Now I make known to you, brothers, the  ¹gospel which I announced to you, which also you received, in which also you  ²stand,

Through which also you are  ¹being saved, if you hold fast the word which I announced to you as the gospel, unless you have believed in vain.

For I delivered to you, first of all, that which also I received, that  ¹Christ died for our sins according to the  ²Scriptures;

And that He was buried, and that He has been raised on the third day according to the Scriptures;

And that He  ¹appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve;

Then He appeared to over five hundred brothers at one time, of whom the majority remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;

Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;

And last of all He appeared to me also, as it were to one born prematurely.

For I am the least of the apostles, who am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

But by the  ¹grace of God I am what I am; and His grace unto me did not turn out to be in vain, but, on the contrary, I labored more abundantly than all of them, yet  ²not I but the grace of God which is with me.

Therefore whether it is I or they, so we preach and so you have believed.

But if Christ is proclaimed that He has been raised from the dead, how is it that some among you say that there is  ¹no resurrection of the dead?

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised.

And if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is vain; your faith is  ¹vain also.

And also we are found to be false witnesses of God because we have testified concerning God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if indeed the dead are not raised.

For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised.

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is  ¹futile; you are  ²still in your sins.

Then also those who have  ¹fallen asleep in Christ have  ²perished.

If it is  ¹only that we have hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most miserable.

 ¹But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the  ²firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

For since through  ¹man came death, through  ²man also came the resurrection of the dead.

For just as in Adam all  ¹die, so also in Christ all will be  ²made alive.

But each one in his own order: the  ¹firstfruits, Christ; then  ²those who are Christ's at His coming;

Then the  ¹end,  ²when He  ³delivers up the kingdom to His God and Father,  ²once He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.

For He must  ¹reign until God puts all His enemies under His feet.

Death, the last enemy, is  ¹being abolished.

For  ¹He has subjected all things under  ²His feet. But when  ¹He says that all things are subjected, it is evident that all things are except  ¹Him who has subjected all things to  ²Him.

And when all things have been subjected to  ¹Him, then the  ²Son Himself also will be subjected to  ³Him who has subjected all things to  ¹Him, that God may be  ⁴all in all.

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.

My son, be attentive to my wisdom;
Incline your ear to my understanding,

That you may keep discretion,
And your lips may guard knowledge.

For the lips of a  ¹strange woman drip honey,
And her mouth is smoother than oil;

But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.

Her feet go down to death;
Her steps hold fast to Sheol.

She does not make straight the path of life:
Her ways wander, and she does not know it.

And now, my sons, listen to me,
And do not depart from the words of my mouth.

Keep your way far from her,
And do not go near the door of her house;

Lest you give your honor to others,
And your years to the cruel;

Lest strangers be filled with your wealth,
And your labors go to the house of a foreigner,

And you mourn at your end,
When your flesh and your body are consumed,

And you say, How I have hated instruction,
And my heart has despised reproof!

And I have not listened to the voice of my teachers
Nor inclined my ear to my instructors;

I was almost into every evil
In the midst of the congregation and assembly.

Drink waters out of your own cistern,
And running water out of your own well.

Should your springs be shed forth,
Like streams of water in the streets?

Let them be yours alone,
And not for strangers with you.

Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice in the wife of your youth,

A lovely hind and a graceful doe.
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times.

For why should you be ravished, my son, with a strange woman
And embrace the bosom of an adulteress?

For the ways of a man are before the eyes of Jehovah,
And He ponders all his paths.

The wicked man is taken by his own iniquities,
And he is held fast by the cords of his own sin.

He will die for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.