And they will be life to your soul (your inner self)
And a gracious adornment to your neck (your outer self).

Should your springs (children) be dispersed,
As streams of water in the streets?

“For my mouth will utter truth,
And wickedness is repulsive and loathsome to my lips.

“When there were no ocean depths I was born,
When there were no fountains and springs overflowing with water.

The lips of the righteous know (speak) what is acceptable,
But the mouth of the wicked knows (speaks) what is perverted (twisted).

The beginning of strife is like letting out water [as from a small break in a dam; first it trickles and then it gushes];
Therefore abandon the quarrel before it breaks out and tempers explode.

When the wicked man comes [to the depth of evil], contempt [of all that is pure and good] also comes,
And with inner baseness (dishonor) comes outer shame (scorn).

A foolish (ungodly) son is destruction to his father,
And the contentions of a [quarrelsome] wife are like a constant dripping [of water].

A plan (motive, wise counsel) in the heart of a man is like water in a deep well,
But a man of understanding draws it out.

It is a trap for a man to [speak a vow of consecration and] say rashly, “It is holy!”
And [not until] afterward consider [whether he can fulfill it].

At the last it bites like a serpent
And stings like a viper.

Your [drunken] eyes will see strange things
And your mind will utter perverse things [untrue things, twisted things].

If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;

Like cold water to a thirsty soul,
So is good news from a distant land.

As in water face reflects face,
So the heart of man reflects man.

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