A wise man will hear and increase in learning,
And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,

We will find all kinds of precious wealth,
We will fill our houses with spoil;

“How long, O naive ones, will you love being simple-minded?
And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing
And fools hate knowledge?

“Turn to my reproof,
Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.

I will also laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your dread comes,

“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently but they will not find me,

“For the waywardness of the naive will kill them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them.

“But he who listens to me shall live securely
And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

My son, if you will receive my words
And treasure my commandments within you,

Then you will discern the fear of the Lord
And discover the knowledge of God.

Then you will discern righteousness and justice
And equity and every good course.

For wisdom will enter your heart
And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

Discretion will guard you,
Understanding will watch over you,

So you will walk in the way of good men
And keep to the paths of the righteous.

For the upright will live in the land
And the blameless will remain in it;

But the wicked will be cut off from the land
And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.

For length of days and years of life
And peace they will add to you.

So you will find favor and good repute
In the sight of God and man.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

It will be healing to your body
And refreshment to your bones.

So your barns will be filled with plenty
And your vats will overflow with new wine.

So they will be life to your soul
And adornment to your neck.

Then you will walk in your way securely
And your foot will not stumble.

When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

For the Lord will be your confidence
And will keep your foot from being caught.

Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,”
When you have it with you.

The wise will inherit honor,
But fools display dishonor.

“Do not forsake her, and she will guard you;
Love her, and she will watch over you.

“Prize her, and she will exalt you;
She will honor you if you embrace her.

“She will place on your head a garland of grace;
She will present you with a crown of beauty.”

Hear, my son, and accept my sayings
And the years of your life will be many.

When you walk, your steps will not be impeded;
And if you run, you will not stumble.

Watch the path of your feet
And all your ways will be established.

Or you will give your vigor to others
And your years to the cruel one;

And strangers will be filled with your strength
And your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien;

His own iniquities will capture the wicked,
And he will be held with the cords of his sin.

He will die for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.

How long will you lie down, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?

Your poverty will come in like a vagabond
And your need like an armed man.

Therefore his calamity will come suddenly;
Instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing.

When you walk about, they will guide you;
When you sleep, they will watch over you;
And when you awake, they will talk to you.

So is the one who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her will not go unpunished.

Wounds and disgrace he will find,
And his reproach will not be blotted out.

For jealousy enrages a man,
And he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

He will not accept any ransom,
Nor will he be satisfied though you give many gifts.

He has taken a bag of money with him,
At the full moon he will come home.”

Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
As a bird hastens to the snare,
So he does not know that it will cost him his life.

“Listen, for I will speak noble things;
And the opening of my lips will reveal right things.

“For my mouth will utter truth;
And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

“I love those who love me;
And those who diligently seek me will find me.

Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you,
Reprove a wise man and he will love you.

Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser,
Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.

For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.

If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

The Lord will not allow the righteous to hunger,
But He will reject the craving of the wicked.

The memory of the righteous is blessed,
But the name of the wicked will rot.

The wise of heart will receive commands,
But a babbling fool will be ruined.

He who walks in integrity walks securely,
But he who perverts his ways will be found out.

He who winks the eye causes trouble,
And a babbling fool will be ruined.

What the wicked fears will come upon him,
But the desire of the righteous will be granted.

The fear of the Lord prolongs life,
But the years of the wicked will be shortened.

The righteous will never be shaken,
But the wicked will not dwell in the land.

The mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom,
But the perverted tongue will be cut out.

The integrity of the upright will guide them,
But the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.

The righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way,
But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.

The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,
But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed.

When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish,
And the hope of strong men perishes.

With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor,
But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.

He who is guarantor for a stranger will surely suffer for it,
But he who hates being a guarantor is secure.

He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life,
And he who pursues evil will bring about his own death.

Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished,
But the descendants of the righteous will be delivered.

The generous man will be prosperous,
And he who waters will himself be watered.

He who withholds grain, the people will curse him,
But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.

He who diligently seeks good seeks favor,
But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.

He who trusts in his riches will fall,
But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.

He who troubles his own house will inherit wind,
And the foolish will be servant to the wisehearted.

If the righteous will be rewarded in the earth,
How much more the wicked and the sinner!

A good man will obtain favor from the Lord,
But He will condemn a man who devises evil.

A man will not be established by wickedness,
But the root of the righteous will not be moved.

The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.

The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
But the house of the righteous will stand.

A man will be praised according to his insight,
But one of perverse mind will be despised.

He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,
But he who pursues worthless things lacks sense.

An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
But the righteous will escape from trouble.

A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words,
And the deeds of a man’s hands will return to him.

Truthful lips will be established forever,
But a lying tongue is only for a moment.

The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the slack hand will be put to forced labor.

The one who despises the word will be in debt to it,
But the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded.

Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline,
But he who regards reproof will be honored.

He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Adversity pursues sinners,
But the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity.

In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back,
But the lips of the wise will protect them.

A trustworthy witness will not lie,
But a false witness utters lies.

Leave the presence of a fool,
Or you will not discern words of knowledge.

Fools mock at sin,
But among the upright there is good will.

The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.

The backslider in heart will have his fill of his own ways,
But a good man will be satisfied with his.

The evil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

Will they not go astray who devise evil?
But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.

In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And his children will have refuge.