Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;

for they shall be a garland of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

cast in thy lot among us; we will all have one purse:

my son, walk not in the way with them, keep back thy foot from their path;

so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom and thou apply thy heart to understanding;

yea, if thou criest after discernment and liftest up thy voice to understanding;

When wisdom entereth into thy heart and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul,

My son, forget not my teaching, and let thy heart observe my commandments;

Let not loving-kindness and truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck, write them upon the tablet of thy heart:

Confide in Jehovah with all thy heart, and lean not unto thine own intelligence;

in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will make plain thy paths.

it shall be health for thy navel, and moisture for thy bones.

Honour Jehovah with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase;

so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy vats shall overflow with new wine.

so shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace unto thy neck.

Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, and thy foot shall not stumble;

when thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid, but thou shalt lie down and thy sleep shall be sweet.

for Jehovah shall be thy confidence, and he will keep thy foot from being taken.

Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thy hand to do it.

Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to-morrow I will give, when thou hast it by thee.

Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.

And he taught me, and said unto me, Let thy heart retain my words; keep my commandments and live.

The beginning of wisdom is, Get wisdom; and with all thy getting get intelligence.

She shall give to thy head a garland of grace; a crown of glory will she bestow upon thee.

Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of thy life shall be multiplied.

When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

Take fast hold of instruction, let her not go: keep her, for she is thy life.

Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thy heart.

Keep thy heart more than anything that is guarded; for out of it are the issues of life.

Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be well-ordered.

Turn not to the right hand nor to the left; remove thy foot from evil.

that thou mayest keep reflection, and that thy lips may preserve knowledge.

Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:

lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel;

lest strangers be filled with thy wealth, and the fruits of thy toil come into the house of a stranger;

and thou mourn in thine end, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed;

Thy fountains shall be poured forth, as water-brooks in the broadways.

Let thy fountain be blessed; and have joy of the wife of thy youth.

My son, if thou hast become surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand 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, since thou hast come into the hand of thy friend: go, humble thyself, and be urgent with thy friend.

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

So shall thy poverty come as a roving plunderer, and thy penury as an armed man.

My son, observe thy father's commandment, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;

bind them continually upon thy heart, tie them about thy neck:

Lust not after her beauty in thy heart, neither let her take thee with her eyelids;

he will not regard any ransom, neither will he rest content though thou multipliest thy gifts.

Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the tablet of thy heart.

Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister, and call intelligence thy kinswoman:

therefore came I forth to meet thee, to seek earnestly thy face, and I have found thee.

Let not thy heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths:

For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and years of life shall be added to thee.

Commit thy works unto Jehovah, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Chasten thy son, seeing there is hope; but set not thy soul upon killing him.

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

Incline thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thy heart unto my knowledge.

For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee: they shall be together fitted on thy lips.

That thy confidence may be in Jehovah, I have made them known to thee this day, even to thee.

lest thou learn his paths, and get a snare to thy soul.

if thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?

Remove not the ancient landmark which thy fathers have set.

and put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.

Thy morsel which thou hast eaten must thou vomit up, and thou wilt have wasted thy sweet words.

Speak not in the ears of a foolish man, for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

Apply thy heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine;

and my reins shall exult, when thy lips speak right things.

Let not thy heart envy sinners, but be thou in the fear of Jehovah all the day;

Thou, my son, hear and be wise, and direct thy heart in the way.

Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

let thy father and thy mother have joy, and let her that bore thee rejoice.

My son, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thy heart shall speak froward things;

For with good advice shalt thou make thy war; and in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

If thou losest courage in the day of trouble, thy strength is small.

If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not, will not he that weigheth the hearts consider it? And he that preserveth thy soul, he knoweth it; and he rendereth to man according to his work.

Eat honey, my son, for it is good; and a honeycomb is sweet to thy taste:

so consider wisdom for thy soul; if thou hast found it, there shall be a result, and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth;

Prepare thy work without, and put thy field in order, and afterwards build thy house.

Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and wouldest thou deceive with thy lips?

So shall thy poverty come as a roving plunderer, and thy penury as an armed man.

Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.

Debate thy cause with thy neighbour, but reveal not the secret of another;

Let thy foot be seldom in thy neighbour's house; lest he be weary of thee and hate thee.

Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; and go not into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.

Be well acquainted with the appearance of thy flocks; look well to thy herds:

The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of a field;

and there is goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and sustenance for thy maidens.

Chasten thy son, and he shall give thee rest, and shall give delight unto thy soul.

If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay the hand upon thy mouth.

Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to them that destroy kings.

Open thy mouth for the dumb, for the cause of all those that are left desolate.

Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and minister justice to the afflicted and needy.