WISE SAYINGS OF SOLOMON

A Manual for Living

1–6  1 These are the wise sayings of Solomon,

David’s son, Israel’s king—

Written down so we’ll know how to live well and right,

to understand what life means and where it’s going;

A manual for living,

for learning what’s right and just and fair;

To teach the inexperienced the ropes

and give our young people a grasp on reality.

There’s something here also for seasoned men and women,

still a thing or two for the experienced to learn—

Fresh wisdom to probe and penetrate,

the rhymes and reasons of wise men and women.

Start with God

7  Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God;

only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.

8–19  Pay close attention, friend, to what your father tells you;

never forget what you learned at your mother’s knee.

Wear their counsel like flowers in your hair,

like rings on your fingers.

Dear friend, if bad companions tempt you,

don’t go along with them.

If they say—“Let’s go out and raise some hell.

Let’s beat up some old man, mug some old woman.

Let’s pick them clean

and get them ready for their funerals.

We’ll load up on top-quality loot.

We’ll haul it home by the truckload.

Join us for the time of your life!

With us, it’s share and share alike!”—

Oh, friend, don’t give them a second look;

don’t listen to them for a minute.

They’re racing to a very bad end,

hurrying to ruin everything they lay hands on.

Nobody robs a bank

with everyone watching,

Yet that’s what these people are doing—

they’re doing themselves in.

When you grab all you can get, that’s what happens:

the more you get, the less you are.

Lady Wisdom

20–21  Lady Wisdom goes out in the street and shouts.

At the town center she makes her speech.

In the middle of the traffic she takes her stand.

At the busiest corner she calls out:

22–24  “Simpletons! How long will you wallow in ignorance?

Cynics! How long will you feed your cynicism?

Idiots! How long will you refuse to learn?

About face! I can revise your life.

Look, I’m ready to pour out my spirit on you;

I’m ready to tell you all I know.

As it is, I’ve called, but you’ve turned a deaf ear;

I’ve reached out to you, but you’ve ignored me.

25–28  “Since you laugh at my counsel

and make a joke of my advice,

How can I take you seriously?

I’ll turn the tables and joke about your troubles!

What if the roof falls in,

and your whole life goes to pieces?

What if catastrophe strikes and there’s nothing

to show for your life but rubble and ashes?

You’ll need me then. You’ll call for me, but don’t expect an answer.

No matter how hard you look, you won’t find me.

29–33  “Because you hated Knowledge

and had nothing to do with the Fear-of-God,

Because you wouldn’t take my advice

and brushed aside all my offers to train you,

Well, you’ve made your bed—now lie in it;

you wanted your own way—now, how do you like it?

Don’t you see what happens, you simpletons, you idiots?

Carelessness kills; complacency is murder.

First pay attention to me, and then relax.

Now you can take it easy—you’re in good hands.”

Make Insight Your Priority

1–5  2 Good friend, take to heart what I’m telling you;

collect my counsels and guard them with your life.

Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom;

set your heart on a life of Understanding.

That’s right—if you make Insight your priority,

and won’t take no for an answer,

Searching for it like a prospector panning for gold,

like an adventurer on a treasure hunt,

Believe me, before you know it Fear-of-God will be yours;

you’ll have come upon the Knowledge of God.

6–8  And here’s why: God gives out Wisdom free,

is plainspoken in Knowledge and Understanding.

He’s a rich mine of Common Sense for those who live well,

a personal bodyguard to the candid and sincere.

He keeps his eye on all who live honestly,

and pays special attention to his loyally committed ones.

9–15  So now you can pick out what’s true and fair,

find all the good trails!

Lady Wisdom will be your close friend,

and Brother Knowledge your pleasant companion.

Good Sense will scout ahead for danger,

Insight will keep an eye out for you.

They’ll keep you from making wrong turns,

or following the bad directions

Of those who are lost themselves

and can’t tell a trail from a tumbleweed,

These losers who make a game of evil

and throw parties to celebrate perversity,

Traveling paths that go nowhere,

wandering in a maze of detours and dead ends.

16–19  Wise friends will rescue you from the Temptress—

that smooth-talking Seductress

Who’s faithless to the husband she married years ago,

never gave a second thought to her promises before God.

Her whole way of life is doomed;

every step she takes brings her closer to hell.

No one who joins her company ever comes back,

ever sets foot on the path to real living.

20–22  So—join the company of good men and women,

keep your feet on the tried-and-true paths.

It’s the men who walk straight who will settle this land,

the women with integrity who will last here.

The corrupt will lose their lives;

the dishonest will be gone for good.

Don’t Assume You Know It All

1–2  3 Good friend, don’t forget all I’ve taught you;

take to heart my commands.

They’ll help you live a long, long time,

a long life lived full and well.

3–4  Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.

Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.

Earn a reputation for living well

in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people.

5–12  Trust God from the bottom of your heart;

don’t try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

he’s the one who will keep you on track.

Don’t assume that you know it all.

Run to God! Run from evil!

Your body will glow with health,

your very bones will vibrate with life!

Honor God with everything you own;

give him the first and the best.

Your barns will burst,

your wine vats will brim over.

But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline;

don’t sulk under his loving correction.

It’s the child he loves that God corrects;

a father’s delight is behind all this.

The Very Tree of Life

13–18  You’re blessed when you meet Lady Wisdom,

when you make friends with Madame Insight.

She’s worth far more than money in the bank;

her friendship is better than a big salary.

Her value exceeds all the trappings of wealth;

nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.

With one hand she gives long life,

with the other she confers recognition.

