10 ¶ My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. 11 If they say, Come with us, let us Jay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: 12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: from evil company 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosper ty of fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet 13 We shall find all precious sub-from fear of evil. 14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse. CHAP IL MY son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my command 15 My son, walk not thou in the wayments with thee; with them: refrain thy foot from their path: 16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed oolod. 17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. 18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their owen lives. 19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof. 20 T Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: 21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, 22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? 23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. 21 T Because have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded ; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thy heart to under standing; 3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for under standing; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lond, and find the know ledge of God. 6 For the Lond giveth wisdom: ou: of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous; he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. S He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. 9 Then shalt thou understand rightcousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. 10 T When wisdom entereth into thy heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul, 11 Discretion shall preserve thee, un derstanding shall keep thee; 12 To deliver thee from the way of 25 But ye have set at nought all my the evil man, from the man that counsel, and would none of my re-speaketh froward things; proof: 13 Who leave the paths of upright. 26 I also will laugh at your calamity;ness, to walk in the ways of darkness; I will mock when your fear cometh; 14 Who rejoice to do evil, and de27 When your fear cometh as desola-light in the frowardness of the wicked tion, and your destruction cometh as a 15 Whose ways are crooked, and whirlwind; when distress and an-they froward in their paths : guish cometh upon you. 28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: 30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words ; 17 Which forsaketh the guide of bei youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. 18 For her house inclineth unt death, and her paths unto the dead. 19 None that go unto her return The cursed state PROVERBS of the wicked. again, neither take they hold of the play hold upon her: and happy is every paths of life. one that retaineth her. 20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. 22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it. CHAP. III. 19 The LORD by wisdom bath found. ed the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. 20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew. 21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion; 22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, Y son, forget not my law; but and grace to thy neck. ments: 2 For length of days, aud long life, and shall they add to thee. peace, 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thy heart : 4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the Lond with all thy heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy pallis. 7 T Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. S It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. 24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid; yea,thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. 25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. 26 For the LonD shall be thy confi dence, and shall keep thy foot from (being taken. 27 1 Withhold not good from thew to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thy hand to do it. 28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go and come again, and to-morrow I wi}! give; when thou hast it by thee. 29 Devise not evil against thy neigh bour, seeing he dwelleth securely by 9 Honour the Lond with thy sub-thee. stance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barus be filled with plenty, and thy presses sball burst out with new wine. 30 T Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm. 31 T Envy thou not the oppressor, choose none of his ways. 32 For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the 11 ¶ My son,despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary righteoue. of his correction. 33 The curse of the LORD is in the 12 For whom the Lond loveth hehouse of the wicked: but he blesseth correcteth, even as a father the son in whom be delighteth. 13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. 14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. 16 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. 16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. the habitations of the just. 34 Surely he scorneth the scorners but he giveth grace unto the lowly. 35 The wise shall inherit glory; but shame shall be the promotion of fools. CHAP. IV. TTEAR, ye children, the instruction Hather, and attend to know understanding. 2 For I give you good doctrine, for sake ye not my law. 3 For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasant- 4 He taught me also, and said unto ness, and all her paths are peace. me, Let thy heart retain my words: 18 S'e is a tree of life to them that keep my commandments, and live. Solomon exhorteth to CHAP. V. the study of wisdom 5 Get wisdom, get understanding: 26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and forget it not: neither decline from the let all thy ways be established. words of my mouth. 27 Turn not to the right hand nor to 6 Forsake her not, and she sball pre-the left: remove thy foot from evil. serve thee: love her, and she shall Leep thee. Μ CHAP. V. Mand bow thine ear to my under Y son, attend unto my wisdom, . 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom and with all standing. thy getting get understanding. S Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. 9 She shall give to thy head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. 10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. 2 That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge. 3 TFor the lips of a strange woman drop as a honeycomb, and her mouth is sinoother than oil : 4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. 6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them. 11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. 12 When thou goest, thy steps shall 7 Hear me now therefore, O ye chilnot be straitened; and when thou run-dren, and depart not from the words nest, thou shalt not stumble. of my mouth. 13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life. 14 T Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil 8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house: 9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel: 10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger; 11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, 12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof; 17 For they eat the bread of wicked-13 And have not obeyed the voice of ness, and drink the wine of violence. my teachers, nor inclined mine car to 18 But the path of the just is as the them that instructed me 1 shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 19 The way of the wicked is as darkuess they know not at what they stumble. 20 ¶ My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thy heart. 22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. 23 ¶ Keep thy heart with all diligence: for out of it are the issues of life. 24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. 25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before lec. 14 I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assem bly. 15 T Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own wel.. 16 Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. 17 Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee. 18 Let thy fountain be blessed; and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. 19. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravishied always with her love. 20 And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? 21 For the ways of man are before Zgainst suretiship, PROVERBS. idleness, &c. the eyes of the LORD, and he ponder- and him that soweth discord among eth all his goings. brethren. 22 ¶ His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. 23 He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray. CHAP. VI. 20 T My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 21 Blud them continually upon thy heart, and tie them about thy neck. 22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it Miend, commandment is a lamp; son, if thou be surety for thy shall talk with thee. hand with a stranger, 2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: 24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. 3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the 25 Lust not after her beauty in thy hand of thy friend; go, humble thy-heart; neither let her take thee with self and make sure thỷ friend. her eyelids: 4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. 5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the haud of the fowler. 6 Go to the aunt, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. 9 How long wilt thou sleep, O slug. gard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? 10 Yet a little eleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. 12 A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. 13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacbeth with his fingers; 14 Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. 26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread; and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. 27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned ? 28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? 29 So he that goeth in to his neigh bour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. 30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry: 31 But if he be found, he shall restore seven-fold; he shall give all the substance of his house. 32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. 33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. 34 For jealousy is the rage of a man ; therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. 15 Therefore shall his calamity come 35 He will not regard any ransom; suddenly; suddenly shall he be brok-neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts. en without remedy. 16 These six things doth the LORD hate; yea, seven are an abomination auto him: Y CHAP. VII. 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and My son, keep my words, and lay up hands that shed innocent blood, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, my commandments with thee. 2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. 3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thy heart. 4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my CHAP. VIII. The excellency of wisdom. rister; and call understanding thy, wounded: yea, many strong men have kinswoman: been slain by her. 5 That they may keep thee from the 27 Her house is the way to hell, going strange woman, from the stranger down to the chambers of death. CHAP. VIII. which flattereth with her words. 6 ¶ For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, 7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, 8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, 9 La the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night; 10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot, and subtle of heart. 11 (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: 12 Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every cor ner.) 13 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, 14 I have peace-offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows. 15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face; and I have found thee. 16 I have decked my bed with covermgs of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. 17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning; let us solace ourselves with loves. 19 For the good man is not at home, he is gone a long journey: 20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed. 21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. 22 He goeth after her straitway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; 23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. 24 T Hearken unto me now there fore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. 25 Let not thy heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. 26 For she hath cast down many DOTH not wisdom cry? and under- 3 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors. Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. 50 ye simple, understand wisdom; and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. 6 Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. 7 For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness: there is nothing froward or perverse in them. 9 They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge. 10 Receive mine instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. 11 For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. 12 1 wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. 13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward inouth, do I hate. 14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. 15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. 16 By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. 17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. 18 Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. 19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. 20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: |