Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction,
and don’t reject your mother’s teaching,

My son, if sinners entice you,
don’t be persuaded.

my son, don’t travel that road with them
or set foot on their path,

If you respond to my warning,
then I will pour out my spirit on you
and teach you my words.

Since I called out and you refused,
extended my hand and no one paid attention,

since you neglected all my counsel
and did not accept my correction,

Then they will call me, but I won’t answer;
they will search for me, but won’t find me.

were not interested in my counsel,
and rejected all my correction,

But whoever listens to me will live securely
and be free from the fear of danger.”

My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,

so that He may guard the paths of justice
and protect the way of His loyal followers.

My son, don’t forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commands;

Do not despise the Lord’s instruction, my son,
and do not loathe His discipline;

Maintain your competence and discretion.
My son, don’t lose sight of them.

Listen, my sons, to a father’s discipline,
and pay attention so that you may gain understanding,

for I am giving you good instruction.
Don’t abandon my teaching.

When I was a son with my father,
tender and precious to my mother,

he taught me and said:
“Your heart must hold on to my words.
Keep my commands and live.

Get wisdom, get understanding;
don’t forget or turn away from the words of my mouth.

Listen, my son. Accept my words,
and you will live many years.

My son, pay attention to my words;
listen closely to my sayings.

My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
listen closely to my understanding

so that you may maintain discretion
and your lips safeguard knowledge.

So now, my sons, listen to me,
and don’t turn away from the words of my mouth.

and you will say, “How I hated discipline,
and how my heart despised correction.

I didn’t obey my teachers
or listen closely to my mentors.

Why, my son, would you be infatuated
with a forbidden woman
or embrace the breast of a stranger?

My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor
or entered into an agreement with a stranger,

Do this, then, my son, and free yourself,
for you have put yourself in your neighbor’s power:
Go, humble yourself, and plead with your neighbor.

My son, keep your father’s command,
and don’t reject your mother’s teaching.

My son, obey my words,
and treasure my commands.

Keep my commands and live;
protect my teachings
as the pupil of your eye.

Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call understanding your relative.

At the window of my house
I looked through my lattice.

“I’ve made fellowship offerings;
today I’ve fulfilled my vows.

I’ve spread coverings on my bed—
richly colored linen from Egypt.

I’ve perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

My husband isn’t home;
he went on a long journey.

Now, my sons, listen to me,
and pay attention to the words of my mouth.

“People, I call out to you;
my cry is to mankind.

Listen, for I speak of noble things,
and what my lips say is right.

For my mouth tells the truth,
and wickedness is detestable to my lips.

All the words of my mouth are righteous;
none of them are deceptive or perverse.

Accept my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than pure gold.

It is by me that kings reign
and rulers enact just law;

by me, princes lead,
as do nobles and all righteous judges.

I love those who love me,
and those who search for me find me.

With me are riches and honor,
lasting wealth and righteousness.

My fruit is better than solid gold,
and my harvest than pure silver.

giving wealth as an inheritance to those who love me,
and filling their treasuries.

“The Lord made me
at the beginning of His creation,
before His works of long ago.

“And now, my sons, listen to me;
those who keep my ways are happy.

Anyone who listens to me is happy,
watching at my doors every day,
waiting by the posts of my doorway.

For the one who finds me finds life
and obtains favor from the Lord,

but the one who misses me harms himself;
all who hate me love death.”

“Come, eat my bread,
and drink the wine I have mixed.

Even in laughter a heart may be sad,
and joy may end in grief.

For the discerning the path of life leads upward,
so that he may avoid going down to Sheol.

A man with many friends may be harmed,
but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.

>

All the brothers of a poor man hate him;
how much more do his friends
keep their distance from him!
He may pursue them with words,
but they are not there.

Listen to counsel and receive instruction
so that you may be wise later in life.

If you stop listening to correction, my son,
you will stray from the words of knowledge.

Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure;
I am cleansed from my sin”?

Listen closely, pay attention to the words of the wise,
and apply your mind to my knowledge.

I have instructed you today—even you—
so that your confidence may be in the Lord.

in order to teach you true and reliable words,
so that you may give a dependable report
to those who sent you?

My son, if your heart is wise,
my heart will indeed rejoice.

My innermost being will cheer
when your lips say what is right.

Listen, my son, and be wise;
keep your mind on the right course.

My son, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observe my ways.

“They struck me, but I feel no pain!
They beat me, but I didn’t know it!
When will I wake up?
I’ll look for another drink.”

>

Eat honey, my son, for it is good,
and the honeycomb is sweet to your palate;

My son, fear the Lord, as well as the king,
and don’t associate with rebels,

Don’t say, “I’ll do to him what he did to me;
I’ll repay the man for what he has done.”

Be wise, my son, and bring my heart joy,
so that I can answer anyone who taunts me.

It is not good to show partiality—
yet a man may sin for a piece of bread.

Two things I ask of You;
don’t deny them to me before I die:

Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.
Give me neither poverty nor wealth;
feed me with the food I need.

Otherwise, I might have too much
and deny You, saying, “Who is the Lord?”
or I might have nothing and steal,
profaning the name of my God.

As for the eye that ridicules a father
and despises obedience to a mother,
may ravens of the valley pluck it out
and young vultures eat it.

Three things are beyond me;
four I can’t understand:

What should I say, my son?
What, son of my womb?
What, son of my vows?