Wisdom is crying out in the street; her voice is loud in the open places;

Her words are sounding in the meeting-places, and in the doorways of the town:

If you are looking for her as for silver, and searching for her as for stored-up wealth;

To take you out of the power of the strange woman, who says smooth words with her tongue;

Who is false to the husband of her early years, and does not keep the agreement of her God in mind:

For her house is on the way down to death; her footsteps go down to the shades:

Those who go to her do not come back again; their feet do not keep in the ways of life:

She is of more value than jewels, and nothing for which you may have a desire is fair in comparison with her.

Long life is in her right hand, and in her left are wealth and honour.

Her ways are ways of delight, and all her goings are peace.

She is a tree of life to all who take her in their hands, and happy is everyone who keeps her.

Do not give her up, and she will keep you; give her your love, and she will make you safe.

Put her in a high place, and you will be lifted up by her; she will give you honour, when you give her your love.

Take learning in your hands, do not let her go: keep her, for she is your life.

For honey is dropping from the lips of the strange woman, and her mouth is smoother than oil;

But her end is bitter as wormwood, and sharp as a two-edged sword;

Her feet go down to death, and her steps to the underworld;

She never keeps her mind on the road of life; her ways are uncertain, she has no knowledge.

Go far away from her, do not come near the door of her house;

As a loving hind and a gentle doe, let her breasts ever give you rapture; let your passion at all times be moved by her love.

Make yourself free, like the roe from the hand of the archer, and the bird from him who puts a net for her.

Go to the ant, you hater of work; give thought to her ways and be wise:

She gets her meat in the summer, storing up food at the time of the grain-cutting.

Let not your heart's desire go after her fair body; let not her eyes take you prisoner.

So it is with him who goes in to his neighbour's wife; he who has anything to do with her will not go free from punishment.

So that they may keep you from the strange woman, even from her whose words are smooth.

Walking in the street near the turn of her road, going on the way to her house,

She is full of noise and uncontrolled; her feet keep not in her house.

With her fair words she overcame him, forcing him with her smooth lips.

The simple man goes after her, like an ox going to its death, like a roe pulled by a cord;

Let not your heart be turned to her ways, do not go wandering in her footsteps.

For those wounded and made low by her are great in number; and all those who have come to their death through her are a great army.

Her house is the way to the underworld, going down to the rooms of death.

At the top of the highways, at the meeting of the roads, she takes her place;

Where the roads go into the town her cry goes out, at the doorways her voice is loud:

For wisdom is better than jewels, and all things which may be desired are nothing in comparison with her.

Wisdom has made her house, putting up her seven pillars.

She has put her fat beasts to death; her wine is mixed, her table is ready.

She has sent out her women-servants; her voice goes out to the highest places of the town, saying,

Whoever is simple, let him come in here; and to him who has no sense, she says:

Seated at the door of her house, in the high places of the town,

Whoever is simple, let him come in here: and to him who is without sense, she says:

But he does not see that the dead are there, that her guests are in the deep places of the underworld.

A woman of virtue is a crown to her husband; but she whose behaviour is a cause of shame is like a wasting disease in his bones.

Wisdom is building her house, but the foolish woman is pulling it down with her hands.

Wisdom has her resting-place in the mind of the wise, but she is not seen among the foolish.

A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitter pain to her who gave him birth.

Let your father and your mother be glad, let her who gave you birth have joy.

Yes, she is waiting secretly like a beast for its food, and deceit by her is increased among men.

For it is better to have it said to you, Come up here; than for you to be put down in a lower place before the ruler.

As the sparrow in her wandering and the swallow in her flight, so the curse does not come without a cause.

Like a bird wandering from the place of her eggs is a man wandering from his station.

This is the way of a false wife; she takes food, and, cleaning her mouth, says, I have done no wrong.

A hated woman when she is married; and a servant-girl who takes the place of her master's wife.

Who may make discovery of a woman of virtue? For her price is much higher than jewels.

The heart of her husband has faith in her, and he will have profit in full measure.

She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.

She gets wool and linen, working at the business of her hands.

She gets up while it is still night, and gives meat to her family, and their food to her servant-girls.

After looking at a field with care, she gets it for a price, planting a vine-garden with the profit of her work.

She puts a band of strength round her, and makes her arms strong.

She sees that her marketing is of profit to her: her light does not go out by night.

She puts her hands to the cloth-working rod, and her fingers take the wheel.

Her hands are stretched out to the poor; yes, she is open-handed to those who are in need.

She has no fear of the snow for her family, for all those in her house are clothed in red.

She makes for herself cushions of needlework; her clothing is fair linen and purple.

Her husband is a man of note in the public place, when he takes his seat among the responsible men of the land.

She makes linen robes and gets a price for them, and traders take her cloth bands for a price.

Strength and self-respect are her clothing; she is facing the future with a smile.

Her mouth is open to give out wisdom, and the law of mercy is on her tongue.

She gives attention to the ways of her family, she does not take her food without working for it.

Her children get up and give her honour, and her husband gives her praise, saying,

Give her credit for what her hands have made: let her be praised by her works in the public place.