Let us swallow them alive like Sheol (the place of the dead),
Even whole, as those who go down to the pit [of death];

For [skillful and godly] wisdom will enter your heart
And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

I have instructed you in the way of [skillful and godly] wisdom;
I have led you in upright paths.

Do not enter the path of the wicked,
And do not go the way of evil men.

Do this now, my son, and release yourself [from the obligation];
Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor,
Go humble yourself, and plead with your neighbor [to pay his debt and release you].

Until an arrow pierced his liver [with a mortal wound];
Like a bird fluttering straight into the net,
He did not know that it would cost him his life.

Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her [evil, immoral] paths.

The righteous is rescued from trouble,
And the wicked takes his place.

A man will be commended according to his insight and sound judgment,
But the one who is of a perverse mind will be despised.

Righteousness (being in right standing with God) guards the one whose way is blameless,
But wickedness undermines and overthrows the sinner.

A wicked messenger falls into hardship,
But a faithful ambassador brings healing.

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

The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way,
But the foolishness of [shortsighted] fools is deceit.

A quick-tempered man acts foolishly and without self-control,
And a man of wicked schemes is hated.

The lot is cast into the lap,
But its every decision is from the Lord.

A reprimand goes deeper into one who has understanding and a teachable spirit
Than a hundred lashes into a fool.

He who has a crooked mind finds no good,
And he who is perverted in his language falls into evil.

The words of a whisperer (gossip) are like dainty morsels [to be greedily eaten];
They go down into the innermost chambers of the body [to be remembered and mused upon].

The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous runs to it and is safe and set on high [far above evil].

Laziness casts one into a deep sleep [unmindful of lost opportunity],
And the idle person will suffer hunger.

The wicked become a ransom for the righteous,
And the treacherous in the place of the upright [for they fall into their own traps].

The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit [deep and inescapable];
He who is cursed by the Lord [because of his adulterous sin] will fall into it.

Or you will learn his [undisciplined] ways
And get yourself trapped [in a situation from which it is hard to escape].

Do not move the ancient landmark [at the boundary of the property]
And do not go into the fields of the fatherless [to take what is theirs],

Like a thorn that goes [without being felt] into the hand of a drunken man,
So is a proverb in the mouth of a fool [who remains unaffected by its wisdom].

The words of a whisperer (gossip) are like dainty morsels [to be greedily eaten];
They go down into the innermost chambers of the body [to be remembered and mused upon].

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.

He who leads the upright astray on an evil path
Will himself fall into his own pit,
But the blameless will inherit good.

Blessed and favored by God is the man who fears [sin and its consequence] at all times,
But he who hardens his heart [and is determined to sin] will fall into disaster.

Who has ascended into heaven and descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in His garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son’s name?
Certainly you know!