That leaves the companion of her youth
And forgets the covenant of her God;

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

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.

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

Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
And hands that shed innocent blood,

A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that run rapidly to evil,

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

Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
As a bird hastens to the snare,
So he does not know that it will cost him his life.

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

When He set for the sea its boundary
So that the water would not transgress His command,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth;

But he does not know that the dead are there,
That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich,
And He adds no sorrow to it.

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.

A man of violence entices his neighbor
And leads him in a way that is not good.

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.

It is by his deeds that a lad distinguishes himself
If his conduct is pure and right.

Stripes that wound scour away evil,
And strokes reach the innermost parts.

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?

When you set your eyes on it, it is gone.
For wealth certainly makes itself wings
Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.

Know that wisdom is thus for your soul;
If you find it, then there will be a future,
And your hope will not be cut off.

For their calamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin that comes from both of them?

For it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,”
Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince,
Whom your eyes have seen.

Have you found honey? Eat only what you need,
That you not have it in excess and vomit it.

Like a city that is broken into and without walls
Is a man who has no control over his spirit.

Answer a fool as his folly deserves,
That he not be wise in his own eyes.

Like a dog that returns to its vomit
Is a fool who repeats his folly.

Better is open rebuke
Than love that is concealed.

Like a bird that wanders from her nest,
So is a man who wanders from his home.

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

A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth
And does not know that want will come upon him.

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.

The leech has two daughters,
“Give,” “Give.”
There are three things that will not be satisfied,
Four that will not say, “Enough”:

Sheol, and the barren womb,
Earth that is never satisfied with water,
And fire that never says, “Enough.”

The eye that mocks a father
And scorns a mother,
The ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young eagles will eat it.

Do not give your strength to women,
Or your ways to that which destroys kings.

She senses that her gain is good;
Her lamp does not go out at night.