My son, hear the instruction of your father,
And do not reject the teaching of your mother.

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

My son, do not walk on the road with them;
Keep your foot [far] away from their path,

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

“Then they will call upon me (Wisdom), but I will not answer;
They will seek me eagerly but they will not find me,

Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord [that is, obeying Him with reverence and awe-filled respect],

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

Do not let mercy and kindness and truth leave you [instead let these qualities define you];
Bind them [securely] around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.

Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart
And do not rely on your own insight or understanding.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord [with reverent awe and obedience] and turn [entirely] away from evil.

My son, do not reject or take lightly the discipline of the Lord [learn from your mistakes and the testing that comes from His correction through discipline];
Nor despise His rebuke,

My son, let them not escape from your sight,
But keep sound wisdom and discretion,

Then you will walk on your way [of life] securely
And your foot will not stumble.

When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Do not be afraid of sudden fear
Nor of the storm of the wicked when it comes [since you will be blameless];

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due [its rightful recipients],
When it is in your power to do it.

Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,”
When you have it with you.

Do not devise evil against your neighbor,
Who lives securely beside you.

Do not quarrel with a man without cause,
If he has done you no harm.

Do not envy a man of violence
And do not choose any of his ways.

For I give you good doctrine;
Do not turn away from my instruction.

“Get [skillful and godly] wisdom! Acquire understanding [actively seek spiritual discernment, mature comprehension, and logical interpretation]!
Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

“Do not turn away from her (Wisdom) and she will guard and protect you;
Love her, and she will watch over you.

When you walk, your steps will not be impeded [for your path will be clear and open];
And when you run, you will not stumble.

Take hold of instruction; [actively seek it, grip it firmly and] do not let go.
Guard her, for she is your life.

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

Avoid it, do not travel on it;
Turn away from it and pass on.

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

Do not let them escape from your sight;
Keep them in the center of your heart.

Do not turn away to the right nor to the left [where evil may lurk];
Turn your foot from [the path of] evil.

So that she does not think [seriously] about the path of life;
Her ways are aimless and unstable; you cannot know where her path leads.

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

Let your way [in life] be far from her,
And do not go near the door of her house [avoid even being near the places of temptation],

“I have not listened to the voice of my teachers,
Nor have I inclined my ear to those who instructed me.

[Confine yourself to your own wife.] Let your children be yours alone,
And not the children of strangers with you.

Give no [unnecessary] sleep to your eyes,
Nor slumber to your eyelids;

My son, be guided by your father’s [God-given] commandment (instruction)
And do not reject the teaching of your mother;

Do not desire (lust after) her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her capture you with her eyelashes.

Can a man take fire to his chest
And his clothes not be burned?

Or can a man walk on hot coals
And his feet not be scorched?

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

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

Wounds and disgrace he will find,
And his reproach (blame) will not be blotted out.

For jealousy enrages the [wronged] husband;
He will not spare [the guilty one] on the day of vengeance.

He will not accept any ransom [offered to buy him off from demanding full punishment];
Nor will he be satisfied though you offer him many gifts (bribes).

In the twilight, in the evening;
In the black and dark night.

She was boisterous and rebellious;
She would not stay at home.

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

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.

Does not wisdom call,
And understanding lift up her voice?

“For wisdom is better than rubies;
And all desirable things cannot compare with her.

While He had not yet made the earth and the fields,
Or the first of the dust of the earth.

When He set for the sea its boundary
So that the waters would not transgress [the boundaries set by] His command,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth—

“Heed (pay attention to) instruction and be wise,
And do not ignore or neglect it.

Do not correct a scoffer [who foolishly ridicules and takes no responsibility for his error] or he will hate you;
Correct a wise man [who learns from his error], and he will love you.

But he does not know that the spirits of the dead are there,
And that her guests are [already] in the depths of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead).

The Lord will not allow the righteous to hunger [God will meet all his needs],
But He will reject and cast away the craving of the wicked.

