On the day I called, You answered me;
And You made me bold and confident with [renewed] strength in my life.

My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was being formed in secret,
And intricately and skillfully formed [as if embroidered with many colors] in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were appointed for me,
When as yet there was not one of them [even taking shape].

If I could count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.

Lord, I call upon You; hurry to me.
Listen to my voice when I call to You.

Their [wicked, godless] judges are thrown down the sides of the rocky cliff,
And they [who followed them] will hear my words, for they are pleasant (just).

As when the one plows and breaks open the ground [and the soil scatters behind him],
Our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol [by the injustices of the wicked].

When my spirit was overwhelmed and weak within me [wrapped in darkness],
You knew my path.
In the way where I walk
They have hidden a trap for me.

Let our sons in their youth be like plants full grown,
And our daughters like corner pillars fashioned for a palace;

Let our barns be full, supplying every kind of produce,
And our flocks bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields;

Let our cattle bear
Without mishap and without loss,
And let there be no outcry in our streets!

When his spirit leaves him, he returns to the earth;
In that very day his thoughts and plans perish.

We will find and take all kinds of precious possessions,
We will fill our houses with spoil;

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].

I also will laugh at your disaster;
I will mock when your dread and panic come,

When your dread and panic come like a storm,
And your disaster comes like a whirlwind,
When anxiety and distress come upon you [as retribution].

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

Do not be afraid of sudden fear
Nor of the storm of the wicked when it comes [since you will be blameless];

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due [its rightful recipients],
When it is in your power to do it.

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

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

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

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

When you walk, your steps will not be impeded [for your path will be clear and open];
And when you run, you will not stumble.

And you will groan when your life is ending,
When your flesh and your body are consumed;

Do this now, my son, and release yourself [from the obligation];
Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor,
Go humble yourself, and plead with your neighbor [to pay his debt and release you].

How long will you lie down, O lazy one?
When will you arise from your sleep [and learn self-discipline]?

When you walk about, they (the godly teachings of your parents) will guide you;
When you sleep, they will keep watch over you;
And when you awake, they will talk to you.

People do not despise a thief if he steals
To satisfy himself when he is hungry;

My son, keep my words
And treasure my commandments within you [so they are readily available to guide you].

“When there were no ocean depths I was born,
When there were no fountains and springs overflowing with water.

“When He established the heavens, I [Wisdom] was there;
When He drew a circle upon the face of the deep,

When He made firm the skies above,
When the fountains and springs of the deep became fixed and strong,

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—

When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more,
But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.

When pride comes [boiling up with an arrogant attitude of self-importance], then come dishonor and shame,
But with the humble [the teachable who have been chiseled by trial and who have learned to walk humbly with God] there is wisdom and soundness of mind.

When the wicked man dies, his expectation will perish;
And the hope of [godless] strong men perishes.

When it goes well for the righteous, the city rejoices,
And when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

The people curse him who holds back grain [when the public needs it],
But a blessing [from God and man] is upon the head of him who sells it.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But when desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.

When a man’s ways please the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Let a man meet a [ferocious] bear robbed of her cubs
Rather than the [angry, narcissistic] fool in his folly.

The beginning of strife is like letting out water [as from a small break in a dam; first it trickles and then it gushes];
Therefore abandon the quarrel before it breaks out and tempers explode.

Why is there money in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,
When he has no common sense or even a heart for it?

Even a [callous, arrogant] fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise;
When he closes his lips he is regarded as sensible (prudent, discreet) and a man of understanding.

When the wicked man comes [to the depth of evil], contempt [of all that is pure and good] also comes,
And with inner baseness (dishonor) comes outer shame (scorn).

The lazy man does not plow when the winter [planting] season arrives;
So he begs at the [next] harvest and has nothing [to reap].

“It is [almost] worthless, it is [almost] worthless,” says the buyer [as he negotiates the price];
But when he goes his way, then he boasts [about his bargain].

[The judge tells the creditor], “Take the clothes of one who is surety for a stranger;
And hold him in pledge [when he guarantees a loan] for foreigners.”

When the scoffer is punished, the naive [observes the lesson and] becomes wise;
But when the wise and teachable person is instructed, he receives knowledge.

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.

The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable and offensive [to the Lord].
How much more [unacceptable and insulting can it be] when he brings it with evil intention?

Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God’s wisdom and will for his abilities and talents],
Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

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.

Yes, my heart will rejoice
When your lips speak right things.

Listen to your father, who sired you,
And do not despise your mother when she is old.

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

“They struck me, but I was not hurt!
They beat me, but I did not feel it!
When will I wake up?
I will seek more wine.”

Do not rejoice and gloat when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad [in self-righteousness] when he stumbles,

Do not rush out to argue your case [before magistrates or judges];
Otherwise what will you do in the end [when your case is lost and]
When your neighbor (opponent) humiliates you?

