The proverbs of David's son Solomon, king of Israel.

My son, listen to your father's instruction, and do not let go of your mother's teaching.

If they say, "Come with us! Let's lie in wait for blood; let's ambush some innocent person for no reason at all.

Let's swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole like those who go down into the Pit.

so your barns will be filled with abundance, and your vats will burst open with new wine.

My son, do not reject the LORD's discipline, and do not despise his correction,

By wisdom the LORD laid the earth's foundations, and by understanding he set the heavens in place.

Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come back. I will pay you tomorrow," when you have cash with you.

The LORD's curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.

Listen, children, to your father's instruction, and pay attention in order to gain understanding.

I give you sound teaching, so do not abandon my instruction.

he taught me and told me, "Let your heart fully embrace what I have to say; keep my commandments and live!

My son, pay attention to my words, and listen closely to what I say.

so you may carefully practice discretion and your lips preserve knowledge.

so that you don't give your honor to others, and waste your best years;

so that strangers don't enrich themselves at your expense, and your work won't end up the possession of foreigners.

and you will say, "How I hated instruction, and my heart rejected correction!

Indeed, what a man does is always in the LORD's presence, and he weighs all his paths.

The wicked person's iniquities will capture him, and he will be held with the cords of his sin.

then do this, my son, and deliver yourself, because you have come under your neighbor's control. Go, humble yourself! Plead passionately with your neighbor!

Deliver yourself like a gazelle from a hunter's hand, or like a bird from a fowler's hand.

Keep your father's commands, my son, and never forsake your mother's rules,

because the price of a whore is a loaf of bread, and an adulterous woman stalks a man's precious life.

So also is it with someone who has sex with his neighbor's wife; anyone touching her will not remain unpunished.

Whoever commits adultery with a woman is out of his mind; by doing so he corrupts his own soul.

because jealousy incites a strong man's rage, and he will show no mercy when it's time for revenge.

My son, guard what I say and treasure my commands.

Say to wisdom, "You're my sister!" and call understanding your close relative,

so they can keep you from an adulterous woman, from the immoral woman with her seductive words.

So she grabs hold of him and kisses him, with a brazen face she speaks to him,

Come, let's make love until dawn; let's comfort ourselves with love,

So listen to me, my sons, and pay attention to what I have to say.

Her house leads to Sheol, descending to death's catacombs.

"I'm calling to you, men! What I have to say pertains to all mankind!

Listen, because I have noble things to say, and what I have to say will reveal what is right.

Everything I have to say is just; there isn't anything corrupt or perverse in my speech.

Everything I say is sensible to someone who understands, and correct to those who have acquired knowledge.

Even though he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the world's first grains of dust,

when he set a boundary for the sea so the waters would not exceed his limits, when he marked out the foundations of the earth.

"So listen to me, children! Blessed are those who obey me.

What the righteous say is a flowing fountain, but what the wicked say conceals violence.

Just as the fool considers wickedness his joy, so is wisdom to the discerning man.

As vinegar is to the mouth and smoke to the eyes, so is the lazy person to those who send him.

To the upright, the way of the LORD is a place of safety, but it's a place of ruin to those who practice evil.

Through the blessing of the righteous a city is built up, but what the wicked say tears it down.

Securing a loan for a stranger will bring suffering, but by refusing to do so, one remains safe.

Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion.

It's better to be unimportant, yet have a servant, than to pretend to be important, but lack food.

An evil man's sinful speech ensnares him, but the righteous person escapes from trouble.

By his fruitful speech a man can remain satisfied, and a man's handiwork will reward him.

Some speak rashly like the cutting of a sword, but what the wise say promotes healing.

A person's anxiety weighs down his heart, but an appropriate word is encouraging.

The lazy person does not roast what he has hunted, but diligence is one's most important possession.

A wise son heeds a father's correction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.

A righteous person eats to his heart's content, but the stomach of the wicked remains hungry.

The wisdom of the prudent helps him know how to live, but a fool's stupidity deceives him.

There is a pathway that seems right to a man, but in the end it's a road to death.

Rock-solid security is found in the fear of the LORD, and within it one's children find refuge.

A large population is a king's glory, but a shortage of people is a ruler's ruin.

A tranquil mind brings life to one's body, but jealousy causes one's bones to rot.

A fool rejects his father's instructions, but anyone who respects reproof acts sensibly.

What the wise have to say disseminates knowledge, but it's not in the heart of fools to do so.

Since Sheol and Abaddon lie open in the LORD's presence, how much more the hearts of human beings!

The way of life leads upward for the wise so he may avoid Sheol below.

The house of the proud the LORD will demolish, but he will protect the widow's boundary line.

When a person's ways please the LORD, even his enemies will be at peace with him.

The king's wrath results in a death sentence, but whoever is wise will appease him.

A wise person's thoughts control his words, and his speech promotes instruction.

There is a road that seems right for a man to travel, but in the end it's the road to death.

The dice is cast into someone's lap, but the outcome is from the LORD.

It's better to meet a mother bear who has lost her cubs than a fool in his stupidity.

The person who repays good with evil will never see evil leave his home.

Starting a quarrel is like spilling water so drop the dispute before it escalates.

The man who fathers a fool does so to his sorrow the father of a fool has no joy.

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit drains one's strength.

It's not good to be partial towards an evil person, thereby depriving the righteous of justice.

A fool's words bring strife, and his mouth invites fighting.

A fool's mouth is his unraveling, and his lips entrap himself.

Before a man's downfall, his mind is arrogant, but humility precedes honor.

A man's spirit can sustain him during his illness, but who can bear a crushed spirit?

A person's gift opens doors for him, bringing him access to important people.

A man's foolishness ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the LORD.

It's not fitting for a fool to live in luxury; neither is it for a servant to rule over princes.

A person's discretion makes him slow to anger, and it is to his credit that he ignores an offence.

The king's anger is like the roaring of a lion, but his goodwill is like dew on the grass.

A father's ruin is a foolish son, and a wife's quarreling is like dripping water that never stops.

A house and self-sufficiency are a father's inheritance, but from the LORD comes an insightful wife.

Many plans occupy the mind of a man, but the LORD's purposes will prevail.

Human beings long for grace, and it's better to be poor than a man of deceit.

A king's anger is like a lion's roar; anyone who angers him forfeits his life.

The intentions of a person's heart are deep waters, but a discerning person reveals them.

Who can say, "My intentions are pure; I am clean from any sin?"

Whoever spreads gossip betrays confidences; so don't get involved with someone who talks too much.

Don't say "I'll avenge that wrong!" Wait on the LORD and he will deliver you.

A man's steps are directed by the LORD; how then can anyone understand his own way?

A person's spirit is the lamp of the LORD; it searches throughout one's innermost being.

A king's heart is a water stream that the LORD controls; he directs it wherever he pleases.

Every man's lifestyle is proper in his own view, but the LORD weighs the heart.

It's better to live in a corner on the roof than to share a house with a contentious woman.

It's better to live in the wilderness than to live with a contentious and irritable woman.