My son, if sinners entice thee, Consent thou not.

Thou shalt cast thy lot among us; We will all have one purse:

My son, walk not thou in the way with them; Refrain thy foot from their path:

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, And lay up my commandments with thee;

Yea, if thou cry after discernment, And lift up thy voice for understanding;

If thou seek her as silver, And search for her as for hid treasures:

Then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah, And find the knowledge of God.

Then shalt thou understand righteousness and justice, And equity, yea , every good path.

That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, And keep the paths of the righteous.

So shalt thou find favor and good understanding In the sight of God and man.

She is more precious than rubies: And none of the things thou canst desire are to be compared unto her.

Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, And thy foot shall not stumble.

When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: Yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

Say not unto thy neighbor, Go, and come again, And to-morrow I will give; When thou hast it by thee.

Envy thou not the man of violence, And choose none of his ways.

Exalt her, and she will promote thee; She will bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her.

When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; And if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

That thou mayest preserve discretion, And that thy lips may keep knowledge.

Lest thou give thine honor unto others, And thy years unto the cruel;

And thou mourn at thy latter end, When thy flesh and thy body are consumed,

As a loving hind and a pleasant doe, Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; And be thou ravished always with her love.

For why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, And embrace the bosom of a foreigner?

My son, if thou art become surety for thy neighbor, If thou hast stricken thy hands for a stranger;

Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, Thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, Seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbor: Go, humble thyself, and importune thy neighbor;

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; Consider her ways, and be wise:

How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

When thou walkest, it shall lead thee; When thou sleepest, it shall watch over thee; And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

He will not regard any ransom; Neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; And call understanding thy kinswoman:

If thou art wise, thou art wise for thyself; And if thou scoffest, thou alone shalt bear it.

Walk with wise men, and thou shalt be wise; But the companion of fools shall smart for it.

Go into the presence of a foolish man, And thou shalt not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.

A man of great wrath shall bear the penalty; For if thou deliver him , thou must do it yet again.

Hear counsel, and receive instruction, That thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.

Love not sleep, let thou come to poverty; Open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.

Every purpose is established by counsel; And by wise guidance make thou war.

Say not thou, I will recompense evil: Wait for Jehovah, and he will save thee.

For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee, If they be established together upon thy lips.

To make thee know the certainty of the words of truth, That thou mayest carry back words of truth to them that send thee?

Make no friendship with a man that is given to anger; And with a wrathful man thou shalt not go:

Lest thou learn this ways, And get a snare to thy soul.

Be thou not one of them that strike hands, Or of them that are sureties for debts.

If thou hast not wherewith to pay, Why should he take away thy bed from under thee?

Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; He shall not stand before mean men.

When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Consider diligently him that is before thee;

And put a knife to thy throat, If thou be a man given to appetite.

Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.

Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties:

The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, And lose thy sweet words.

Withhold not correction from the child; For if thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.

Thou shalt beat him with the rod, And shalt deliver his soul from Sheol.

Let not thy heart envy sinners; But be thou in the fear of Jehovah all the day long:

Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And guide thy heart in the way.

Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in the cup, When it goeth down smoothly:

Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, Or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.

They have stricken me,'shalt thou say , and I was not hurt; They have beaten me, and I felt it not: When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

Be not thou envious against evil men; Neither desire to be with them:

For by wise guidance thou shalt make thy war; And in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

If thou faint in the day of adversity, Thy strength is small.

Deliver them that are carried away unto death, And those that are ready to be slain see that thou hold back.

If thou sayest, Behold, we knew not this; Doth not he that weigheth the hearts consider it? And he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? And shall not he render to every man according to his work?

My son, eat thou honey, for it is good; And the droppings of the honeycomb, which are sweet to thy taste:

So shalt thou know wisdom to be unto thy soul; If thou hast found it, then shall there be a reward, And thy hope shall not be cut off.

Fret not thyself because of evil-doers; Neither be thou envious at the wicked:

My son, fear thou Jehovah and the king; And company not with them that are given to change:

He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; Peoples shall curse him, nations shall abhor him:

For better is it that it be said unto thee, Come up hither, Than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince, Whom thine eyes have seen.

Go not forth hastily to strive, Lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, When thy neighbor hath put thee to shame.

Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, Lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.

For thou wilt heap coals of fire upon his head, And Jehovah will reward thee.

Answer not a fool according to his folly, Lest thou also be like unto him.

Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? There is more hope of a fool than of him.

Boast not thyself of tomorrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with bruised grain, Yet will not his foolishness depart from him.

Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, And look well to thy herds:

Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? There is more hope of a fool than of him.

Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in his garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou knowest?

Add thou not unto his words, Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Slander not a servant unto his master, Lest he curse thee, and thou be held guilty.

If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, Or if thou hast thought evil, Lay thy hand upon thy mouth.

Many daughters have done worthily, But thou excellest them all.