When he speaks graciously and kindly [to conceal his malice], do not trust him,
For seven abominations are in his heart.

[The judge tells the creditor,] “Take the garment of one who is surety (guarantees a loan) for a stranger;
And hold him in pledge when he is surety for an immoral woman [for it is unlikely the debt will be repaid].”

When the grass is gone, the new growth is seen,
And herbs of the mountain are gathered in,

The wicked flee when no one pursues them,
But the righteous are as bold as a lion.

When a land does wrong, it has many princes,
But when the ruler is a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability endures.

When the righteous triumph, there is great glory and celebration;
But when the wicked rise [to prominence], men hide themselves.

When the wicked rise [to power], men hide themselves;
But when the wicked perish, the [consistently] righteous increase and become great.

When the righteous are in authority and become great, the people rejoice;
But when the wicked man rules, the people groan and sigh.

When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases,
But the righteous will see the downfall of the wicked.

Under a servant when he reigns,
Under a [spiritually blind] fool when he is filled with food,

Under an unloved woman when she gets married,
And under a maidservant when she supplants her mistress.

The strutting rooster, the male goat also,
And the king when his army is with him.

Her husband is known in the [city’s] gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.

for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and does not have another to lift him up.

Guard your steps and focus on what you are doing as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the [careless or irreverent] sacrifice of fools; for they are too ignorant to know they are doing evil.

When you make a vow or a pledge to God, do not put off paying it; for God takes no pleasure in fools [who thoughtlessly mock Him]. Pay what you vow.

When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what advantage is there to their owners except to see them with their eyes?

Whoever keeps and observes a royal command will experience neither trouble nor misery;
For a wise heart will know the proper time and [appropriate] procedure.

For no one knows what will happen;
So who can tell him how and when it will happen?

When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to see the activities [of mankind] that take place upon the earth—how some men seem to sleep neither day nor night—

For man also does not know his time [of death]; like fish caught in a treacherous net, and birds caught in the snare, so the sons of men are ensnared in an evil time when a dark cloud suddenly falls on them.

Even when a fool walks along the road, his [common] sense and good judgment fail him and he demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool.

Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child and when your [incompetent] officials and princes feast in the morning.

Blessed [prosperous and admired] are you, O land, when your king is a man of noble birth, and your princes and officials feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.

Remember [thoughtfully] also your Creator in the days of your youth [for you are not your own, but His], before the evil days come or the years draw near when you will say [of physical pleasures], “I have no enjoyment and delight in them”;

in the day when the keepers of the house (hands, arms) tremble, and the strong men (feet, knees) bow themselves, and the grinders (molar teeth) cease because they are few, and those (eyes) who look through the windows grow dim;

when the doors (lips) are shut in the streets and the sound of the grinding [of the teeth] is low, and one rises at the sound of a bird and the crowing of a rooster, and all the daughters of music (voice, ears) sing softly.

Furthermore, they are afraid of a high place and of dangers on the road; the almond tree (hair) blossoms [white], and the grasshopper (a little thing) is a burden, and the caperberry (desire, appetite) fails. For man goes to his eternal home and the mourners go about the streets and market places.

“Draw me away with you and let us run together!
Let the king bring me into his chambers.”

“He has brought me to his banqueting place,
And his banner over me is love [waving overhead to protect and comfort me].

(The Bridegroom)
“O my dove, [here] in the clefts in the rock,
In the sheltered and secret place of the steep pathway,
Let me see your face,
Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your face is lovely.”

“Scarcely had I passed them
When I found him whom my soul loves.
I held on to him and would not let him go
Until I had brought him to my mother’s house,
And into the chamber of her who conceived me.”

“I opened for my beloved,
But my beloved had turned away and was gone.
My heart went out to him when he spoke.
I searched for him, but I could not find him;
I called him, but he did not answer me.

(The Chorus)
“We have a little sister
And she has no breasts.
What shall we do for our sister
On the day when she is spoken for [in marriage]?

“When you come to appear before Me,
Who requires this of you, this trampling of My [temple] courts [by your sinful feet]?

“So when you spread out your hands [in prayer, pleading for My help],
I will hide My eyes from you;
Yes, even though you offer many prayers,
I will not be listening.
Your hands are full of blood!

They [the stricken, deprived of all in which they had trusted] will go into the caves of the rocks
And into the holes of the ground [fleeing]
From the terror and dread of the Lord
And from the splendor of His majesty,
When He arises to terrify the earth.

To go into the caverns of the rocks and into the clefts of the [ragged] cliffs [as they flee]
From the terror and dread of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty,
When He arises to terrify the earth.

When a man takes hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying,
“You have a robe, you shall be our judge and ruler,
And this pile of ruins will be under your control,”