Her manner is beautiful,

her life wonderfully complete.

She’s the very Tree of Life to those who embrace her.

Hold her tight—and be blessed!

19–20  With Lady Wisdom, God formed Earth;

with Madame Insight, he raised Heaven.

They knew when to signal rivers and springs to the surface,

and dew to descend from the night skies.

Never Walk Away

21–26  Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life;

don’t for a minute lose sight of them.

They’ll keep your soul alive and well,

they’ll keep you fit and attractive.

You’ll travel safely,

you’ll neither tire nor trip.

You’ll take afternoon naps without a worry,

you’ll enjoy a good night’s sleep.

No need to panic over alarms or surprises,

or predictions that doomsday’s just around the corner,

Because God will be right there with you;

he’ll keep you safe and sound.

27–29  Never walk away from someone who deserves help;

your hand is God’s hand for that person.

Don’t tell your neighbor “Maybe some other time”

or “Try me tomorrow”

when the money’s right there in your pocket.

Don’t figure ways of taking advantage of your neighbor

when he’s sitting there trusting and unsuspecting.

30–32  Don’t walk around with a chip on your shoulder,

always spoiling for a fight.

Don’t try to be like those who shoulder their way through life.

Why be a bully?

“Why not?” you say. Because God can’t stand twisted souls.

It’s the straightforward who get his respect.

33–35  God’s curse blights the house of the wicked,

but he blesses the home of the righteous.

He gives proud skeptics a cold shoulder,

but if you’re down on your luck, he’s right there to help.

Wise living gets rewarded with honor;

stupid living gets the booby prize.

Your Life Is at Stake

1–2  4 Listen, friends, to some fatherly advice;

sit up and take notice so you’ll know how to live.

I’m giving you good counsel;

don’t let it go in one ear and out the other.

3–9  When I was a boy at my father’s knee,

the pride and joy of my mother,

He would sit me down and drill me:

“Take this to heart. Do what I tell you—live!

Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding!

Don’t forget one word! Don’t deviate an inch!

Never walk away from Wisdom—she guards your life;

love her—she keeps her eye on you.

Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!

Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding!

Throw your arms around her—believe me, you won’t regret it;

never let her go—she’ll make your life glorious.

She’ll garland your life with grace,

she’ll festoon your days with beauty.”

10–15  Dear friend, take my advice;

it will add years to your life.

I’m writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way,

I’m drawing a map to Righteous Road.

I don’t want you ending up in blind alleys,

or wasting time making wrong turns.

Hold tight to good advice; don’t relax your grip.

Guard it well—your life is at stake!

Don’t take Wicked Bypass;

don’t so much as set foot on that road.

Stay clear of it; give it a wide berth.

Make a detour and be on your way.

16–17  Evil people are restless

unless they’re making trouble;

They can’t get a good night’s sleep

unless they’ve made life miserable for somebody.

Perversity is their food and drink,

violence their drug of choice.

18–19  The ways of right-living people glow with light;

the longer they live, the brighter they shine.

But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker—

travelers can’t see a thing; they fall flat on their faces.

Learn It by Heart

20–22  Dear friend, listen well to my words;

tune your ears to my voice.

Keep my message in plain view at all times.

Concentrate! Learn it by heart!

Those who discover these words live, really live;

body and soul, they’re bursting with health.

23–27  Keep vigilant watch over your heart;

that’s where life starts.

Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth;

avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.

Keep your eyes straight ahead;

ignore all sideshow distractions.

Watch your step,

and the road will stretch out smooth before you.

Look neither right nor left;

leave evil in the dust.

Nothing but Sin and Bones

1–2  5 Dear friend, pay close attention to this, my wisdom;

listen very closely to the way I see it.

Then you’ll acquire a taste for good sense;

what I tell you will keep you out of trouble.

3–6  The lips of a seductive woman are oh so sweet,

her soft words are oh so smooth.

But it won’t be long before she’s gravel in your mouth,

a pain in your gut, a wound in your heart.

She’s dancing down the primrose path to Death;

she’s headed straight for Hell and taking you with her.

She hasn’t a clue about Real Life,

about who she is or where she’s going.

7–14  So, my friend, listen closely;

don’t treat my words casually.

Keep your distance from such a woman;

absolutely stay out of her neighborhood.

You don’t want to squander your wonderful life,

to waste your precious life among the hardhearted.

Why should you allow strangers to take advantage of you?

Why be exploited by those who care nothing for you?

You don’t want to end your life full of regrets,

nothing but sin and bones,

Saying, “Oh, why didn’t I do what they told me?

Why did I reject a disciplined life?

Why didn’t I listen to my mentors,

or take my teachers seriously?

My life is ruined!

I haven’t one blessed thing to show for my life!”

Never Take Love for Granted

15–16  Do you know the saying, “Drink from your own rain barrel,

draw water from your own spring-fed well”?

It’s true. Otherwise, you may one day come home

and find your barrel empty and your well polluted.

17–20  Your spring water is for you and you only,

not to be passed around among strangers.

Bless your fresh-flowing fountain!

Enjoy the wife you married as a young man!

Lovely as an angel, beautiful as a rose—

don’t ever quit taking delight in her body.

Never take her love for granted!

Why would you trade enduring intimacies for cheap thrills with a whore?

for dalliance with a promiscuous stranger?

21–23  Mark well that God doesn’t miss a move you make;

he’s aware of every step you take.

The shadow of your sin will overtake you;

you’ll find yourself stumbling all over yourself in the dark.

Death is the reward of an undisciplined life;

your foolish decisions trap you in a dead end.