Chapter 4

1 Hear, O sons, the instruction ^R140 of a father, And give ^R141 attention that you may gain ^F28 understanding, 2 For I give you sound ^F29 teaching; ^R142 Do ^R143 not abandon my instruction. ^F30 3 When I was a son to my father, Tender ^R144 and the ^R145 only son in the sight of my mother, 4 Then he taught ^R146 me and said to me, "Let your heart hold ^R147 fast my words; Keep ^R148 my commandments and live; 5 Acquire ^R149 wisdom! Acquire ^R150 understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. 6 "Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; Love ^R151 her, and she will watch over you. 7 "The ^R152 beginning ^F31 of wisdom is: Acquire ^R153 wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding. 8 "Prize ^R154 her, and she will exalt you; She will honor you if you embrace her. 9 "She will place on ^R155 your head a garland of grace; She will present you with a crown of beauty." 10 Hear, my son, and accept ^R156 my sayings And the years ^R157 of your life will be many. 11 I have directed ^R158 you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths. 12 When you walk, your steps ^R159 will not be impeded; And if you run, you will ^R160 not stumble. 13 Take ^R161 hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life. ^R162

14 Do ^R163 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 cannot ^R164 sleep unless they do evil; And they ^F32 are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. 17 For they eat ^R165 the bread of wickedness And drink the wine of violence. 18 But the path ^R166 of the righteous is like the light ^R167 of dawn, That shines ^R168 brighter and brighter until the full ^R169 day. 19 The way ^R170 of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble. ^{R171 F33}

20 My son, give ^R172 attention to my words; Incline ^R173 your ear to my sayings. 21 Do ^R174 not let them depart from your sight; Keep ^R175 them in the midst of your heart. 22 For they are life ^R176 to those who find them And health ^R177 to all their ^F34 body. 23 Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from ^R178 it flow the springs of life. 24 Put away from you a deceitful ^R179 mouth And put ^R180 devious speech ^F35 far from you. 25 Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze ^F36 be fixed straight in front of you. 26 Watch ^R181 the path of your feet And all your ways ^R182 will be established. 27 Do ^R183 not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn ^R184 your foot from evil.

Chapter 5

1 My son, give ^R185 attention to my wisdom, Incline ^R186 your ear to my understanding; 2 That you may observe ^R187 discretion And your lips ^R188 may reserve knowledge. 3 For the lips of an adulteress ^{R189 F37} drip ^R190 honey And smoother ^R191 than oil is her speech; ^F38 4 But in the end she is bitter ^R192 as wormwood, Sharp ^R193 as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet go ^R194 down to death, Her steps take hold of Sheol. 6 She ^F39 does not ponder the path ^R195 of life; Her ways are unstable, ^R196 she does ^R197 not know it. 7 Now ^R198 then, my sons, listen to me And do ^R199 not depart from the words of my mouth. 8 Keep ^R200 your way far from her And do not go near the door ^R201 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 final ^F40 end, When your flesh and your body are consumed; 12 And you say, "How I have hated ^R202 instruction! And my heart spurned ^R203 reproof! 13 "I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, ^R204 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 fresh ^F41 water from your own well. 16 Should your springs ^R205 be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? 17 Let them be yours alone And not for strangers with you. 18 Let your fountain ^R206 be blessed, And rejoice ^R207 in the wife ^R208 of your youth. 19 As a loving hind ^R209 and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; Be exhilarated ^F42 always with her love. 20 For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress ^{R210 F43} And embrace the bosom of a foreigner? ^R211 21 For the ways ^R212 of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He watches ^R213 all his paths. 22 His own ^R214 iniquities will capture the wicked, And he will be held with the cords of his sin. 23 He will die ^R215 for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.

Chapter 6

1 My son, if you have become surety ^R216 for your neighbor, Have given ^F44 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 hand ^F45 of your neighbor, Go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor. 4 Give no sleep ^R217 to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids; 5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter's hand And like a bird ^R218 from the hand of the fowler.

6 Go to the ant, ^R219 O sluggard, ^R220 Observe her ways and be wise, 7 Which, having no ^R221 chief, Officer or ruler, 8 Prepares her food in ^R222 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 "A ^R223 little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest"-- ^F46 11 Your ^R224 poverty will come in like a vagabond ^F47 And your need like an ^F48 armed man.

