I have instructed you in the way of [skillful and godly] wisdom;
I have led you in upright paths.

Which, having no chief,
Overseer or ruler,

“Come, eat my food
And drink the wine I have mixed [and accept my gifts].

A man will be commended according to his insight and sound judgment,
But the one who is of a perverse mind will be despised.

Desire realized is sweet to the soul;
But it is detestable to fools to turn away from evil [which they have planned].

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

There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him,
But its end is the way of death.

The backslider in heart will have his fill with his own [rotten] ways,
But a good man will be satisfied with his ways [the godly thought and action which his heart pursues and in which he delights].

Wisdom rests [silently] in the heart of one who has understanding,
But what is in the heart of [shortsighted] fools is made known.

He who is gracious and lends a hand to the poor lends to the Lord,
And the Lord will repay him for his good deed.

That which is desirable in a man is his loyalty and unfailing love,
But it is better to be a poor man than a [wealthy] liar.

The spirit (conscience) of man is the lamp of the Lord,
Searching and examining all the innermost parts of his being.

A wise man scales the city [walls] of the mighty
And brings down the stronghold in which they trust.

He who sows injustice will reap [a harvest of] trouble,
And the rod of his wrath [with which he oppresses others] will fail.

If you have nothing with which to pay [another’s debt when he defaults],
Why should his creditor take your bed from under you?

Do not move the ancient landmark [at the boundary of the property]
Which your fathers have set.

The morsel which you have eaten you will vomit up,
And you will waste your compliments.

For their tragedy will rise suddenly,
And who knows the punishment that both [the Lord and the king] will bring on the rebellious?

These are also the proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied:

Like the legs which are useless to the lame,
So is a proverb in the mouth of a fool [who cannot learn from its wisdom].

A poor man who oppresses and exploits the lowly
Is like a sweeping rain which leaves no food.

Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained;
But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God].

There are three things which are too astounding and unexpectedly wonderful for me,
Four which I do not understand:

There are four things that are small on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:

There are three things which are stately in step,
Even four which are stately in their stride:

The lion, which is mighty among beasts
And does not turn back before any;

The words of King Lemuel, the oracle, which his mother taught him:

Do not give your [generative] strength to women [neither foreign wives in marriages of alliances, nor concubines],
Nor your ways to that which destroys kings.

She makes for herself coverlets, cushions, and rugs of tapestry.
Her clothing is linen, pure and fine, and purple [wool].