¹ My son! my law forget not, And my commands let thy heart keep,

² For length of days and years, Life and peace they do add to thee.

³ Let not kindness and truth forsake thee, Bind them on thy neck, Write them on the tablet of thy heart,

⁴ And find grace and good understanding In the eyes of God and man.

⁵ Trust unto Jehovah with all thy heart, And unto thine own understanding lean not.

⁶ In all thy ways know thou Him, And He doth make straight thy paths.

⁷ Be not wise in thine own eyes, Fear Jehovah, and turn aside from evil.

⁸ Healing it is to thy navel, And moistening to thy bones.

⁹ Honour Jehovah from thy substance, And from the beginning of all thine increase;

¹⁰ And filled are thy barns with plenty, And with new wine thy presses break forth.

¹¹ Chastisement of Jehovah, my son, despise not, And be not vexed with His reproof,

¹² For whom Jehovah loveth He reproveth, Even as a father the son He is pleased with.

¹³ O the happiness of a man who hath found wisdom, And of a man who bringeth forth understanding.

¹⁴ For better is her merchandise Than the merchandise of silver, And than gold--her increase.

¹⁵ Precious she is above rubies, And all thy pleasures are not comparable to her.

¹⁶ Length of days is in her right hand, In her left are wealth and honour.

¹⁷ Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace.

¹⁸ A tree of life she is to those laying hold on her, And whoso is retaining her is happy.

¹⁹ Jehovah by wisdom did found the earth, He prepared the heavens by understanding.

²⁰ By His knowledge depths have been rent, And clouds do drop dew.

²¹ My son! let them not turn from thine eyes, Keep thou wisdom and thoughtfulness,

²² And they are life to thy soul, and grace to thy neck.

²³ Then thou goest thy way confidently, And thy foot doth not stumble.

²⁴ If thou liest down, thou art not afraid, Yea, thou hast lain down, And sweet hath been thy sleep.

²⁵ Be not afraid of sudden fear, And of the desolation of the wicked when it cometh.

²⁶ For Jehovah is at thy side, And He hath kept thy foot from capture.

²⁷ Withhold not good from its owners, When thy hand is toward God to do it .

²⁸ Say not thou to thy friend, `Go, and return, and to-morrow I give,' And substance with thee.

²⁹ Devise not against thy neighbour evil, And he sitting confidently with thee.

³⁰ Strive not with a man without cause, If he have not done thee evil.

³¹ Be not envious of a man of violence, Nor fix thou on any of his ways.

³² For an abomination to Jehovah is the perverted, And with the upright is His secret counsel.

³³ The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked. And the habitation of the righteous He blesseth.

³⁴ If the scorners He doth scorn, Yet to the humble He doth give grace.

³⁵ Honour do the wise inherit, And fools are bearing away shame!