Give no sleep to your eyes,
Nor slumber to your eyelids;

Go to the ant, O sluggard,
Observe her ways and be wise,

“A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest”—

There are six things which the Lord hates,
Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:

A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that run rapidly to evil,

My son, observe the commandment of your father
And do not forsake the teaching of your mother;

Bind them continually on your heart;
Tie them around your neck.

When you walk about, they will guide you;
When you sleep, they will watch over you;
And when you awake, they will talk to you.

To keep you from the evil woman,
From the smooth tongue of the adulteress.

Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her capture you with her eyelids.

For on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread,
And an adulteress hunts for the precious life.

So is the one who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her will not go unpunished.

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

For jealousy enrages a man,
And he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your intimate friend;

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

And behold, a woman comes to meet him,
Dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart.

She is boisterous and rebellious,
Her feet do not remain at home;

So she seizes him and kisses him
And with a brazen face she says to him:

“I was due to offer peace offerings;
Today I have paid my vows.

“Therefore I have come out to meet you,
To seek your presence earnestly, and I have found you.

Suddenly he follows her
As an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool,

Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
As a bird hastens to the snare,
So he does not know that it will cost him his life.

Now therefore, my sons, listen to me,
And pay attention to the words of my mouth.

Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths.

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

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

“To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.

“For my mouth will utter truth;
And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

“They are all straightforward to him who understands,
And right to those who find knowledge.

“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverted mouth, I hate.

To endow those who love me with wealth,
That I may fill their treasuries.

“Now therefore, O sons, listen to me,
For blessed are they who keep my ways.

“Heed instruction and be wise,
And do not neglect it.

“Blessed is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at my doorposts.

“Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!”
To him who lacks understanding she says,

Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you,
Reprove a wise man and he will love you.

Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser,
Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.

For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.

Calling to those who pass by,
Who are making their paths straight:

“Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,”
And to him who lacks understanding she says,

The proverbs of Solomon.
A wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish son is a grief to his mother.

Ill-gotten gains do not profit,
But righteousness delivers from death.

The Lord will not allow the righteous to hunger,
But He will reject the craving of the wicked.

The lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools die for lack of understanding.

It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich,
And He adds no sorrow to it.

Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool,
And so is wisdom to a man of understanding.

Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the lazy one to those who send him.

The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the upright,
But ruin to the workers of iniquity.

A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight.

Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
But righteousness delivers from death.

He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life,
And he who pursues evil will bring about his own death.

The perverse in heart are an abomination to the Lord,
But the blameless in their walk are His delight.

There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more,
And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want.

He who diligently seeks good seeks favor,
But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.

He who troubles his own house will inherit wind,
And the foolish will be servant to the wisehearted.

A man will be praised according to his insight,
But one of perverse mind will be despised.

A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words,
And the deeds of a man’s hands will return to him.

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
But those who deal faithfully are His delight.

The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the slack hand will be put to forced labor.

The righteous is a guide to his neighbor,
But the way of the wicked leads them astray.

A wise son accepts his father’s discipline,
But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

The one who guards his mouth preserves his life;
The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

There is one who pretends to be rich, but has nothing;
Another pretends to be poor, but has great wealth.

The one who despises the word will be in debt to it,
But the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded.

The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
To turn aside from the snares of death.

Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline,
But he who regards reproof will be honored.

Desire realized is sweet to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil.

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,
But the stomach of the wicked is in need.

A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none,
But knowledge is easy to one who has understanding.

The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way,
But the foolishness of fools is deceit.

There is a way which seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

He who despises his neighbor sins,
But happy is he who is gracious to the poor.

Will they not go astray who devise evil?
But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.

In all labor there is profit,
But mere talk leads only to poverty.

He who is slow to anger has great understanding,
But he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.

A tranquil heart is life to the body,
But passion is rottenness to the bones.

He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker,
But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.

Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But the prayer of the upright is His delight.

The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But He loves one who pursues righteousness.

Grievous punishment is for him who forsakes the way;
He who hates reproof will die.

A scoffer does not love one who reproves him,
He will not go to the wise.

A hot-tempered man stirs up strife,
But the slow to anger calms a dispute.

Folly is joy to him who lacks sense,
But a man of understanding walks straight.

Evil plans are an abomination to the Lord,
But pleasant words are pure.

The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.

He whose ear listens to the life-giving reproof
Will dwell among the wise.

He who neglects discipline despises himself,
But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding.

The plans of the heart belong to man,
But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

Commit your works to the Lord
And your plans will be established.

The Lord has made everything for its own purpose,
Even the wicked for the day of evil.

Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.

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

A just balance and scales belong to the Lord;
All the weights of the bag are His concern.

It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts,
For a throne is established on righteousness.

How much better it is to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.

The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;
He who watches his way preserves his life.