Chapter 4

A Father’s Instruction

1 Hear, O sons, the ainstruction of a father,

And bgive attention that you may 1gain understanding,

2 For I give you 1sound ateaching;

bDo not abandon my 2instruction.

3 When I was a son to my father,

aTender and bthe only son in the sight of my mother,

4 Then he ataught me and said to me,

“Let your heart bhold fast my words;

cKeep my commandments and live;

5 aAcquire wisdom! bAcquire understanding!

Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

6 “Do not forsake her, and she will guard you;

aLove her, and she will watch over you.

7 “aThe 1beginning of wisdom is: bAcquire wisdom;

And with all your acquiring, get understanding.

8 “aPrize her, and she will exalt you;

She will honor you if you embrace her.

9 “She will place aon your head a garland of grace;

She will present you with a crown of beauty.”

10 Hear, my son, and aaccept my sayings

And the byears of your life will be many.

11 I have adirected you in the way of wisdom;

I have led you in upright paths.

12 When you walk, your asteps will not be impeded;

And if you run, you bwill not stumble.

13 aTake hold of instruction; do not let go.

Guard her, for she is your blife.

14 aDo not enter the path of the wicked

And do not proceed in the way of evil men.

15 Avoid it, do not pass by it;

Turn away from it and pass on.

16 For they acannot sleep unless they do evil;

And 1they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.

17 For they aeat the bread of wickedness

And drink the wine of violence.

18 But the apath of the righteous is like the blight of dawn,

That cshines brighter and brighter until the dfull day.

19 The away of the wicked is like darkness;

They do not know over what they 1bstumble.

20 My son, agive attention to my words;

bIncline your ear to my sayings.

21 aDo not let them depart from your sight;

bKeep them in the midst of your heart.

22 For they are alife to those who find them

And bhealth to all 1their body.

23 Watch over your heart with all diligence,

For afrom it flow the springs of life.

24 Put away from you a adeceitful mouth

And bput devious 1speech far from you.

25 Let your eyes look directly ahead

And let your 1gaze be fixed straight in front of you.

26 aWatch the path of your feet

And all your bways will be established.

27 aDo not turn to the right nor to the left;

bTurn your foot from evil.

Chapter 5

Pitfalls of Immorality

1 My son, agive attention to my wisdom,

bIncline your ear to my understanding;

2 That you may aobserve discretion

And your blips may reserve knowledge.

3 For the lips of an 1aadulteress bdrip honey

And csmoother than oil is her 2speech;

4 But in the end she is abitter as wormwood,

bSharp as a two-edged sword.

5 Her feet ago down to death,

Her steps take hold of Sheol.

6 1She does not ponder the apath of life;

Her ways are bunstable, she cdoes not know it.

7 aNow then, my sons, listen to me

And bdo not depart from the words of my mouth.

8 aKeep your way far from her

And do not go near the bdoor of her house,

9 Or you will give your vigor to others

And your years to the cruel one;

10 And strangers will be filled with your strength

And your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien;

11 And you groan at your 1final end,

When your flesh and your body are consumed;

12 And you say, “How I have ahated instruction!

And my heart bspurned reproof!

13 “I have not listened to the voice of my ateachers,

Nor inclined my ear to my instructors!

14 “I was almost in utter ruin

In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

15 Drink water from your own cistern

And 1fresh water from your own well.

16 Should your asprings be dispersed abroad,

Streams of water in the streets?

17 Let them be yours alone

And not for strangers with you.

18 Let your afountain be blessed,

And brejoice in the cwife of your youth.

19 As a loving ahind and a graceful doe,

Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;

Be 1exhilarated always with her love.

20 For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an 1aadulteress

And embrace the bosom of a bforeigner?

21 For the aways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord,

And He bwatches all his paths.

22 His aown iniquities will capture the wicked,

And he will be held with the cords of his sin.

23 He will adie for lack of instruction,

And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.