He who learns from instruction and correction is on the [right] path of life [and for others his example is a path toward wisdom and blessing],
But he who ignores and refuses correction goes off course [and for others his example is a path toward sin and ruin].

When there are many words, transgression and offense are unavoidable,
But he who controls his lips and keeps thoughtful silence is wise.

The [consistently] righteous will never be shaken,
But the wicked will not inhabit the earth.

Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished,
But the descendants of the righteous will be freed.

A man will not be established by wickedness,
But the root of the [consistently] righteous will not be moved.

The wicked are overthrown [by their evil] and are no more,
But the house of the [consistently] righteous will stand [securely].

The lazy man does not catch and roast his prey,
But the precious possession of a [wise] man is diligence [because he recognizes opportunities and seizes them].

A wise son heeds and accepts [and is the result of] his father’s discipline and instruction,
But a scoffer does not listen to reprimand and does not learn from his errors.

The ransom for a man’s life is his wealth,
But the poor man does not even have to listen to a rebuke or threats [from the envious].

Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles,
But he who gathers gradually by [honest] labor will increase [his riches].

A faithful and trustworthy witness will not lie,
But a false witness speaks lies.

Leave the presence of a [shortsighted] fool,
For you will not find knowledge or hear godly wisdom from his lips.

Do they not go astray who devise evil and wander from the way of righteousness?
But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.

The lips of the wise spread knowledge [sifting it as chaff from the grain];
But the hearts of [shortsighted] fools are not so.

Everyone who is proud and arrogant in heart is disgusting and exceedingly offensive to the Lord;
Be assured he will not go unpunished.

By mercy and lovingkindness and truth [not superficial ritual] wickedness is cleansed from the heart,
And by the fear of the Lord one avoids evil.

A divine decision [given by God] is on the lips of the king [as His representative];
His mouth should not be unfaithful or unjust in judgment.

The appetite of a worker works for him,
For his hunger urges him on.

A violent and exceedingly covetous man entices his neighbor [to sin],
And leads him in a way that is not good.

Whoever mocks the poor taunts his Maker,
And he who rejoices at [another’s] disaster will not go unpunished.

Excellent speech does not benefit a fool [who is spiritually blind],
Much less do lying lips benefit a prince.

Whoever returns evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.

It is also not good to fine the righteous,
Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.

To show respect to the wicked person is not good,
Nor to push aside and deprive the righteous of justice.

He who is careless in his work
Is a brother to him who destroys.

Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge,
And he who hurries with his feet [acting impulsively and proceeding without caution or analyzing the consequences] sins (misses the mark).

A false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who breathes out lies will not escape.

A false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who breathes lies will perish.

Luxury is not fitting for a fool;
Much less for a slave to rule over princes.

Discipline and teach your son while there is hope,
And do not [indulge your anger or resentment by imposing inappropriate punishment nor] desire his destruction.

The lazy man buries his hand in the [food] dish,
But will not even bring it to his mouth again.

Wine is a mocker, strong drink a riotous brawler;
And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise.

The lazy man does not plow when the winter [planting] season arrives;
So he begs at the [next] harvest and has nothing [to reap].

Even a boy is known and distinguished by his acts,
Whether his conduct is pure and right.

Do not love [excessive] sleep, or you will become poor;
Open your eyes [so that you can do your work] and you will be satisfied with bread.

He who goes about as a gossip reveals secrets;
Therefore do not associate with a gossip [who talks freely or flatters].

An inheritance hastily gained [by greedy, unjust means] at the beginning
Will not be blessed in the end.

Do not say, “I will repay evil”;
Wait [expectantly] for the Lord, and He will rescue and save you.

Differing weights are detestable and offensive to the Lord,
And fraudulent scales are not good.

It is a trap for a man to [speak a vow of consecration and] say rashly, “It is holy!”
And [not until] afterward consider [whether he can fulfill it].

Whoever shuts his ears at the cry of the poor
Will cry out himself and not be answered.

He who loves [only selfish] pleasure will become a poor man;
He who loves and is devoted to wine and [olive] oil will not become rich.