Hear, my'sons, the instruction of a father, And attend to know understanding:

Forsake her not, and she will preserve thee; Love her, and she will keep thee.

Exalt her, and she will promote thee; She will bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her.

Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; And the years of thy life shall be many.

Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: Keep her; for she is thy life.

For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil:

Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold on Sheol;

So that she findeth not the level path of life: Her ways are unstable, and'she knoweth it not.

Remove thy way far from her, And come not nigh the door of her house;

As a loving hind and a pleasant doe, Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; And be thou ravished always with her love.

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; Consider her ways, and be wise:

Provideth her bread in the summer, And gathereth her food in the harvest.

Lust not after her beauty in thy heart; Neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

So he that goeth in to his neighbor's wife; Whosoever toucheth her shall not be unpunished.

That they may keep thee from the strange woman, From the foreigner that flattereth with her words.

Passing through the street near her corner; And he went the way to her house,

She is clamorous and wilful; Her feet abide not in her house:

With her much fair speech she causeth him to yield; With the flattering of her lips she forceth him along.

He goeth after her straightway, As an ox goeth to the slaughter, Or as one in fetters to the correction of the fool;

Let not thy heart decline to her ways; Go not astray in her paths.

For she hath cast down many wounded: Yea, all her slain are a mighty host.

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

Doth not wisdom cry, And understanding put forth her voice?

Hear, for I will speak excellent things; And the opening of my lips shall be right things.

Hear instruction, and be wise, And refuse it not.

Wisdom hath builded her house; She hath hewn out her seven pillars:

She hath killed her beasts; She hath mingled her wine; She hath also furnished her table:

She hath sent forth her maidens; She crieth upon the highest places of the city:

And she sitteth at the door of her house, On a seat in the high places of the city,

But he knoweth not that the dead are there; That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

A worthy woman is the crown of her husband; But she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

Every wise woman buildeth her house; But the foolish plucketh it down with her own hands.

Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, Rather than a fool in his folly.

A foolish son is a grief to his father, And bitterness to her that bare him.

Hear counsel, and receive instruction, That thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.

Cease, my son, to hear instruction Only to err from the words of knowledge.

Incline thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, And apply thy heart unto my knowledge.

Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And guide thy heart in the way.

Let thy father and thy mother be glad, And let her that bare thee rejoice.

As the sparrow in her wandering, as the swallow in her flying, So the curse that is causeless alighteth not.

As a bird that wandereth from her nest, So is a man that wandereth from his place.

He that would restrain her restraineth the wind; And his right hand encountereth oil.

So is the way of an adulterous woman; She eateth, and wipeth her mouth, And saith, I have done no wickedness.

For an odious woman when she is married; And a handmaid that is heir to her mistress.

The lizard taketh hold with her hands, Yet is she in kings palaces.

A worthy woman who can find? For her price is far above rubies.

The heart of her husband trusteth in her, And he shall have no lack of gain.

She doeth him good and not evil All the days of her life.

She seeketh wool and flax, And worketh willingly with her hands.

She is like the merchant-ships; She bringeth her bread from afar.

She riseth also while it is yet night, And giveth food to her household, And their task to her maidens.

She considereth a field, and buyeth it; With the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

She girdeth her loins with strength, And maketh strong her arms.

She perceiveth that her merchandise is profitable: Her lamp goeth not out by night.

She layeth her hands to the distaff, And her hands hold the spindle.

She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

She is not afraid of the snow for her household; For all her household are clothed with scarlet.

She maketh for herself carpets of tapestry; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

Her husband is known in the gates, When he sitteth among the elders of the land.

Strength and dignity are her clothing; And she laugheth at the time to come.

She openeth her mouth with wisdom; And the law of kindness is on her tongue.

She looketh well to the ways of her household, And eateth not the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up, and call her blessed; Her husband also , and he praiseth her,'saying :

Give her of the fruit of her hands; And let her works praise her in the gates.

Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God; for to draw nigh to hear is better than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they know not that they do evil.

If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and the violent taking away of justice and righteousness in a province, marvel not at the matter: for one higher than the high regardeth; and there are higher than they.

It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.

Also take not heed unto all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee;

And I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.

As thou knowest not what is the way of the wind, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child; even so thou knowest not the work of God who doeth all.

Thy cheeks are comely with plaits of hair , Thy neck with strings of jewels.

The fig-tree ripeneth her green figs, And the vines are in blossom; They give forth their fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, In the covert of the steep place, Let me see thy countenance, Let me hear thy voice; For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.

It was but a little that I passed from them, When I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, Until I had brought him into my mother's house, And into the chamber of her that conceived me.

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; Thine eyes are as doves behind thy veil. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That lie along the side of mount Gilead.

Turn away thine eyes from me, For they have overcome me. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That lie along the side of Gilead.

My dove, my undefiled, is but one; She is the only one of her mother; She is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; Yea , the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

Thy head upon thee is like Carmel, And the hair of thy head like purple; The king is held captive in the tresses thereof .

Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, Leaning upon her beloved? Under the apple-tree I awakened thee: There thy mother was in travail with thee, There was she in travail that brought thee forth.

If she be a wall, We will build upon her a turret of silver: And if she be a door, We will inclose her with boards of cedar.

Thou that dwellest in the gardens, The companions hearken for thy voice: Cause me to hear it.

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for Jehovah hath spoken: I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.

Hear the word of Jehovah, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

How is the faithful city become a harlot! she that was full of justice! righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.

Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her converts with righteousness.

And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet spices there shall be rottenness; and instead of a girdle, a rope; and instead of well set hair, baldness; and instead of a robe, a girding of sackcloth; branding instead of beauty.

And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she shall be desolate and sit upon the ground.

And Jehovah will create over the whole habitation of mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory'shall be spread a covering.

And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, Here am I; send me.

And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they sea with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed.

And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David: Is it a small thing for you to weary men, that ye will weary my God also?

In that day will the Lord shave with a razor that is hired in the parts beyond the River, even with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the feet; and it shall also consume the beard.

But there shall be no gloom to her that was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the latter time hath he made it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?

And wolves shall cry in their castles, and jackals in the pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.

Yea, the fir-trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon,'saying , Since thou art laid low, no hewer is come up against us.

What then shall one answer the messengers of the nation? That Jehovah hath founded Zion, and in her shall the afflicted of his people take refuge.

My heart crieth out for Moab; her nobles flee unto Zoar, to Eglath-shelishi-yah: for by the ascent of Luhith with weeping they go up; for in the way of Horonaim they raise up a cry of destruction.