12 A worthless ^R225 person, a wicked man, Is the one who walks with a perverse ^R226 mouth, 13 Who winks ^R227 with his eyes, who signals ^F49 with his feet, Who points ^F50 with his fingers; 14 Who with perversity ^R228 in his heart continually devises ^R229 evil, Who spreads ^{R230 F51} strife. 15 Therefore his ^R231 calamity will come suddenly; Instantly ^R232 he will be broken and there will be no ^R233 healing. 16 There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to ^F52 Him: 17 Haughty ^R234 eyes, a lying ^R235 tongue, And hands that shed ^R236 innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked ^R237 plans, Feet ^R238 that run rapidly to evil, 19 A false ^R239 witness who utters lies, And one who spreads ^{R240 F53} strife among brothers.

20 My ^R241 son, observe the commandment of your father And do not forsake the teaching ^F54 of your mother; 21 Bind ^R242 them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck. 22 When you walk ^R243 about, they ^F55 will guide you; When you sleep, they ^F55 will watch over you; And when you awake, they ^F55 will talk to you. 23 For the ^R244 commandment is a lamp and the teaching ^F56 is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life 24 To keep ^R245 you from the evil woman, From the smooth tongue of the adulteress. ^F57 25 Do ^R246 not desire her beauty in your heart, Nor let her capture you with her eyelids. ^R247 26 For on ^R248 account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread, And an ^F58 adulteress hunts ^R249 for the precious life. 27 Can a man take ^F59 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 goes ^R250 in to his neighbor's wife; Whoever touches her will ^R251 not go ^F60 unpunished. 30 Men ^F61 do not despise a thief if he steals To satisfy ^R252 himself ^F62 when he is hungry; 31 But when he is found, he must repay ^R253 sevenfold; He must give all the substance ^F63 of his house. 32 The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking ^R254 sense; ^F64 He who would destroy ^R255 himself ^F65 does it. 33 Wounds and disgrace he will find, And his reproach will not be blotted out. 34 For jealousy ^R256 enrages ^F66 a man, And he will not spare in the day ^R257 of vengeance. 35 He will not accept ^F67 any ransom, Nor will he be satisfied ^F68 though you give many gifts. ^F69

Chapter 7

1 My son, keep ^R258 my words And treasure my commandments within you. 2 Keep ^R259 my commandments and live, And my teaching ^F70 as ^R260 the apple ^F71 of your eye. 3 Bind ^R261 them on your fingers; Write ^R262 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 adulteress, ^F72 From the foreigner who flatters ^F73 with her words.

6 For at ^R263 the window of my house I looked out through ^R264 my lattice, 7 And I saw among the naive, ^{R265 F74} And discerned among the youths ^F75 A young man lacking ^R266 sense, ^F76 8 Passing through the street near her ^R267 corner; And he takes ^F77 the way to her ^R268 house, 9 In the twilight, ^R269 in the evening, ^F78 In the middle ^F79 of the night and in the darkness. 10 And behold, a woman comes to meet him, Dressed ^R270 as a harlot and cunning of heart. 11 She is boisterous ^R271 and rebellious, Her feet ^R272 do not remain at home; 12 She is now in the streets, now in ^R273 the squares, And lurks ^R274 by every corner. 13 So she seizes him and kisses him And ^F80 with a brazen ^R275 face she says to him: 14 "I ^F81 was due to offer peace ^R276 offerings; Today I have paid ^R277 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 coverings, ^R278 With colored linens ^R279 of Egypt. 17 "I have sprinkled my bed With myrrh, ^R280 aloes and cinnamon. ^R281 18 "Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning; Let us delight ourselves with caresses. 19 "For my ^F82 husband is not at home, He has gone on a long journey; 20 He has taken a bag ^R282 of money with ^F83 him, At the full moon he will come home." 21 With her many persuasions she entices him; With her flattering ^{R283 F84} lips she seduces him. 22 Suddenly he follows her As an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as one ^F85 in fetters to the discipline of a fool, 23 Until an arrow pierces through his liver; As a bird ^R284 hastens to the snare, So he does not know that it will cost him his life.

24 Now therefore, my sons, listen ^R285 to me, And pay attention to the words of my mouth. 25 Do not let your heart turn ^R286 aside to her ways, Do not stray into her paths. 26 For many are the victims ^F86 she has cast down, And numerous ^R287 are all her slain. 27 Her house ^R288 is the way to Sheol, Descending to the chambers of death.