Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother,

For a graceful wreath are they to thy head, And chains to thy neck.

Thy lot thou dost cast among us, One purse is -- to all of us.'

My son! go not in the way with them, Withhold thy foot from their path,

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

For, if for intelligence thou callest, For understanding givest forth thy voice,

For wisdom cometh into thy heart, And knowledge to thy soul is pleasant,

My son! my law forget not, And my commands let thy heart keep,

Let not kindness and truth forsake thee, Bind them on thy neck, Write them on the tablet of thy heart,

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

In all thy ways know thou Him, And He doth make straight thy paths.

Healing it is to thy navel, And moistening to thy bones.

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

And filled are thy barns with plenty, And with new wine thy presses break forth.

Precious she is above rubies, And all thy pleasures are not comparable to her.

And they are life to thy soul, and grace to thy neck.

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

If thou liest down, thou art not afraid, Yea, thou hast lain down, And sweet hath been thy sleep.

For Jehovah is at thy side, And He hath kept thy foot from capture.

Withhold not good from its owners, When thy hand is toward God to do it.

Say not thou to thy friend, 'Go, and return, and to-morrow I give,' And substance with thee.

Devise not against thy neighbour evil, And he sitting confidently with thee.

And he directeth me, and he saith to me: 'Let thy heart retain my words, Keep my commands, and live.

The first thing is wisdom -- get wisdom, And with all thy getting get understanding.

She giveth to thy head a wreath of grace, A crown of beauty she doth give thee freely.

In thy walking thy step is not straitened, And if thou runnest, thou stumblest not.

Lay hold on instruction, do not desist, Keep her, for she is thy life.

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

Above every charge keep thy heart, For out of it are the outgoings of life.

Ponder thou the path of thy feet, And all thy ways are established.

Incline not to the right or to the left, Turn aside thy foot from evil!

To observe thoughtfulness, And knowledge do thy lips keep.

Keep far from off her thy way, And come not near unto the opening of her house,

Lest thou give to others thy honour, And thy years to the fierce,

Lest strangers be filled with thy power, And thy labours in the house of a stranger,

And thou hast howled in thy latter end, In the consumption of thy flesh and thy food,

Let thy fountains be scattered abroad, In broad places rivulets of waters.

Let thy fountain be blessed, And rejoice because of the wife of thy youth,

My son! if thou hast been surety for thy friend, Hast stricken for a stranger thy hand,

Hast been snared with sayings of thy mouth, Hast been captured with sayings of thy mouth,

Do this now, my son, and be delivered, For thou hast come into the hand of thy friend. Go, trample on thyself, and strengthen thy friend,

Till when, O slothful one, dost thou lie? When dost thou arise from thy sleep?

And thy poverty hath come as a traveller, And thy want as an armed man.

Keep, my son, the command of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother.

Bind them on thy heart continually, Tie them on thy neck.

In thy going up and down, it leadeth thee, In thy lying down, it watcheth over thee, And thou hast awaked -- it talketh with thee.

Desire not her beauty in thy heart, And let her not take thee with her eyelids.

Bind them on thy fingers, Write them on the tablet of thy heart.

Therefore I have come forth to meet thee, To seek earnestly thy face, and I find thee.

Let not thy heart turn unto her ways, Do not wander in her paths,

For by me do thy days multiply, And added to thee are years of life.

Roll unto Jehovah thy works, And established are thy purposes,

Chastise thy son, for there is hope, And to put him to death lift not up thy soul.

Hear counsel and receive instruction, So that thou art wise in thy latter end.

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

For they are pleasant when thou dost keep them in thy heart, They are prepared together for thy lips.

That thy trust may be in Jehovah, I caused thee to know to-day, even thou.

Lest thou learn his paths, And have received a snare to thy soul.

If thou hast nothing to pay, Why doth he take thy bed from under thee?

Remove not a border of olden times, That thy fathers have made.

And thou hast put a knife to thy throat, If thou art a man of appetite.

Thy morsel thou hast eaten thou dost vomit up, And hast marred thy words that are sweet.

In the ears of a fool speak not, For he treadeth on the wisdom of thy words.

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

My son, if thy heart hath been wise, My heart rejoiceth, even mine,

And my reins exult when thy lips speak uprightly.

Let not thy heart be envious at sinners, But -- in the fear of Jehovah all the day.

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

Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And make happy in the way thy heart,

Hearken to thy father, who begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she hath become old.

Rejoice doth thy father and thy mother, Yea, she that bare thee is joyful.

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.

Thou hast shewed thyself weak in a day of adversity, Straitened is thy power,

When thou sayest, 'Lo, we knew not this.' Is not the Ponderer of hearts He who understandeth? And the Keeper of thy soul He who knoweth? And He hath rendered to man according to his work.

Eat my son, honey that is good, And the honeycomb -- sweet to thy palate.

So is the knowledge of wisdom to thy soul, If thou hast found that there is a posterity And thy hope is not cut off.

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.

Be not a witness for nought against thy neighbour, Or thou hast enticed with thy lips.

And thy poverty hath come as a traveller, And thy want as an armed man!

Go not forth to strive, haste, turn, What dost thou in its latter end, When thy neighbour causeth thee to blush?

Thy cause plead with thy neighbour, And the secret counsel of another reveal not,

Honey thou hast found -- eat thy sufficiency, Lest thou be satiated with it, and hast vomited it.

Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house, Lest he be satiated with thee, and have hated thee.

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.

Know well the face of thy flock, Set thy heart to the droves,

Lambs are for thy clothing, And the price of the field are he-goats,

And a sufficiency of goats' milk is for thy bread, For bread to thy house, and life to thy damsels!

Chastise thy son, and he giveth thee comfort, Yea, he giveth delights to thy soul.

Give not to women thy strength, And thy ways to wiping away of kings.

Open thy mouth for the dumb, For the right of all sons of change.

Open thy mouth, judge righteously, Both the cause of the poor and needy!'