Chapter 6

Parental Counsel

1 My son, if you have become asurety for your neighbor,

Have 1given a pledge for a stranger,

2 If you have been snared with the words of your mouth,

Have been caught with the words of your mouth,

3 Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself;

Since you have come into the 1hand of your neighbor,

Go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor.

4 Give no asleep to your eyes,

Nor slumber to your eyelids;

5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand

And like a abird from the hand of the fowler.

6 Go to the aant, O bsluggard,

Observe her ways and be wise,

7 Which, having ano chief,

Officer or ruler,

8 Prepares her food ain the summer

And gathers her provision in the harvest.

9 How long will you lie down, O sluggard?

When will you arise from your sleep?

10 “aA little sleep, a little slumber,

A little folding of the hands to 1rest”—

11 aYour poverty will come in like a 1vagabond

And your need like 2an armed man.

12 A aworthless person, a wicked man,

Is the one who walks with a bperverse mouth,

13 Who awinks with his eyes, who 1signals with his feet,

Who 2points with his fingers;

14 Who with aperversity in his heart continually bdevises evil,

Who 1cspreads strife.

15 Therefore ahis calamity will come suddenly;

bInstantly he will be broken and there will be cno healing.

16 There are six things which the Lord hates,

Yes, seven which are an abomination 1to Him:

17 aHaughty eyes, a blying tongue,

And hands that cshed innocent blood,

18 A heart that devises awicked plans,

bFeet that run rapidly to evil,

19 A afalse witness who utters lies,

And one who 1bspreads strife among brothers.

20 aMy son, observe the commandment of your father

And do not forsake the 1teaching of your mother;

21 aBind them continually on your heart;

Tie them around your neck.

22 When you awalk about, 1they will guide you;

When you sleep, 1they will watch over you;

And when you awake, 1they will talk to you.

23 For athe commandment is a lamp and the 1teaching is light;

And reproofs for discipline are the way of life

24 To akeep you from the evil woman,

From the smooth tongue of the 1adulteress.

25 aDo not desire her beauty in your heart,

Nor let her capture you with her beyelids.

26 For aon account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread,

And 1an adulteress bhunts for the precious life.

27 Can a man 1take fire in his bosom

And his clothes not be burned?

28 Or can a man walk on hot coals

And his feet not be scorched?

29 So is the one who agoes in to his neighbor’s wife;

Whoever touches her bwill not 1go unpunished.

30 1Men do not despise a thief if he steals

To asatisfy 2himself when he is hungry;

31 But when he is found, he must arepay sevenfold;

He must give all the 1substance of his house.

32 The one who commits adultery with a woman is alacking 1sense;

He who would bdestroy 2himself does it.

33 Wounds and disgrace he will find,

And his reproach will not be blotted out.

34 For ajealousy 1enrages a man,

And he will not spare in the bday of vengeance.

35 He will not 1accept any ransom,

Nor will he be 2satisfied though you give many 3gifts.

Chapter 7

The Wiles of the Harlot

1 My son, akeep my words

And treasure my commandments within you.

2 aKeep my commandments and live,

And my 1teaching bas the 2apple of your eye.

3 aBind them on your fingers;

bWrite them on the tablet of your heart.

4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”

And call understanding your intimate friend;

5 That they may keep you from an 1adulteress,

From the foreigner who 2flatters with her words.

6 For aat the window of my house

I looked out bthrough my lattice,

7 And I saw among the 1anaive,

And discerned among the 2youths

A young man blacking 3sense,

8 Passing through the street near aher corner;

And he 1takes the way to bher house,

9 In the atwilight, in the 1evening,

In the 2middle of the night and in the darkness.

10 And behold, a woman comes to meet him,

aDressed as a harlot and cunning of heart.

11 She is aboisterous and rebellious,

Her bfeet do not remain at home;

12 She is now in the streets, now ain the squares,

And blurks by every corner.

13 So she seizes him and kisses him

1And with a abrazen face she says to him:

14 “1I was due to offer apeace offerings;

Today I have bpaid my vows.

15 “Therefore I have come out to meet you,

To seek your presence earnestly, and I have found you.

