Now therefore, my'sons, hearken unto me, And depart not from the words of my mouth.

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

Let them be for thyself alone, And not for strangers with thee.

Give not sleep to thine eyes, Nor slumber to thine eyelids;

My son, keep the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother:

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

Can a man take fire in his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?

Or can one walk upon hot coals, And his feet not be scorched?

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

Men do not despise a thief, if he steal To satisfy himself when he is hungry:

Wounds and dishonor shall he get; And his reproach shall not be wiped away.

For jealousy is the rage of a man; And he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

He will not regard any ransom; Neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

In the twilight, in the evening of the day, In the middle of the night and in the darkness.

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

For the man is not at home; He is gone a long journey:

Till an arrow strike through his liver; As a bird hasteth to the snare, And knoweth not that it is for his life.

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

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

Receive my instruction, and not silver; And knowledge rather than choice gold.

For wisdom is better than rubies; And all the things that may be desired are not to be compared unto it.

While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world.

When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth;

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

Reprove not a scoffer, lest he hate thee: Reprove a wise man, and he will love thee.

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

Jehovah will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish; But he thrusteth away the desire of the wicked.

In the multitude of words there wanteth not transgression; But he that refraineth his lips doeth wisely.

The righteous shall never be removed; But the wicked shall not dwell in the land.

Riches profit not in the day of wrath; But righteousness delivereth from death.

Though hand join in hand, the evil man shall not be unpunished; But the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.

A man shall not be established by wickedness; But the root of the righteous shall not be moved.

The wicked are overthrown, and are not; But the house of the righteous shall stand.

The wicked desireth the net of evil men; But the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit .

The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting; But the precious substance of men is to the diligent.

A wise son heareth his father's instruction; But a scoffer heareth not rebuke.

A faithful witness will not lie; But a false witness uttereth lies.

A scoffer seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not; But knowledge is easy unto him that hath understanding.

Go into the presence of a foolish man, And thou shalt not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.

The heart knoweth its own bitterness; And a stranger doth not intermeddle with its joy.

Do they not err that devise evil? But mercy and truth'shall be to them that devise good.

The lips of the wise disperse knowledge; But the heart of the foolish doeth not so.

A scoffer loveth not to be reproved; He will not go unto the wise.

Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to Jehovah: Though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

A divine sentence is in the lips of the king; His mouth shall not transgress in judgment.

A man of violence enticeth his neighbor, And leadeth him in a way that is not good.

Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker; And he that is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished.

Excellent speech becometh not a fool; Much less do lying lips a prince.

Whoso rewardeth evil for good, Evil shall not depart from his house.

Also to punish the righteous is not good, Nor to smite the noble for their uprightness.

To respect the person of the wicked is not good, Nor to turn aside the righteous in judgment.

Also, that the soul be without knowledge is not good; And he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.

A false witness shall not be unpunished; And he that uttereth lies shall not escape.

A false witness shall not be unpunished; And he that uttereth lies shall perish.

Delicate living is not seemly for a fool; Much less for a servant to have rule over princes.

Chasten thy son, seeing there is hope; nd set not thy heart on his destruction.

The fear of Jehovah tendeth to life; And he that hath it'shall abide satisfied; He shall not be visited with evil.

The sluggard burieth his hand in the dish, And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; And whosoever erreth thereby is not wise.

The sluggard will not plow by reason of the winter; Therefore he shall beg in harvest, and have nothing.

Love not sleep, let thou come to poverty; Open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.

He that goeth about as a tale-bearer revealeth secrets; Therefore company not with him that openeth wide his lips.

An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; But the end thereof shall not be blessed.

Say not thou, I will recompense evil: Wait for Jehovah, and he will save thee.

Diverse weights are an abomination to Jehovah; And a false balance is not good.

Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, He also shall cry, but shall not be heard.

He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: He that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

There is that coveteth greedily all the day long; But the righteous giveth and withholdeth not.

Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Have not I written unto thee excellent things Of counsels and knowledge,

Rob not the poor, because he is poor; Neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:

Make no friendship with a man that is given to anger; And with a wrathful man thou shalt not go:

Be thou not one of them that strike hands, Or of them that are sureties for debts.

If thou hast not wherewith to pay, Why should he take away thy bed from under thee?

Remove not the ancient landmark, Which thy fathers have set.

Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; He shall not stand before mean men.

Be not desirous of his dainties; Seeing they are deceitful food.

Weary not thyself to be rich; Cease from thine own wisdom.

Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.

Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties:

For as he thinketh within himself, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee.

Speak not in the hearing of a fool; For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

Remove not the ancient landmark; And enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

Withhold not correction from the child; For if thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.

Let not thy heart envy sinners; But be thou in the fear of Jehovah all the day long:

For surely there is a reward; And thy hope shall not be cut off.

Be not among winebibbers, Among gluttonous eaters of flesh:

Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she is old.

Buy the truth, and sell it not; Yea , wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in the cup, When it goeth down smoothly:

They have stricken me,'shalt thou say , and I was not hurt; They have beaten me, and I felt it not: When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

Be not thou envious against evil men; Neither desire to be with them:

Wisdom is too high for a fool: He openeth not his mouth in the gate.

If thou sayest, Behold, we knew not this; Doth not he that weigheth the hearts consider it? And he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? And shall not he render to every man according to his work?

So shalt thou know wisdom to be unto thy soul; If thou hast found it, then shall there be a reward, And thy hope shall not be cut off.

Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the habitation of the righteous; Destroy not his resting-place:

Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, And let not thy heart be glad when he is overthrown;

Fret not thyself because of evil-doers; Neither be thou envious at the wicked:

My son, fear thou Jehovah and the king; And company not with them that are given to change:

These also are'sayings of the wise. To have respect of persons in judgment is not good.