My son, if sinners entice you,

don’t be persuaded.

my son, don’t travel that road with them

or set foot on their path,

“If you respond to my warning,[fn]

then I will pour out my spirit on you

and teach you my words.

“I, in turn, will laugh at your calamity.

I will mock when terror strikes you,

“when terror strikes you like a storm

and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,

when trouble and stress overcome you.

“Then they will call me, but I won’t answer;

they will search for me, but won’t find me.

furthermore, if you call out to insight

and lift your voice to understanding,

Discretion will watch over you,

and understanding will guard you.

It will rescue you from the way of evil —

from anyone who says perverse things,

It will rescue you from a forbidden woman,

from a wayward woman with her flattering talk,

who abandons the companion of her youth

and forgets the covenant of her God;

Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you.

Tie them around your neck;

write them on the tablet of your heart.

in all your ways know him,

and he will make your paths straight.

This will be healing for your body[fn]

and strengthening for your bones.

then your barns will be completely filled,

and your vats will overflow with new wine.

They will be life for you[fn]

and adornment[fn] for your neck.

Then you will go safely on your way;

your foot will not stumble.

for the LORD will be your confidence[fn]

and will keep your foot from a snare.

When it is in your power,[fn]

don’t withhold good from the one to whom it belongs.

Don’t say to your neighbor, “Go away! Come back later.

I’ll give it tomorrow” ​— ​when it is there with you.

Don’t plan any harm against your neighbor,

for he trusts you and lives near you.

Don’t accuse anyone without cause,

when he has done you no harm.

“Don’t abandon wisdom, and she will watch over you;

love her, and she will guard you.

“Cherish her, and she will exalt you;

if you embrace her, she will honor you.

“She will place a garland of favor on your head;

she will give you a crown of beauty.”

Listen, my son. Accept my words,

and you will live many years.

I am teaching you the way of wisdom;

I am guiding you on straight paths.

When you walk, your steps will not be hindered;

when you run, you will not stumble.

Hold on to instruction; don’t let go.

Guard it, for it is your life.

Don’t lose sight of them;

keep them within your heart.

Don’t let your mouth speak dishonestly,

and don’t let your lips talk deviously.

Let your eyes look forward;

fix your gaze[fn] straight ahead.

Carefully consider the path[fn] for your feet,

and all your ways will be established.

Otherwise, you will give up your vitality to others

and your years to someone cruel;

strangers will drain your resources,

and your hard-earned pay will end up in a foreigner’s house.

At the end of your life, you will lament

when your physical body has been consumed,

Should your springs flow in the streets,

streams in the public squares?

They should be for you alone

and not for you to share with strangers.

Let your fountain be blessed,

and take pleasure in the wife of your youth.

A loving deer, a graceful doe[fn] —

let her breasts always satisfy you;

be lost in her love forever.

and your poverty will come like a robber,

your need, like a bandit.

My son, keep your father’s command,

and don’t reject your mother’s teaching.

When you walk here and there, they will guide you;

when you lie down, they will watch over you;

when you wake up, they will talk to you.

They will protect you from an evil woman,[fn]

from the flattering tongue of a wayward woman.