16 “I have spread my couch with acoverings,

With colored blinens of Egypt.

17 “I have sprinkled my bed

With amyrrh, aloes and bcinnamon.

18 “Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning;

Let us delight ourselves with caresses.

19 “For 1my husband is not at home,

He has gone on a long journey;

20 He has taken a abag of money 1with him,

At the full moon he will come home.”

21 With her many persuasions she entices him;

With her 1aflattering lips she seduces him.

22 Suddenly he follows her

As an ox goes to the slaughter,

Or as 1one in fetters to the discipline of a fool,

23 Until an arrow pierces through his liver;

As a abird hastens to the snare,

So he does not know that it will cost him his life.

24 Now therefore, my sons, alisten to me,

And pay attention to the words of my mouth.

25 Do not let your heart aturn aside to her ways,

Do not stray into her paths.

26 For many are the 1victims she has cast down,

And anumerous are all her slain.

27 Her ahouse is the way to Sheol,

Descending to the chambers of death.

Chapter 8

The Commendation of Wisdom

1 Does not awisdom call,

And understanding 1lift up her voice?

2 On top of athe heights beside the way,

Where the paths meet, she takes her stand;

3 Beside the agates, at the opening to the city,

At the entrance of the doors, she cries out:

4 “To you, O men, I call,

And my voice is to the sons of men.

5 “O 1anaive ones, understand prudence;

And, O bfools, understand 2wisdom.

6 “Listen, for I will speak anoble things;

And the opening of my lips will reveal bright things.

7 “For my amouth will utter truth;

And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

8 “All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness;

There is nothing acrooked or perverted in them.

9 “They are all astraightforward to him who understands,

And right to those who bfind knowledge.

10 “Take my ainstruction and not silver,

And knowledge rather than choicest gold.

11 “For wisdom is abetter than 1jewels;

And ball desirable things cannot compare with her.

12 “I, wisdom, adwell with prudence,

And I find bknowledge and discretion.

13 “The afear of the Lord is to hate evil;

bPride and arrogance and cthe evil way

And the dperverted mouth, I hate.

14 “aCounsel is mine and bsound wisdom;

I am understanding, cpower is mine.

15 “By me akings reign,

And rulers decree justice.

16 “By me princes rule, and nobles,

All who judge rightly.

17 “I alove those who love me;

And bthose who diligently seek me will find me.

18 “aRiches and honor are with me,

Enduring bwealth and righteousness.

19 “My fruit is abetter than gold, even pure gold,

And my yield better than bchoicest silver.

20 “I walk in the way of righteousness,

In the midst of the paths of justice,

21 To endow those who love me with wealth,

That I may afill their treasuries.

22 “The Lord possessed me aat the beginning of His way,

Before His works 1of old.

23 “From everlasting I was 1aestablished,

From the beginning, bfrom the earliest times of the earth.

24 “When there were no adepths I was 1brought forth,

When there were no springs abounding with water.

25 “aBefore the mountains were settled,

Before the hills I was 1brought forth;

26 While He had not yet made the earth and the 1fields,

Nor the first dust of the world.

27 “When He aestablished the heavens, I was there,

When bHe inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,

28 When He made firm the skies above,

When the springs of the deep became 1fixed,

29 When aHe set for the sea its boundary

So that the water would not transgress His 1command,

When He marked out bthe foundations of the earth;

30 Then aI was beside Him, as a master workman;

And I was daily His delight,

1Rejoicing always before Him,

31 1Rejoicing in the world, His earth,

And having amy delight in the sons of men.

32 “Now therefore, O sons, alisten to me,

For bblessed are they who keep my ways.

33 “aHeed instruction and be wise,

And do not neglect it.

34 “aBlessed is the man who listens to me,

Watching daily at my gates,

Waiting at my doorposts.

35 “For ahe who finds me finds life

And bobtains favor from the Lord.

36 “But he who 1sins against me ainjures himself;

All those who bhate me clove death.”