Let us swallow them alive like Sheol (the place of the dead),
Even whole, as those who go down to the pit [of death];

For her house leads down to death
And her paths lead to the dead;

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

Do not quarrel with a man without cause,
If he has done you no harm.

But the path of the just (righteous) is like the light of dawn,
That shines brighter and brighter until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day.

Her feet go down to death;
Her steps take hold of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead),

“Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to lie down and rest”—

For she has cast down many [mortally] wounded;
Indeed, all who were killed by her were strong.

Her house is the way to Sheol,
Descending to the chambers of death.

Beside the gates, at the entrance to the city,
At the entrance of the doors, she cries out:

She has sent out her maidens, she calls
From the highest places of the city:

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

The mouth of the righteous flows with [skillful and godly] wisdom,
But the perverted tongue will be cut out.

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,
But a good (encouraging) word makes it glad.

The wise woman builds her house [on a foundation of godly precepts, and her household thrives],
But the foolish one [who lacks spiritual insight] tears it down with her own hands [by ignoring godly principles].

A soothing tongue [speaking words that build up and encourage] is a tree of life,
But a perversive tongue [speaking words that overwhelm and depress] crushes the spirit.

The Lord will tear down the house of the proud and arrogant (self-righteous),
But He will establish and protect the boundaries [of the land] of the [godly] widow.

The words of a whisperer (gossip) are like dainty morsels [to be greedily eaten];
They go down into the innermost chambers of the body [to be remembered and mused upon].

The righteous one keeps an eye on the house of the wicked—
How the wicked are cast down to ruin.

When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous (the upright, the one in right standing with God),
But to the evildoers it is disaster.

A wise man scales the city [walls] of the mighty
And brings down the stronghold in which they trust.

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

Do not look at wine when it is red,
When it sparkles in the glass,
When it goes down smoothly.

And you will be [as unsteady] as one who lies down in the middle of the sea,
And [as vulnerable to disaster] as one who lies down on the top of a ship’s mast, saying,

Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will pay the man back for his deed.”

And, behold, it was all overgrown with thorns,
And nettles were covering its surface,
And its stone wall was broken down.

By patience and a calm spirit a ruler may be persuaded,
And a soft and gentle tongue breaks the bone [of resistance].

Like a muddied fountain and a polluted spring
Is a righteous man who yields and compromises his integrity before the wicked.

Like a city that is broken down and without walls [leaving it unprotected]
Is a man who has no self-control over his spirit [and sets himself up for trouble].

The words of a whisperer (gossip) are like dainty morsels [to be greedily eaten];
They go down into the innermost chambers of the body [to be remembered and mused upon].

This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth
And says, “I have done no wrong.”

If you have foolishly exalted yourself,
Or if you have plotted evil, put your hand on your mouth.

“Many daughters have done nobly, and well [with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness],
But you excel them all.”