Then they call me, and I do not answer, They seek me earnestly, and find me not.

To cause thine ear to attend to wisdom, Thou inclinest thy heart to understanding,

Then understandest thou fear of Jehovah, And knowledge of God thou findest.

Then understandest thou righteousness, And judgment, and uprightness -- every good path.

Trust unto Jehovah with all thy heart, And unto thine own understanding lean not.

Be not wise in thine own eyes, Fear Jehovah, and turn aside from evil.

Honour Jehovah from thy substance, And from the beginning of all thine increase;

For better is her merchandise Than the merchandise of silver, And than gold -- her increase.

My son! let them not turn from thine eyes, Keep thou wisdom and thoughtfulness,

Then thou goest thy way confidently, And thy foot doth not stumble.

My son, to my words give attention, To my sayings incline thine ear,

Let them not turn aside from thine eyes, Preserve them in the midst of thy heart.

Thine eyes do look straightforward, And thine eyelids look straight before thee.

My son! to my wisdom give attention, To mine understanding incline thine ear,

For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And smoother than oil is her mouth,

Drink waters out of thine own cistern, Even flowing ones out of thine own well.

Give not sleep to thine eyes, And slumber to thine eyelids,

Keep my commands, and live, And my law as the pupil of thine eye.

Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold.

For better is wisdom than rubies, Yea, all delights are not comparable with it.

Better is my fruit than gold, even fine gold, And mine increase than choice silver.

Jehovah possessed me -- the beginning of His way, Before His works since then.

Then I am near Him, a workman, And I am a delight -- day by day. Rejoicing before Him at all times,

Better is the lightly esteemed who hath a servant, Than the self-honoured who lacketh bread.

Better is a little with the fear of Jehovah, Than much treasure, and tumult with it.

Better is an allowance of green herbs and love there, Than a fatted ox, and hatred with it.

Better is a little with righteousness, Than abundance of increase without justice.

To get wisdom -- how much better than gold, And to get understanding to be chosen than silver!

Better is humility of spirit with the poor, Than to apportion spoil with the proud.

Better is the slow to anger than the mighty, And the ruler over his spirit than he who is taking a city.

Better is a dry morsel, and rest with it, Than a house full of the sacrifices of strife.

Rebuke cometh down on the intelligent More than a hundred stripes on a fool.

A man with friends is to show himself friendly, And there is a lover adhering more than a brother!

Better is the poor walking in his integrity, Than the perverse in his lips, who is a fool.

The desirableness of a man is his kindness, And better is the poor than a liar.

Love not sleep, lest thou become poor, Open thine eyes -- be satisfied with bread.

'Bad, bad,' saith the buyer, And going his way then he boasteth himself.

To do righteousness and judgment, Is chosen of Jehovah rather than sacrifice.

Better to sit on a corner of the roof, Than with a woman of contentions and a house of company.

Better to dwell in a wilderness land, Than with a woman of contentions and anger.

A name is chosen rather than much wealth, Than silver and than gold -- good grace.

Incline thine ear, and hear words of the wise, And thy heart set to my knowledge,

Labour not to make wealth, From thine own understanding cease, Dost thou cause thine eyes to fly upon it? Then it is not.

Bring in to instruction thy heart, And thine ear to sayings of knowledge.

For, is there a posterity? Then thy hope is not cut off.

Give, my son, thy heart to me, And let thine eyes watch my ways.

Thine eyes see strange women, And thy heart speaketh perverse things.

In the falling of thine enemy rejoice not, And in his stumbling let not thy heart be joyful,

Prepare in an out-place thy work, And make it ready in the field -- go afterwards, Then thou hast built thy house.

For better that he hath said to thee, 'Come thou up hither,' Than that he humble thee before a noble, Whom thine eyes have seen.

Lest the hearer put thee to shame, And thine evil report turn not back.

Better to sit on a corner of a roof, Than with a woman of contentions, and a house of company.

Thou hast seen a man wise in his own eyes, More hope of a fool than of him!

Wiser is the slothful in his own eyes, Than seven men returning a reason.

Let another praise thee, and not thine own mouth, A stranger, and not thine own lips.

A stone is heavy, and the sand is heavy, And the anger of a fool Is heavier than they both.

Better is open reproof than hidden love.

Thine own friend, and the friend of thy father, forsake not, And the house of thy brother enter not In a day of thy calamity, Better is a near neighbour than a brother afar off.

Better is the poor walking in his integrity, Than the perverse of ways who is rich.

Whoso is reproving a man afterwards findeth grace, More than a flatterer with the tongue.

Thou hast seen a man hasty in his words! More hope of a fool than of him.

For I am more brutish than any one, And have not the understanding of a man.

Four are little ones of earth, And they are made wiser than the wise: