Guidance for the Young

3 My son, do not forget my law,

aBut let your heart keep my commands;

2 For length of days and long life

And bpeace they will add to you.

3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you;

cBind them around your neck,

dWrite them on the tablet of your heart,

4 eAnd so find favor and 1high esteem

In the sight of God and man.

5 fTrust in the Lord with all your heart,

gAnd lean not on your own understanding;

6 hIn all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall 2direct your paths.

7 Do not be wise in your own ieyes;

Fear the Lord and depart from evil.

8 It will be health to your 3flesh,

And jstrength 4to your bones.

9 kHonor the Lord with your possessions,

And with the firstfruits of all your increase;

10 lSo your barns will be filled with plenty,

And your vats will overflow with new wine.

11 mMy son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,

Nor detest His correction;

12 For whom the Lord loves He corrects,

nJust as a father the son in whom he delights.

13 oHappy is the man who finds wisdom,

And the man who gains understanding;

14 pFor her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,

And her gain than fine gold.

15 She is more precious than rubies,

And qall the things you may desire cannot compare with her.

16 rLength of days is in her right hand,

In her left hand riches and honor.

17 sHer ways are ways of pleasantness,

And all her paths are peace.

18 She is ta tree of life to those who take hold of her,

And happy are all who 5retain her.

19 uThe Lord by wisdom founded the earth;

By understanding He established the heavens;

20 By His knowledge the depths were vbroken up,

And clouds drop down the dew.

21 My son, let them not depart from your eyes—

Keep sound wisdom and discretion;

22 So they will be life to your soul

And grace to your neck.

23 wThen you will walk safely in your way,

And your foot will not stumble.

24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;

Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.

25 xDo not be afraid of sudden terror,

Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;

26 For the Lord will be your confidence,

And will keep your foot from being caught.

27 yDo not withhold good from 6those to whom it is due,

When it is in the power of your hand to do so.

28 zDo not say to your neighbor,

“Go, and come back,

And tomorrow I will give it,”

When you have it with you.

29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor,

For he dwells by you for safety’s sake.

30 aDo not strive with a man without cause,

If he has done you no harm.

31 bDo not envy the oppressor,

And choose none of his ways;

32 For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord,

cBut His secret counsel is with the upright.

33 dThe curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked,

But eHe blesses the home of the just.

34 fSurely He scorns the scornful,

But gives grace to the humble.

35 The wise shall inherit glory,

But shame shall be the legacy of fools.

Security in Wisdom

4 Hear, amy children, the instruction of a father,

And give attention to know understanding;

2 For I give you good doctrine:

Do not forsake my law.

3 When I was my father’s son,

bTender and the only one in the sight of my mother,

4 cHe also taught me, and said to me:

“Let your heart retain my words;

dKeep my commands, and live.

5 eGet wisdom! Get understanding!

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

6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;

fLove her, and she will keep you.

7 gWisdom is the principal thing;

Therefore get wisdom.

And in all your getting, get understanding.

8 hExalt her, and she will promote you;

She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.

9 She will place on your head ian ornament of grace;

A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”

10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings,

jAnd the years of your life will be many.

11 I have ktaught you in the way of wisdom;

I have led you in right paths.

12 When you walk, lyour steps will not be hindered,

mAnd when you run, you will not stumble.

13 Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go;

Keep her, for she is your life.

14 nDo not enter the path of the wicked,

And do not walk in the way of evil.

15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;

Turn away from it and pass on.

16 oFor they do not sleep unless they have done evil;

And their sleep is 1taken away unless they make someone fall.

17 For they eat the bread of wickedness,

And drink the wine of violence.

18 pBut the path of the just qis like the shining 2sun,

That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.

19 rThe way of the wicked is like darkness;

They do not know what makes them stumble.

20 My son, give attention to my words;

Incline your ear to my sayings.

21 Do not let them depart from your eyes;

Keep them in the midst of your heart;

22 For they are life to those who find them,

And health to all their flesh.

23 Keep your heart with all diligence,

For out of it spring the issues of slife.

24 Put away from you a 3deceitful mouth,

And put perverse lips far from you.

25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,

And your eyelids look right before you.

26 Ponder the path of your tfeet,

And let all your ways be established.

27 Do not turn to the right or the left;

Remove your foot from evil.

The Peril of Adultery

5 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;

1Lend your ear to my understanding,

2 That you may 2preserve discretion,

And your lips amay keep knowledge.

3 bFor the lips of 3an immoral woman drip honey,

And her mouth is csmoother than oil;

4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,

Sharp as a two-edged sword.

5 Her feet go down to death,

dHer steps lay hold of 4hell.

6 Lest you ponder her path of life—

Her ways are unstable;

You do not know them.

7 Therefore hear me now, my children,

And do not depart from the words of my mouth.

8 Remove your way far from her,

And do not go near the door of her house,

9 Lest you give your 5honor to others,

And your years to the cruel one;

10 Lest aliens be filled with your 6wealth,

And your labors go to the house of a foreigner;

11 And you mourn at last,

When your flesh and your body are consumed,

12 And say:

“How I have hated instruction,

And my heart despised correction!

13 I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers,

Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!

14 I was on the verge of total ruin,

In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

15 Drink water from your own cistern,

And running water from your own well.

16 Should your fountains be dispersed abroad,

7Streams of water in the streets?

17 Let them be only your own,

And not for strangers with you.

18 Let your fountain be blessed,

And rejoice with ethe wife of your youth.

19 fAs a loving deer and a graceful doe,

Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;

And always be 8enraptured with her love.

20 For why should you, my son, be enraptured by gan immoral woman,

And be embraced in the arms of a seductress?

21 hFor the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord,

And He 9ponders all his paths.

22 iHis own iniquities entrap the wicked man,

And he is caught in the cords of his sin.

23 jHe shall die for lack of instruction,

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