The  ¹proverbs of Solomon the son of David, the king of Israel:

For knowing wisdom and instruction;
For discerning words of understanding;

For receiving instruction in wise conduct,
Righteousness, justice, and equity;

For giving prudence to the simple,
Knowledge and discretion to the young man;

That the wise man may hear and increase in learning,
And he who has understanding may acquire sound counsel;

For understanding proverb and figure,
The words of the wise and their difficult sayings.

The  ¹fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Hear, my son, the instruction of your  ¹father,
And do not reject the teaching of your mother;

For they will be a wreath of grace for your head
And ornaments for your neck.

My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent.

If they say, Come with us; let us lie in wait for blood;
Let us ambush the innocent without cause;

Let us swallow them alive like  ¹Sheol,
And whole, like those who go down into the pit.

We will find all manner of precious goods;
We will fill our houses with booty;

Throw in your lot with us;
We will all have one purse —

My son, do not walk with them on this way;
Keep your foot from their path.

For their feet run toward evil,
And they hasten to shed blood.

For in vain is the net spread
In the eyes of any bird;

Yet they lie in wait for their own blood;
They ambush their own lives!

Such are the ways of everyone greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of its owners.

 ¹Wisdom cries out in the street;
 ²She utters her voice in the open squares.

At the head of the tumultuous street she cries;
At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings:

How long, O simple ones, will you love simpleness,
And will scoffers delight themselves in scoffing,
And will fools hate knowledge?

Turn yourselves at my reproof —
Immediately I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.

Because I called and you refused;
I stretched out my hand and no one heeded,

And you neglected all my counsel
And would have none of my reproof;

I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when what you dread comes,

When what you dread comes like a storm,
And your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.

Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.

Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of Jehovah,

And would have none of my counsel
And despised all my reproof;

They shall eat of the fruit of their own way
And be filled with their own devices.

For the turning away of the simple will kill them,
And the prosperity of the foolish will cause them to perish;

But he who listens to me will dwell securely
And will live at ease, without the dread of evil.

My son, if you receive my words
And treasure up my commandments within you,

Making your ear attentive to wisdom
And inclining your heart to understanding;

Indeed, if you cry out for discernment
And lift up your voice for understanding;

If you seek her like silver
And search for her like hidden treasures,

Then you will understand the fear of Jehovah
And find the knowledge of God.

For Jehovah gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;

He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

Guarding the paths of justice
And keeping the way of His faithful ones.

Then you will understand righteousness and justice
And equity, indeed, every good path.

For wisdom will enter your heart,
And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

Discretion will watch over you;
Understanding will keep you:

To deliver you from the way of evil,
From the man who speaks perverse things,

From those who forsake the paths of uprightness
To walk in the ways of darkness,

Who rejoice in doing evil
And delight in the perverseness of evil,

Whose paths are crooked,
And who are devious in their ways;

To deliver you from the strange woman,
From the adulteress who flatters with her words,

Who forsakes the companion of her youth
And forgets the covenant of her God;

For her house sinks down to death,
And her paths lead to the dead;

None who go to her ever return,
Nor do they attain to the paths of life;

That you may walk in the way of good men
And keep the paths of the righteous;

For the upright will dwell in the land,
And the perfect will remain in it;

But the wicked will be cut off from the land,
And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.

My son, do not forget my instruction,
But let your heart keep my commandments;

For length of days and years of life
And peace will they add to you.

Do not let lovingkindness and truth forsake you:
Bind them around your neck;
Write them upon the tablet of your heart.

Thus you will find  ¹favor and  ²a reputation for fine understanding
In the sight of God and man.

Trust in Jehovah with all your heart,
And do not rely on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear Jehovah, and depart from evil.

It will be healing to your body
And refreshment to your bones.

Honor Jehovah with your substance
And with the firstfruits of all your produce;

Then your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will burst open with new wine.

My son, do not despise the  ¹chastening of Jehovah,
Nor be weary of His discipline;

For whom Jehovah loves He disciplines,
Even as a father, the son in whom he delights.

 ¹Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
And the man who gains understanding.

For her profit is better than the profit of silver,
And her income is better than gold.

She is more precious than corals,
And nothing you desire compares with her.

Length of days is in her right hand;
In her left hand are riches and honor.

Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.

She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her,
And happy are those who hold her fast.

Jehovah by  ¹wisdom founded the earth;
He established the heavens by understanding;

By His knowledge the depths were broken open
And the skies drop down the dew.

My son, do not let these depart from your sight:
Keep sound wisdom and discretion;

And they will be life for your soul
And a graceful ornament for your neck.

Then you will walk on your way securely,
And your foot will not stumble.

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

Do not be afraid of sudden fear,
Nor of the destruction of the wicked when it comes;

For Jehovah will be your confidence,
And He will keep your foot from being caught.

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
When it is in the power of your hand to do so.

Do not say to your neighbor, Go, and come back;
And tomorrow I will give it — when you have it with you.

Do not devise harm against your neighbor,
While he lives securely beside you.

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

Do not envy a man of violence,
And do not choose any of his ways;

For the perverse man is an abomination to Jehovah,
But His intimate counsel is with the upright.

The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked man,
But He blesses the dwelling place of the righteous.

To scorners He is scornful,
But to the humble He gives grace.

The wise will inherit  ¹honor,
 ²But fools increase their own disgrace.

Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father,
And be attentive, that you may gain understanding;

For I give you good teaching;
Do not forsake my instruction.

For I was a son to my father,
Tender and the only beloved in the sight of my mother.

And he taught me and said to me,
Let your heart hold fast to my words;
Keep my commandments and live;

Get wisdom; get understanding;
Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
Love her, and she will guard you.

The beginning of wisdom is this:
Get wisdom; and in all your getting, get understanding.

Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
She will honor you if you embrace her.

She will give a garland of grace for your head;
A crown of beauty will she bestow on you.

Hear, my son, and receive my words,
And the years of your life will be many.

I have taught you in the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.

When you walk, your steps will not be hindered;
And when you run, you will not stumble.

Take hold of instruction; do not let go;
Guard her, for she is your life.

Do not enter the path of the wicked,
And do not walk in the way of the evil.

Avoid it; do not pass by it;
Turn away from it and pass on by.

For they cannot sleep unless they do evil;
And they are robbed of their sleep unless they cause someone to stumble.

For they eat the bread of wickedness
And drink the wine of violence.

But the path of the righteous is like the light of  ¹dawn,
Which shines brighter and brighter until the full day.

The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
They do not know what they stumble over.

My son, be attentive to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.

Do not let them depart from your sight;
Keep them in the midst of your heart.

For they are life to those who find them,
And healing to all their flesh.

Keep your heart with all vigilance,
For from it are the issues of life.

Put away from you crooked speech,
And put perverse talk far from you.

Let your eyes look directly ahead,
And let your gaze be straight in front of you.

Make straight the path of your feet,
And all your ways will be established.

Do not turn to the right or to the left;
Turn your foot away from evil.