Discretion will watch over you,
Understanding and discernment will guard you,

To keep you from the immoral woman;
From the seductress with her flattering words,

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

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

“When He established the heavens, I [Wisdom] was there;
When He drew a circle upon the face of the deep,

A wise servant will rule over the [unworthy] son who acts shamefully and brings disgrace [to the family]
And [the worthy servant] will share in the inheritance among the brothers.

A brother offended is harder to win over than a fortified city,
And contentions [separating families] are like the bars of a castle.

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

A wise king sifts out the wicked [from among the good]
And drives the [threshing] wheel over them [to separate the chaff from the grain].

The rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower is servant to the lender.

The eyes of the Lord keep guard over knowledge and the one who has it,
But He overthrows the words of the treacherous.

And, behold, it was all overgrown with thorns,
And nettles were covering its surface,
And its stone wall was broken down.

Like a city that is broken down and without walls [leaving it unprotected]
Is a man who has no self-control over his spirit [and sets himself up for trouble].

Like a roaring lion and a charging bear
Is a wicked ruler over a poor people.

Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure;
And she smiles at the future [knowing that she and her family are prepared].