Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net
In the sight of any bird;

But [when these people set a trap for others] they lie in wait for their own blood;
They set an ambush for their own lives [and rush to their destruction].

For the upright [those who are in right standing with God] will live in the land
And those [of integrity] who are blameless [in God’s sight] will remain in it;

So find favor and high esteem
In the sight of God and man.

My son, let them not escape from your sight,
But keep sound wisdom and discretion,

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

When I was a son with my father (David),
Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother (Bathsheba),

He taught me and said to me,
“Let your heart hold fast my words;
Keep my commandments and live.

Do not let them escape from your sight;
Keep them in the center of your heart.

So that she does not think [seriously] about the path of life;
Her ways are aimless and unstable; you cannot know where her path leads.

She was boisterous and rebellious;
She would not stay at home.

So she caught him and kissed him
And with a brazen and impudent face she said to him:

When He set for the sea its boundary
So that the waters would not transgress [the boundaries set by] His command,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth—

Wisdom has built her [spacious and sufficient] house;
She has hewn out and set up her seven pillars.

She has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine;
She has also set her table.

She sits at the doorway of her house,
On a seat by the high and conspicuous places of the city,

“Stolen waters (pleasures) are sweet [because they are forbidden];
And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”

Desire realized is sweet to the soul;
But it is detestable to fools to turn away from evil [which they have planned].

Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
Sweet and delightful to the soul and healing to the body.

Discipline and teach your son while there is hope,
And do not [indulge your anger or resentment by imposing inappropriate punishment nor] desire his destruction.

Food gained by deceit is sweet to a man,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel [just as sin may be sweet at first, but later its consequences bring despair].

Do not move the ancient landmark [at the boundary of the property]
Which your fathers have set.

When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
Consider carefully what is [set] before you;

When you set your eyes on wealth, it is [suddenly] gone.
For wealth certainly makes itself wings
Like an eagle that flies to the heavens.

Wisdom is too exalted for a [hardened, arrogant] fool;
He does not open his mouth in the gate [where the city’s rulers sit in judgment].

My son, eat honey, because it is good,
And the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.

For it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,”
Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince,
Whom your eyes have seen.

Have you found [pleasure sweet like] honey? Eat only as much as you need,
Otherwise, being filled excessively, you vomit it.

Like one who takes off a garment in cold weather, or like [a reactive, useless mixture of] vinegar on soda,
Is he who [thoughtlessly] sings [joyful] songs to a heavy heart.

He who is satisfied loathes honey,
But to the hungry soul any bitter thing is sweet.

Scoffers set a city afire [by stirring up trouble],
But wise men turn away anger [and restore order with their good judgment].

The fear of man brings a snare,
But whoever trusts in and puts his confidence in the Lord will be exalted and safe.