To receive instruction in wise behavior,
Righteousness, justice and equity;

A wise man will hear and increase in learning,
And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,

To understand a proverb and a figure,
The words of the wise and their riddles.

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;

Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,
Even whole, as those who go down to the pit;

Throw in your lot with us,
We shall all have one purse,”

Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net
In the sight of any bird;

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

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

Whose paths are crooked,
And who are devious in their ways;

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.

How blessed is the man who finds wisdom
And the man who gains understanding.

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

She is more precious than jewels;
And nothing you desire compares with her.

Long life is in her right hand;
In her left hand are riches and honor.

She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who hold her fast.

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
When it is in your power to do it.

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

The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked,
But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous.

The wise will inherit honor,
But fools display dishonor.

“The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom;
And with all your acquiring, get understanding.

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

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.

The way of the wicked is like darkness;
They do not know over what they stumble.

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

But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.

As a loving hind and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
Be exhilarated always with her love.

Go to the ant, O sluggard,
Observe her ways and be wise,

A worthless person, a wicked man,
Is the one who walks with a perverse mouth,

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.

So is the one who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her will not go unpunished.

Men do not despise a thief if he steals
To satisfy himself when he is hungry;

But when he is found, he must repay sevenfold;
He must give all the substance of his house.

The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense;
He who would destroy himself does it.

Keep my commandments and live,
And my teaching as the apple of your eye.

And behold, a woman comes to meet him,
Dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart.

She is boisterous and rebellious,
Her feet do not remain at home;

She is now in the streets, now in the squares,
And lurks by every corner.

“Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning;
Let us delight ourselves with caresses.

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

Suddenly he follows her
As an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool,

Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
As a bird hastens to the snare,
So he does not know that it will cost him his life.

Her house is the way to Sheol,
Descending to the chambers of death.

“To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.

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

“All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness;
There is nothing crooked or perverted in them.

“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.

“Counsel is mine and sound wisdom;
I am understanding, power is mine.

“My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold,
And my yield better than choicest silver.

Then I was beside Him, as a master workman;
And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,

“Heed instruction and be wise,
And do not neglect it.

“Blessed is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at my doorposts.

“Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!”
To him who lacks understanding she says,

Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you,
Reprove a wise man and he will love you.

Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser,
Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.

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

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

The woman of folly is boisterous,
She is naive and knows nothing.

“Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,”
And to him who lacks understanding she says,

“Stolen water is sweet;
And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”

The proverbs of Solomon.
A wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish son is a grief to his mother.

Poor is he who works with a negligent hand,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely,
But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully.

The memory of the righteous is blessed,
But the name of the wicked will rot.

The wise of heart will receive commands,
But a babbling fool will be ruined.

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

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

Wise men store up knowledge,
But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.

The rich man’s wealth is his fortress,
The ruin of the poor is their poverty.

The wages of the righteous is life,
The income of the wicked, punishment.

He is on the path of life who heeds instruction,
But he who ignores reproof goes astray.

He who conceals hatred has lying lips,
And he who spreads slander is a fool.

When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable,
But he who restrains his lips is wise.

The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver,
The heart of the wicked is worth little.

It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich,
And He adds no sorrow to it.

Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool,
And so is wisdom to a man of understanding.

When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more,
But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.

Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the lazy one to those who send him.

The hope of the righteous is gladness,
But the expectation of the wicked perishes.

The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the upright,
But ruin to the workers of iniquity.

The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable,
But the mouth of the wicked what is perverted.

A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight.

When pride comes, then comes dishonor,
But with the humble is wisdom.

The righteous is delivered from trouble,
But the wicked takes his place.

When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.

By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.

He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets,
But he who is trustworthy conceals a matter.

Where there is no guidance the people fall,
But in abundance of counselors there is victory.

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

He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life,
And he who pursues evil will bring about his own death.

As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout
So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

The desire of the righteous is only good,
But the expectation of the wicked is wrath.

There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more,
And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
And he who is wise wins souls.

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
But he who hates reproof is stupid.

An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
But she who shames him is like rottenness in his bones.