¹ My son, mine instruction, do not thou forget, and, my commandment, let thy heart observe;

² For, length of days and years of life, and blessedness, shall they add to thee.

³ Lovingkindness and faithfulness, let them not forsake thee,—bind them, upon thy neck, write them upon the tablet of thy heart:

⁴ So find thou favour and good repute, in the eyes of God and man.

⁵ Trust thou in Yahweh, with all thy heart, and, unto thine own understanding, do not lean:

⁶ In all thy ways, acknowledge him, and, he, will make straight thy paths.

⁷ Do not become wise in thine own eyes, revere Yahweh, and avoid evil:

⁸ Healing, shall it be to thy body, and refreshing, to thy bones.

⁹ Honour thou Yahweh, with thy substance, and with the firstfruit of all thine increase;

¹⁰ So shall thy storehouses be filled with plenty, and, with new wine, shall thy vats overflow.

¹¹ The, chastening of Yahweh, my son, do not reject, nor loathe his rebuke;

¹² For, whom Yahweh loveth, he correcteth, he causeth pain to the son in whom he delighteth.

¹³ How happy the man who hath found wisdom, and the man who draweth forth understanding,

¹⁴ For better is her merchandise, than the merchandise of silver, yea, than gold, her increase;

¹⁵ More precious, is she, than corals, yea, none of thy delightful things, doth equal her:

¹⁶ Length of days, is in her right hand, in her left, are riches and honour;

¹⁷ Her ways, are ways of pleasantness, and, all her paths, are peace;

¹⁸ A tree of life, is she, to them who secure her,—and, they who hold her fast, are every one to be pronounced happy.

¹⁹ Yahweh, in wisdom, founded the earth, establishing the heavens with understanding;

²⁰ By his knowledge, the resounding deeps were burst open, and, the skies, drop down dew.

²¹ My son, let them not depart from thine eyes, guard thou counsel, and purpose:

²² So shall they become life to thy soul, and an adorning to thy neck;

²³ Then, shalt thou walk securely in thy way, and, thy foot, shall not stumble;

²⁴ When thou sittest down, thou shalt have no dread, yea thou shalt lie down, and sweet shall be thy sleep.

²⁵ Be not thou afraid of sudden dread, nor of the desolation of the lawless, when it cometh.

²⁶ For, Yahweh, will be in all thy ways, and will keep thy foot from the snare.

²⁷ Withhold not good from them who ask it, when it is in power of thy hand to do it:

²⁸ Do not say to thy neighbour, Go and come again, and to-morrow I will give, when thou hast it by thee.

²⁹ Devise not against thy neighbour an injury, seeing that, he, dwelleth securely by thee.

³⁰ Contend not with a man without cause, if he hath dealt thee no wrong.

³¹ Do not thou envy the man of violence, neither choose thou any of his ways;

³² For, an abomination to Yahweh, is the tortuous man, but, with the upright, he is intimate.

³³ The curse of Yahweh, is in the house of the lawless one, but, the home of the righteous, he blesseth.

³⁴ Though at scoffers he scoffeth, yet, to the humbled, he granteth favour.

³⁵ Honour, shall the wise inherit,—but, as for dullards, shame shall carry them away.