Hear, my son, your father’s instruction
And do not forsake your mother’s teaching;

My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent.

My son, do not walk in the way with them.
Keep your feet from their path,

“Turn to my reproof,
Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.

“Because I called and you refused,
I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;

And you neglected all my counsel
And did not want my reproof;

“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently but they will not find me,

“They would not accept my counsel,
They spurned all my reproof.

“But he who listens to me shall live securely
And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

My son, if you will receive my words
And treasure my commandments within you,

My son, do not forget my teaching,
But let your heart keep my commandments;

My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord
Or loathe His reproof,

My son, let them not vanish from your sight;
Keep sound wisdom and discretion,

Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father,
And give attention that you may gain understanding,

For I give you sound teaching;
Do not abandon my instruction.

When I was a son to my father,
Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother,

Then he taught me and said to me,
“Let your heart hold fast my words;
Keep my commandments and live;

Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding!
Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

Hear, my son, and accept my sayings
And the years of your life will be many.

My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.

My son, give attention to my wisdom,
Incline your ear to my understanding;

That you may observe discretion
And your lips may reserve knowledge.

Now then, my sons, listen to me
And do not depart from the words of my mouth.

And you say, “How I have hated instruction!
And my heart spurned reproof!

“I have not listened to the voice of my teachers,
Nor inclined my ear to my instructors!

For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress
And embrace the bosom of a foreigner?

My son, if you have become surety for your neighbor,
Have given a pledge for a stranger,

Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself;
Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor,
Go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor.

My son, observe the commandment of your father
And do not forsake the teaching of your mother;

My son, keep my words
And treasure my commandments within you.

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

Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your intimate friend;

That they may keep you from an adulteress,
From the foreigner who flatters with her words.

For at the window of my house
I looked out through my lattice,

“I was due to offer peace offerings;
Today I have paid my vows.

“I have spread my couch with coverings,
With colored linens of Egypt.

“I have sprinkled my bed
With myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.

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

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

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

“Listen, for I will speak noble things;
And the opening of my lips will reveal right things.

“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.

“Take my instruction and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choicest gold.

“By me kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.

“By me princes rule, and nobles,
All who judge rightly.

“I love those who love me;
And those who diligently seek me will find me.

“Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring wealth and righteousness.

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

To endow those who love me with wealth,
That I may fill their treasuries.

“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old.

Rejoicing in the world, His earth,
And having my delight in the sons of men.

“Now therefore, O sons, listen to me,
For blessed are they who keep my ways.

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

“For he who finds me finds life
And obtains favor from the Lord.

“But he who sins against me injures himself;
All those who hate me love death.”

“Come, eat of my food
And drink of the wine I have mixed.

For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.

Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,
And the end of joy may be grief.

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
That one may avoid the snares of death.

The path of life leads upward for the wise
That he may keep away from Sheol below.

Listen to counsel and accept discipline,
That you may be wise the rest of your days.

The fear of the Lord leads to life,
So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.

Strike a scoffer and the naive may become shrewd,
But reprove one who has understanding and he will gain knowledge.

Cease listening, my son, to discipline,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge.

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

Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise,
And apply your mind to my knowledge;

For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,
That they may be ready on your lips.

So that your trust may be in the Lord,
I have taught you today, even you.

To make you know the certainty of the words of truth
That you may correctly answer him who sent you?

My son, if your heart is wise,
My own heart also will be glad;

And my inmost being will rejoice
When your lips speak what is right.

Listen, my son, and be wise,
And direct your heart in the way.

Give me your heart, my son,
And let your eyes delight in my ways.

“They struck me, but I did not become ill;
They beat me, but I did not know it.
When shall I awake?
I will seek another drink.”

My son, eat honey, for it is good,
Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste;

My son, fear the Lord and the king;
Do not associate with those who are given to change,

Do not say, “Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me;
I will render to the man according to his work.”

By forbearance a ruler may be persuaded,
And a soft tongue breaks the bone.

Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you do not know what a day may bring forth.

Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,
That I may reply to him who reproaches me.

Two things I asked of You,
Do not refuse me before I die:

Keep deception and lies far from me,
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with the food that is my portion,

That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or that I not be in want and steal,
And profane the name of my God.

There are three things which are too wonderful for me,
Four which I do not understand:

The lizard you may grasp with the hands,
Yet it is in kings’ palaces.

What, O my son?
And what, O son of my womb?
And what, O son of my vows?