The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

If they say, “Come with us,
Let us lie in wait for blood,
Let us ambush the innocent without cause;

For their feet run to evil
And they hasten to shed blood.

But they lie in wait for their own blood;
They ambush their own lives.

Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord.

“For the waywardness of the naive will kill them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them.

For if you cry for discernment,
Lift your voice for understanding;

If you seek her as silver
And search for her as for hidden treasures;

Then you will discern the fear of the Lord
And discover the knowledge of God.

For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

For wisdom will enter your heart
And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

For her house sinks down to death
And her tracks lead to the dead;

For the upright will live in the land
And the blameless will remain in it;

For length of days and years of life
And peace they will add to you.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

For whom the Lord loves He reproves,
Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.

For her profit is better than the profit of silver
And her gain better than fine gold.

Do not be afraid of sudden fear
Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes;

For the Lord will be your confidence
And will keep your foot from being caught.

For the devious are an abomination to the Lord;
But He is intimate with the upright.

For I give you sound teaching;
Do not abandon my instruction.

Take hold of instruction; do not let go.
Guard her, for she is your life.

For they cannot sleep unless they do evil;
And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.

For they eat the bread of wickedness
And drink the wine of violence.

For they are life to those who find them
And health to all their body.

Watch over your heart with all diligence,
For from it flow the springs of life.

Put away from you a deceitful mouth
And put devious speech far from you.

For the lips of an adulteress drip honey
And smoother than oil is her speech;

Keep your way far from her
And do not go near the door of her house,

Let them be yours alone
And not for strangers with you.

For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress
And embrace the bosom of a foreigner?

For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord,
And He watches all his paths.

He will die for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.

My son, if you have become surety for your neighbor,
Have given a pledge for a stranger,

For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light;
And reproofs for discipline are the way of life

For on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread,
And an adulteress hunts for the precious life.

Can a man take fire in his bosom
And his clothes not be burned?

For jealousy enrages a man,
And he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

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

“For my husband is not at home,
He has gone on a long journey;

For many are the victims she has cast down,
And numerous are all her slain.

“Listen, for I will speak noble things;
And the opening of my lips will reveal right things.

“For my mouth will utter truth;
And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

“For wisdom is better than jewels;
And all desirable things cannot compare with her.

“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverted mouth, I hate.

When He set for the sea its boundary
So that the water would not transgress His command,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth;

“Now therefore, O sons, listen to me,
For blessed are they who keep my ways.

“For he who finds me finds life
And obtains favor from the Lord.

He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself,
And he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.

If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

On the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found,
But a rod is for the back of him who lacks understanding.

The lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools die for lack of understanding.

The fear of the Lord prolongs life,
But the years of the wicked will be shortened.

He who is guarantor for a stranger will surely suffer for it,
But he who hates being a guarantor is secure.

The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.

A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal,
But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.

Truthful lips will be established forever,
But a lying tongue is only for a moment.

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back,
But the lips of the wise will protect them.

In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And his children will have refuge.

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
That one may avoid the snares of death.

Grievous punishment is for him who forsakes the way;
He who hates reproof will die.

Better is a little with the fear of the Lord
Than great treasure and turmoil with it.

The path of life leads upward for the wise
That he may keep away from Sheol below.

The Lord is far from the wicked,
But He hears the prayer of the righteous.

The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom,
And before honor comes humility.

The Lord has made everything for its own purpose,
Even the wicked for the day of evil.

By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for,
And by the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil.

It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts,
For a throne is established on righteousness.

A worker’s appetite works for him,
For his hunger urges him on.

A worthless man digs up evil,
While his words are like scorching fire.

The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But the Lord tests hearts.

Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool,
Much less are lying lips to a prince.

He who returns evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.

A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.

It is also not good to fine the righteous,
Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.

A fool’s lips bring strife,
And his mouth calls for blows.

The spirit of a man can endure his sickness,
But as for a broken spirit who can bear it?

A man’s gift makes room for him
And brings him before great men.

Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge,
And he who hurries his footsteps errs.

Luxury is not fitting for a fool;
Much less for a slave to rule over princes.

One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord,
And He will repay him for his good deed.

A man of great anger will bear the penalty,
For if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.

The fear of the Lord leads to life,
So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.

Judgments are prepared for scoffers,
And blows for the back of fools.

Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man,
But any fool will quarrel.

Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger;
And for foreigners, hold him in pledge.

Do not say, “I will repay evil”;
Wait for the Lord, and He will save you.

It is a trap for a man to say rashly, “It is holy!”
And after the vows to make inquiry.

The way of a guilty man is crooked,
But as for the pure, his conduct is upright.

The exercise of justice is joy for the righteous,
But is terror to the workers of iniquity.

The wicked is a ransom for the righteous,
And the treacherous is in the place of the upright.

The desire of the sluggard puts him to death,
For his hands refuse to work;

A wicked man displays a bold face,
But as for the upright, he makes his way sure.

The horse is prepared for the day of battle,
But victory belongs to the Lord.

The prudent sees the evil and hides himself,
But the naive go on, and are punished for it.

The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord
Are riches, honor and life.