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

Every precious substance we find, We fill our houses with spoil,

So are the paths of every gainer of dishonest gain, The life of its owners it taketh.

I also in your calamity do laugh, I deride when your fear cometh,

When your fear cometh as destruction, And your calamity as a hurricane doth come, When on you come adversity and distress.

And they eat of the fruit of their way, And from their own counsels they are filled.

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

Who are forsaking paths of uprightness, To walk in ways of darkness,

Who are rejoicing to do evil, They delight in frowardness of the wicked,

Whose paths are crooked, Yea, they are perverted in their ways.

For the upright do inhabit the earth, And the perfect are left in it,

And the wicked from the earth are cut off, And treacherous dealers plucked out of it!

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.

Length of days is in her right hand, In her left are wealth and honour.

Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace.

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

Honour do the wise inherit, And fools are bearing away shame!

Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And years of life are multiplied to thee.

My son, to my words give attention, To my sayings incline thine ear,

For life they are to those finding them, And to all their flesh healing.

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!

My son! to my wisdom give attention, To mine understanding incline thine ear,

Her feet are going down to death, Sheol do her steps take hold of.

And I have not hearkened to the voice of my directors, And to my teachers have not inclined mine ear.

For over-against the eyes of Jehovah are the ways of each, And all his paths He is pondering.

These six hath Jehovah hated, Yea, seven are abominations to His soul.

For a lamp is the command, And the law a light, And a way of life are reproofs of instruction,

Doth a man take fire into his bosom, And are his garments not burnt?

Doth a man walk on the hot coals, And are his feet not scorched?

Sacrifices of peace-offerings are by me, To-day I have completed my vows.

Come, we are filled with loves till the morning, We delight ourselves in loves.

Till an arrow doth split his liver, As a bird hath hastened unto a snare, And hath not known that it is for its life.

For many are the wounded she caused to fall, And mighty are all her slain ones.

In righteousness are all the sayings of my mouth, Nothing in them is froward and perverse.

All of them are plain to the intelligent, And upright to those finding knowledge.

For better is wisdom than rubies, Yea, all delights are not comparable with it.

Wealth and honour are with me, Lasting substance and righteousness.

Before mountains were sunk, Before heights, I was brought forth.

Rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth, And my delights are with the sons of men.

And now, ye sons, hearken to me, Yea, happy are they who keep my ways.

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

To call to those passing by the way, Who are going straight on their paths.

'Stolen waters are sweet, And hidden bread is pleasant.'

And he hath not known that Rephaim are there, In deep places of Sheol her invited ones!

Blessings are for the head of the righteous, And the mouth of the wicked cover doth violence.

The fear of Jehovah addeth days, And the years of the wicked are shortened.

Balances of deceit are an abomination to Jehovah, And a perfect weight is His delight.

The righteousness of the upright delivereth them, And in mischief the treacherous are captured.

With the mouth a hypocrite corrupteth his friend, And by knowledge the righteous are drawn out.

An abomination to Jehovah are the perverse of heart, And the perfect of the way are His delight.

The thoughts of the righteous are justice, The counsels of the wicked -- deceit.

The words of the wicked are: 'Lay wait for blood,' And the mouth of the upright delivereth them.

Overthrow the wicked, and they are not, And the house of the righteous standeth.

The righteous knoweth the life of his beast, And the mercies of the wicked are cruel.

An abomination to Jehovah are lying lips, And stedfast doers are his delight.

The righteous searcheth his companion, And the way of the wicked causeth them to err.

The ransom of a man's life are his riches, And the poor hath not heard rebuke.

Go from before a foolish man, Or thou hast not known the lips of knowledge.

There is a way -- right before a man, And its latter end are ways of death.

The simple have inherited folly, And the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

Even of his neighbour is the poor hated, And those loving the rich are many.

Do not they err who are devising evil? And kindness and truth are to those devising good,

In every place are the eyes of Jehovah, Watching the evil and the good.

Sheol and destruction are before Jehovah, Surely also the hearts of the sons of men.

All the days of the afflicted are evil, And gladness of heart is a perpetual banquet.

An abomination to Jehovah are thoughts of wickedness, And pure are sayings of pleasantness.

An ear that is hearing the reproof of life Doth lodge among the wise.

Of man are arrangements of the heart, And from Jehovah an answer of the tongue.

All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, And Jehovah is pondering the spirits.

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

A just beam and balances are Jehovah's, His work are all the stones of the bag.

The delight of kings are righteous lips, And whoso is speaking uprightly he loveth,

Sayings of pleasantness are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul, and healing to the bone.

A crown of beauty are grey hairs, In the way of righteousness it is found.

An evil doer is attentive to lips of vanity, Falsehood is giving ear to a mischievous tongue.

Sons' sons are the crown of old men, And the glory of sons are their fathers.

Whoso is justifying the wicked, And condemning the righteous, Even both of these are an abomination to Jehovah.

Deep waters are the words of a man's mouth, The fountain of wisdom is a flowing brook.

The mouth of a fool is ruin to him, And his lips are the snare of his soul.

The words of a tale-bearer are as self-inflicted wounds, And they have gone down to the inner parts of the heart.

The heart of the intelligent getteth knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those loving it eat its fruit.

All the brethren of the poor have hated him, Surely also his friends have been far from him, He is pursuing words -- they are not!

A calamity to his father is a foolish son, And the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.

House and wealth are the inheritance of fathers, And from Jehovah is an understanding wife.

Many are the purposes in a man's heart, And the counsel of Jehovah it standeth.

Cease, my son, to hear instruction -- To err from sayings of knowledge.

A stone and a stone, an ephah and an ephah, Even both of them are an abomination to Jehovah.

Even by his actions a youth maketh himself known, Whether his work be pure or upright.

A hearing ear, and a seeing eye, Jehovah hath made even both of them.

Substance, gold, and a multitude of rubies, Yea, a precious vessel, are lips of knowledge.

Purposes by counsel thou dost establish, And with plans make thou war.

An abomination to Jehovah are a stone and a stone, And balances of deceit are not good.

From Jehovah are the steps of a man, And man -- how understandeth he his way?

The purposes of the diligent are only to advantage, And of every hasty one, only to want.

Whoso is shutting his ear from the cry of the poor, He also doth cry, and is not answered.

The prudent hath seen the evil, and is hidden, And the simple have passed on, and are punished.