To make the simple-minded sharp, and to give the young man knowledge, and serious purpose:

To get the sense of wise sayings and secrets, and of the words of the wise and their dark sayings.

My son, give ear to the training of your father, and do not give up the teaching of your mother:

My son, if sinners would take you out of the right way, do not go with them.

Let us overcome them living, like the underworld, and in their strength, as those who go down to death;

My son, do not go with them; keep your feet from their ways:

For their feet are running after evil, and they are quick to take a man's life.

Truly, to no purpose is the net stretched out before the eyes of the bird:

How long, you simple ones, will foolish things be dear to you? and pride a delight to the haters of authority? how long will the foolish go on hating knowledge?

Be turned again by my sharp words: see, I will send the flow of my spirit on you, and make my words clear to you.

Because your ears were shut to my voice; no one gave attention to my out-stretched hand;

You were not controlled by my guiding, and would have nothing to do with my sharp words:

So in the day of your trouble I will be laughing; I will make sport of your fear;

Then I will give no answer to their cries; searching for me early, they will not see me:

For they were haters of knowledge, and did not give their hearts to the fear of the Lord:

They had no desire for my teaching, and my words of protest were as nothing to them.

But whoever gives ear to me will take his rest safely, living in peace without fear of evil.

My son, if you will take my words to your heart, storing up my laws in your mind;

So that your ear gives attention to wisdom, and your heart is turned to knowledge;

Then the fear of the Lord will be clear to you, and knowledge of God will be yours.

He has salvation stored up for the upright, he is a breastplate to those in whom there is no evil;

For wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasing to your soul;

Who give up the way of righteousness, to go by dark roads;

Whose ways are not straight, and whose footsteps are turned to evil:

To take you out of the power of the strange woman, who says smooth words with her tongue;

Who is false to the husband of her early years, and does not keep the agreement of her God in mind:

For her house is on the way down to death; her footsteps go down to the shades:

Those who go to her do not come back again; their feet do not keep in the ways of life:

Put all your hope in God, not looking to your reason for support.

In all your ways give ear to him, and he will make straight your footsteps.

This will give strength to your flesh, and new life to your bones.

Give honour to the Lord with your wealth, and with the first-fruits of all your increase:

My son, do not make your heart hard against the Lord's teaching; do not be made angry by his training:

For to those who are dear to him the Lord says sharp words, and makes the son in whom he has delight undergo pain.

She is a tree of life to all who take her in their hands, and happy is everyone who keeps her.

By his knowledge the deep was parted, and dew came dropping from the skies.

My son, keep good sense, and do not let wise purpose go from your eyes.

When you take your rest you will have no fear, and on your bed sleep will be sweet to you.

Do not keep back good from those who have a right to it, when it is in the power of your hand to do it.

Say not to your neighbour, Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give; when you have it by you at the time.

Do not make evil designs against your neighbour, when he is living with you without fear.

Do not take up a cause at law against a man for nothing, if he has done you no wrong.

For the wrong-hearted man is hated by the Lord, but he is a friend to the upright.

He makes sport of the men of pride, but he gives grace to the gentle-hearted.

Give ear, my sons, to the teaching of a father; give attention so that you may have knowledge:

For I give you good teaching; do not give up the knowledge you are getting from me.

For I was a son to my father, a gentle and an only one to my mother.

And he gave me teaching, saying to me, Keep my words in your heart; keep my rules so that you may have life:

Get wisdom, get true knowledge; keep it in memory, do not be turned away from the words of my mouth.

Do not give her up, and she will keep you; give her your love, and she will make you safe.

The first sign of wisdom is to get wisdom; go, give all you have to get true knowledge.

Give ear, O my son, and let your heart be open to my sayings; and long life will be yours.

Take learning in your hands, do not let her go: keep her, for she is your life.

Do not go in the road of sinners, or be walking in the way of evil men.

Keep far from it, do not go near; be turned from it, and go on your way.

But the way of the upright is like the light of early morning, getting brighter and brighter till the full day.

My son, give attention to my words; let your ear be turned to my sayings.

For they are life to him who gets them, and strength to all his flesh.

Let there be no turning to the right or to the left, keep your feet from evil.

My son, give attention to my wisdom; let your ear be turned to my teaching:

But her end is bitter as wormwood, and sharp as a two-edged sword;

Her feet go down to death, and her steps to the underworld;

Give ear to me then, my sons, and do not put away my words from you.

Go far away from her, do not come near the door of her house;

For fear that you may give your honour to others, and your wealth to strange men:

And strange men may be full of your wealth, and the fruit of your work go to the house of others;

I did not give attention to the voice of my teachers, my ear was not turned to those who were guiding me!

As a loving hind and a gentle doe, let her breasts ever give you rapture; let your passion at all times be moved by her love.

He will come to his end for need of teaching; he is so foolish that he will go wandering from the right way.

Do this, my son, and make yourself free, because you have come into the power of your neighbour; go without waiting, and make a strong request to your neighbour.

Give no sleep to your eyes, or rest to them;

Go to the ant, you hater of work; give thought to her ways and be wise:

Six things are hated by the Lord; seven things are disgusting to him:

May a man take fire to his breast without burning his clothing?

So it is with him who goes in to his neighbour's wife; he who has anything to do with her will not go free from punishment.

Men do not have a low opinion of a thief who takes food when he is in need of it:

But if he is taken in the act he will have to give back seven times as much, giving up all his property which is in his house.

He who takes another man's wife is without all sense: he who does it is the cause of destruction to his soul.

For bitter is the wrath of an angry husband; in the day of punishment he will have no mercy.

Keep my rules and you will have life; let my teaching be to you as the light of your eyes;

Let them be fixed to your fingers, and recorded in your heart.

Say to wisdom, You are my sister; let knowledge be named your special friend:

Walking in the street near the turn of her road, going on the way to her house,

At nightfall, in the evening of the day, in the black dark of the night.

And the woman came out to him, in the dress of a loose woman, with a designing heart;

So she took him by his hand, kissing him, and without a sign of shame she said to him:

The simple man goes after her, like an ox going to its death, like a roe pulled by a cord;

So now, my sons, give ear to me; give attention to the sayings of my mouth;

Let not your heart be turned to her ways, do not go wandering in her footsteps.

For those wounded and made low by her are great in number; and all those who have come to their death through her are a great army.

Her house is the way to the underworld, going down to the rooms of death.

I am crying out to you, O men; my voice comes to the sons of men.

Become expert in reason, O you simple ones; you foolish ones, take training to heart.

Give ear, for my words are true, and my lips are open to give out what is upright.

For good faith goes out of my mouth, and false lips are disgusting to me.

They are all true to him whose mind is awake, and straightforward to those who get knowledge.

I, wisdom, have made wise behaviour my near relation; I am seen to be the special friend of wise purposes.

The fear of the Lord is seen in hating evil: pride, a high opinion of oneself, the evil way, and the false tongue, are unpleasing to me.

My fruit is better than gold, even than the best gold; and my increase is more to be desired than silver.

When he put a limit to the sea, so that the waters might not go against his word: when he put in position the bases of the earth: