¹ Heare, O ye children, the instruction of a father, and giue eare to learne vnderstanding.

² For I doe giue you a good doctrine: therefore forsake yee not my lawe.

³ For I was my fathers sonne, tender and deare in the sight of my mother,

⁴ When he taught me, and sayde vnto me, Let thine heart holde fast my woordes: keepe my commandements, and thou shalt liue.

⁵ Get wisedom: get vnderstading: forget not, neither decline from the woordes of my mouth.

⁶ Forsake her not, and shee shall keepe thee: loue her and shee shall preserue thee.

⁷ Wisedome is the beginning: get wisedome therefore: and aboue all thy possession get vnderstanding.

⁸ Exalt her, and she shall exalt thee: she shall bring thee to honour, if thou embrace her.

⁹ She shall giue a comely ornamet vnto thine head, yea, she shall giue thee a crowne of glorie.

¹⁰ Heare, my sonne, and receiue my wordes, and the yeeres of thy life shalbe many.

¹¹ I haue taught thee in ye way of wisedom, and led thee in the pathes of righteousnesse.

¹² Whe thou goest, thy gate shall not be strait, and when thou runnest, thou shalt not fall.

¹³ Take holde of instruction, and leaue not: keepe her, for shee is thy life.

¹⁴ Enter not into the way of the wicked, and walke not in the way of euill men.

¹⁵ Auoide it, and goe not by it: turne from it, and passe by.

¹⁶ For they can not sleepe, except they haue done euill, and their sleepe departeth except they cause some to fall.

¹⁷ For they eate the breade of wickednesse, and drinke the wine of violence.

¹⁸ But the way of the righteous shineth as the light, that shineth more and more vnto the perfite day.

¹⁹ The way of the wicked is as the darkenes: they knowe not wherein they shall fall.

²⁰ My sonne, hearken vnto my wordes, incline thine eare vnto my sayings.

²¹ Let them not depart from thine eyes, but keepe them in the middes of thine heart.

²² For they are life vnto those that find them, and health vnto all their flesh.

²³ Keepe thine heart with all diligence: for thereout commeth life.

²⁴ Put away from thee a froward mouth, and put wicked lippes farre from thee.

²⁵ Let thine eyes beholde the right, and let thine eyelids direct thy way before thee.

²⁶ Ponder the path of thy feete, and let all thy waies be ordred aright.

²⁷ Turne not to the right hande, nor to the left, but remooue thy foote from euill.