¹ Hear, ye sons, the correction of a father, and attend, that ye may know understanding.

² For, good teaching, have I given you, mine instruction, do not ye forsake.

³ For, a son, became I to my father, tender and most precious in the sight of my mother.

⁴ So he taught me, and said to me—Let thy heart, lay hold of my words, Keep my commandments and live!

⁵ Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding, Do not forget, neither decline thou from the sayings of my mouth.

⁶ Do not forsake her, and she will guard thee,—love her and she will keep thee.

⁷ The principal thing, is wisdom, acquire thou wisdom, With all thine acquisition, acquire thou understanding.

⁸ Exalt her, and she will set thee on high, she will bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her:

⁹ She will give for thy head, a wreath of beauty, A crown of adorning, will she bestow upon thee.

¹⁰ Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and they will multiply to thee the years of life.

¹¹ In the way of wisdom, have I taught thee, I have guided thee in tracks of uprightness.

¹² When thou walkest, thy step shall not be hemmed in, and, if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

¹³ Take fast hold of correction, let her not go,—keep her, for, she, is thy life.

¹⁴ Upon the path of the lawless, do not thou enter, and do not advance in the way of the wicked:

¹⁵ Avoid it, do not pass thereon—turn from it, and depart.

¹⁶ For they sleep not, unless they can do mischief,—They rob themselves of their sleep, if they cannot cause someone to stumble,

¹⁷ For they consume bread gotten by lawlessness, and, wine obtained by violence, they drink.

¹⁸ But, the path of the righteous, is as the light of dawn,—going on and brightening, unto meridian day.

¹⁹ The way of the lawless, is like darkness, they know not, at what they stumble.

²⁰ My son, to my words, attend, to my sayings, incline thou thine ear;

²¹ Let them not depart from thine eyes, keep them in the midst of thy heart;

²² For, life, they are, to them who find them,—and, to every part of one’s flesh, they bring healing.

²³ Above all that must be guarded, keep thou thy heart, for, out of it, are the issues of life.

²⁴ Remove from thee, perverseness of mouth, and, craftiness of lips, put far from thee.

²⁵ Let, thine eyes, right onward, look,—and, thine eyelashes, point straight before thee.

²⁶ Make level the track of thy foot, that, all thy ways, may be directed aright:

²⁷ Decline not, to the right hand or to the left,—Turn away thy foot from wickedness.