For they are a garland of grace on your head,
And chains and ornaments [of gold] around your neck.

She calls out at the head of the noisy streets [where large crowds gather];
At the entrance of the city gates she speaks her words:

“How long, O naive ones [you who are easily misled], will you love being simple-minded and undiscerning?
How long will scoffers [who ridicule and deride] delight in scoffing,
How long will fools [who obstinately mock truth] hate knowledge?

“If you will turn and pay attention to my rebuke,
Behold, I [Wisdom] will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.

“She will place on your head a garland of grace;
She will present you with a crown of beauty and glory.”

Or can a man walk on hot coals
And his feet not be scorched?

“The [reverent] fear and worshipful awe of the Lord includes the hatred of evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way,
And the perverted mouth, I hate.

While He had not yet made the earth and the fields,
Or the first of the dust of the earth.

“But he who fails to find me or sins against me injures himself;
All those who hate me love and court death.”

Do not correct a scoffer [who foolishly ridicules and takes no responsibility for his error] or he will hate you;
Correct a wise man [who learns from his error], and he will love you.

Blessings are on the head of the righteous [the upright, those in right standing with God],
But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

The people curse him who holds back grain [when the public needs it],
But a blessing [from God and man] is upon the head of him who sells it.

A hot-tempered man stirs up strife,
But he who is slow to anger and patient calms disputes.

The silver-haired head is a crown of splendor and glory;
It is found in the way of righteousness.

An evildoer listens closely to wicked lips;
And a liar pays attention to a destructive and malicious tongue.

The glory of young men is their [physical] strength,
And the honor of aged men is their gray head [representing wisdom and experience].

As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,
So the hearts and minds of kings are unsearchable.

Let your foot seldom be in your neighbor’s house,
Or he will become tired of you and hate you.

For in doing so, you will heap coals of fire upon his head,
And the Lord will reward you.

Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
So is a contentious man to kindle strife.

Whoever digs a pit [for another man’s feet] will fall into it,
And he who rolls a stone [up a hill to do mischief], it will come back on him.

When the righteous triumph, there is great glory and celebration;
But when the wicked rise [to prominence], men hide themselves.

When the wicked rise [to power], men hide themselves;
But when the wicked perish, the [consistently] righteous increase and become great.

The bloodthirsty hate the blameless [because of his integrity],
But the upright are concerned for his life.