That prudence (good judgment, astute common sense) may be given to the naive or inexperienced [who are easily misled],
And knowledge and discretion (intelligent discernment) to the youth,

The wise will hear and increase their learning,
And the person of understanding will acquire wise counsel and the skill [to steer his course wisely and lead others to the truth],

For they are a garland of grace on your head,
And chains and ornaments [of gold] around your neck.

Throw in your lot with us [they insist];
We will all have one money bag [in common],”

“Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own [wicked] way
And be satiated with [the penalty of] their own devices.

“But whoever listens to me (Wisdom) will live securely and in confident trust
And will be at ease, without fear or dread of evil.”

For [skillful and godly] wisdom will enter your heart
And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

But the wicked will be cut off from the land
And the treacherous shall be [forcibly] uprooted and removed from it.

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.

It will be health to your body [your marrow, your nerves, your sinews, your muscles—all your inner parts]
And refreshment (physical well-being) to your bones.

Then your barns will be abundantly filled
And your vats will overflow with new wine.

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,

She is more precious than rubies;
And nothing you can wish for compares with her [in value].

She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy [blessed, considered fortunate, to be admired] is everyone who holds her tightly.

The Lord by His wisdom has founded the earth;
By His understanding He has established the heavens.

By His knowledge the deeps were broken up
And the clouds drip with dew.

And they will be life to your soul (your inner self)
And a gracious adornment to your neck (your outer self).

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];

For the Lord will be your confidence, firm and strong,
And will keep your foot from being caught [in a trap].

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

Hear, O children, the instruction of a father,
And pay attention [and be willing to learn] so that you may gain understanding and intelligent discernment.

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

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

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.

But the path of the just (righteous) is like the light of dawn,
That shines brighter and brighter until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day.

Let your eyes look directly ahead [toward the path of moral courage]
And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you [toward the path of integrity].

Consider well and watch carefully the path of your feet,
And all your ways will be steadfast and sure.

My son, be attentive to my wisdom [godly wisdom learned by costly experience],
Incline your ear to my understanding;

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],

Should your springs (children) be dispersed,
As streams of water in the streets?

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

Let your fountain (wife) be blessed [with the rewards of fidelity],
And rejoice in the wife of your youth.

Let her be as a loving hind and graceful doe,
Let her breasts refresh and satisfy you at all times;
Always be exhilarated and delight in her love.

Why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an immoral woman
And embrace the bosom of an outsider (pagan)?

The iniquities done by a wicked man will trap him,
And he will be held with the cords of his sin.

He will die for lack of instruction (discipline),
And in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray and be lost.

If you have been snared with the words of your lips,
If you have been trapped by the speech of your mouth,

Do this now, my son, and release yourself [from the obligation];
Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor,
Go humble yourself, and plead with your neighbor [to pay his debt and release you].

Go to the ant, O lazy one;
Observe her ways and be wise,

Who winks with his eyes [in mockery], who shuffles his feet [to signal],
Who points with his fingers [to give subversive instruction];

Therefore [the crushing weight of] his disaster will come suddenly upon him;
Instantly he will be broken, and there will be no healing or remedy [because he has no heart for God].

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.

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

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).

Suddenly he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter [not knowing the outcome],
Or as one in stocks going to the correction [to be given] to a fool,

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

“O you naive or inexperienced [who are easily misled], understand prudence and seek astute common sense;
And, O you [closed-minded, self-confident] fools, understand wisdom [seek the insight and self-discipline that leads to godly living].

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

“They are all straightforward to him who understands [with an open and willing mind],
And right to those who find knowledge and live by it.

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

“By me kings reign
And rulers decide and decree justice.

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

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—

“Now therefore, O sons, listen to me,
For blessed [happy, prosperous, to be admired] are they who keep my ways.

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

“Blessed [happy, prosperous, to be admired] is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at my doorposts.

Give instruction to a wise man and he will become even wiser;
Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.

For by me (wisdom from God) your days will be multiplied,
And years of life shall be increased.

If you are wise, you are wise for yourself [for your own benefit];
If you scoff [thoughtlessly ridicule and disdain], you alone will pay the penalty.

Calling to those who pass by,
Who are making their paths straight:

He who walks in integrity and with moral character walks securely,
But he who takes a crooked way will be discovered and punished.

What the wicked fears will come upon him,
But the desire of the righteous [for the blessings of God] will be granted.

The [reverent] fear of the Lord [worshiping, obeying, serving, and trusting Him with awe-filled respect] prolongs one’s life,
But the years of the wicked will be shortened.

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

The mouth of the righteous flows with [skillful and godly] wisdom,
But the perverted tongue will be cut out.

When pride comes [boiling up with an arrogant attitude of self-importance], then come dishonor and shame,
But with the humble [the teachable who have been chiseled by trial and who have learned to walk humbly with God] there is wisdom and soundness of mind.

The righteousness of the blameless will smooth their way and keep it straight,
But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.

The righteousness of the upright will rescue them,
But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed.

With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor,
But through knowledge and discernment the righteous will be rescued.

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

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

The generous man [is a source of blessing and] shall be prosperous and enriched,
And he who waters will himself be watered [reaping the generosity he has sown].

He who leans on and trusts in and is confident in his riches will fall,
But the righteous [who trust in God’s provision] will flourish like a green leaf.

He who troubles (mismanages) his own house will inherit the wind (nothing),
And the foolish will be a servant to the wise-hearted.

If the righteous will be rewarded on the earth [with godly blessings],
How much more [will] the wicked and the sinner [be repaid with punishment]!

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

A man will be commended according to his insight and sound judgment,
But the one who is of a perverse mind will be despised.

He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,
But he who follows worthless things lacks common sense and good judgment.

An evil man is [dangerously] ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
But the righteous will escape from trouble.

A man will be satisfied with good from the fruit of his words,
And the deeds of a man’s hands will return to him [as a harvest].

Truthful lips will be established forever,
But a lying tongue is [credited] only for a moment.

No harm befalls the righteous,
But the wicked are filled with trouble.

The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the negligent and lazy will be put to forced labor.

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].

The light of the righteous [within him—grows brighter and] rejoices,
But the lamp of the wicked [is a temporary light and] goes out.

Through pride and presumption come nothing but strife,
But [skillful and godly] wisdom is with those who welcome [well-advised] counsel.

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

Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
But much revenue [because of good crops] comes by the strength of the ox.

Fools mock sin [but sin mocks the fools],
But among the upright there is good will and the favor and blessing of God.

The house of the wicked will be overthrown,
But the tent of the upright will thrive.

The backslider in heart will have his fill with his own [rotten] ways,
But a good man will be satisfied with his ways [the godly thought and action which his heart pursues and in which he delights].

The evil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked [will bow down] at the gates of the righteous.

The poor man is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.

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.

A heart full of joy and goodness makes a cheerful face,
But when a heart is full of sadness the spirit is crushed.

All the days of the afflicted are bad,
But a glad heart has a continual feast [regardless of the circumstances].