good path.

For wisdom will enter your mind,
and knowledge will delight your heart.

Discretion will watch over you,
and understanding will guard you,

It will rescue you from a forbidden woman,
from a stranger with her flattering talk,

For the upright will inhabit the land,
and those of integrity will remain in it;

but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the treacherous uprooted from it.

for they will bring you
many days, a full life, and well-being.

Then you will find favor and high regard
in the sight of God and man.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding;

think about Him in all your ways,
and He will guide you on the right paths.

This will be healing for your body
and strengthening for your bones.

then your barns will be completely filled,
and your vats will overflow with new wine.

Her ways are pleasant,
and all her paths, peaceful.

They will be life for you
and adornment for your neck.

Then you will go safely on your way;
your foot will not stumble.

When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
you will lie down, and your sleep will be pleasant.

for the Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from a snare.

The wise will inherit honor,
but He holds up fools to dishonor.

Don’t abandon wisdom, and she will watch over you;
love her, and she will guard you.

Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
if you embrace her, she will honor you.

She will place a garland of grace on your head;
she will give you a crown of beauty.”

Listen, my son. Accept my words,
and you will live many years.

When you walk, your steps will not be hindered;
when you run, you will not stumble.

For they are life to those who find them,
and health to one’s whole body.

Guard your heart above all else,
for it is the source of life.

Carefully consider the path for your feet,
and all your ways will be established.

Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey
and her words are smoother than oil,

Otherwise, you will give up your vitality to others
and your years to someone cruel;

strangers will drain your resources,
and your earnings will end up in a foreigner’s house.

At the end of your life, you will lament
when your physical body has been consumed,

and you will say, “How I hated discipline,
and how my heart despised correction.

Drink water from your own cistern,
water flowing from your own well.

For a man’s ways are before the Lord’s eyes,
and He considers all his paths.

He will die because there is no discipline,
and be lost because of his great stupidity.

How long will you stay in bed, you slacker?
When will you get up from your sleep?

and your poverty will come like a robber,
your need, like a bandit.

Therefore calamity will strike him suddenly;
he will be shattered instantly—beyond recovery.

When you walk here and there, they will guide you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
when you wake up, they will talk to you.

They will protect you from an evil woman,
from the flattering tongue of a stranger.

So it is with the one who sleeps with
another man’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished.

Still, if caught, he must pay seven times as much;
he must give up all the wealth in his house.

He will get a beating and dishonor,
and his disgrace will never be removed.

For jealousy enrages a husband,
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.

He will not be appeased by anything
or be persuaded by lavish gifts.

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She will keep you from a forbidden woman,
a stranger with her flattering talk.

He took a bag of money with him
and will come home at the time of the full moon.”

until an arrow pierces its liver,
like a bird darting into a snare—
he doesn’t know it will cost him his life.

All the words of my mouth are righteous;
none of them are deceptive or perverse.

All of them are clear to the perceptive,
and right to those who discover knowledge.

by me, princes lead,
as do nobles and all righteous judges.

but the one who misses me harms himself;
all who hate me love death.”

Leave inexperience behind, and you will live;
pursue the way of understanding.

The one who corrects a mocker
will bring dishonor on himself;
the one who rebukes a wicked man will get hurt.

Don’t rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you;
rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man, and he will learn more.

For by Wisdom your days will be many,
and years will be added to your life.

If you are wise, you are wise for your own benefit;
if you mock, you alone will bear the consequences.”

Ill-gotten gains do not profit anyone,
but righteousness rescues from death.

The Lord will not let the righteous go hungry,
but He denies the wicked what they crave.

The remembrance of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.

A wise heart accepts commands,
but foolish lips will be destroyed.

The one who lives with integrity lives securely,
but whoever perverts his ways will be found out.

A sly wink of the eye causes grief,
and foolish lips will be destroyed.

Hatred stirs up conflicts,
but love covers all offenses.

What the wicked dreads will come to him,
but what the righteous desire will be given to them.

The righteous will never be shaken,
but the wicked will not remain on the earth.

The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom,
but a perverse tongue will be cut out.

The righteousness of the blameless clears his path,
but the wicked person will fall because of his wickedness.

If someone puts up security for a stranger,
he will suffer for it,
but the one who hates such agreements is protected.

Be assured that the wicked
will not go unpunished,
but the offspring of the righteous will escape.

The desire of the righteous turns out well,
but the hope of the wicked leads to wrath.

A generous person will be enriched,
and the one who gives a drink of water
will receive water.

People will curse anyone who hoards grain,
but a blessing will come to the one who sells it.

The one who searches for what is good finds favor,
but if someone looks for trouble, it will come to him.

Anyone trusting in his riches will fall,
but the righteous will flourish like foliage.

The one who brings ruin on his household
will inherit the wind,
and a fool will be a slave
to someone whose heart is wise.

If the righteous will be repaid on earth,
how much more the wicked and sinful.

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The wicked are overthrown and perish,
but the house of the righteous will stand.

The one who works his land will have plenty of food,
but whoever chases fantasies lacks sense.

A man will be satisfied with good
by the words of his mouth,
and the work of a man’s hands will reward him.

The diligent hand will rule,
but laziness will lead to forced labor.

From the words of his mouth,
a man will enjoy good things,
but treacherous people have an appetite for violence.

Wealth obtained by fraud will dwindle,
but whoever earns it through labor will multiply it.

The one who has contempt for instruction will pay the penalty,
but the one who respects a command will be rewarded.

Poverty and disgrace come to those
who ignore discipline,
but the one who accepts correction will be honored.