³ Through wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established;
⁴ By knowledge the rooms are filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.

^5 (B)A wise man is strong,
Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength;
^6 (C)For by wise counsel you will wage your own war,
And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.

^7 (D)Wisdom is too lofty for a fool;
He does not open his mouth in the gate.

⁸ He who ^(E)plots to do evil
Will be called a ^[a]schemer.
⁹ The devising of foolishness is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.

¹⁰ If you ^(F)faint in the day of adversity,
Your strength is small.

^11 (G)Deliver those who are drawn toward death,
And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.
¹² If you say, “Surely we did not know this,”
Does not ^(H)He who weighs the hearts consider it?
He who keeps your soul, does He not know it?
And will He not render to each man ^(I)according to his deeds?

¹³ My son, ^(J)eat honey because it is good,
And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste;
^14 (K)So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul;
If you have found it, there is a ^[b]prospect,
And your hope will not be cut off.

¹⁵ Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
Do not plunder his resting place;
^16 (L)For a righteous man may fall seven times
And rise again,
^(M)But the wicked shall fall by calamity.

^17 (N)Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
¹⁸ Lest the Lord see it, and ^[c]it displease Him,
And He turn away His wrath from him.

^19 (O)Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the wicked;
²⁰ For there will be no prospect for the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.

²¹ My son, ^(P)fear the Lord and the king;
Do not associate with those given to change;
²² For their calamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin those two can bring?

^(Q)It is not good to ^[d]show partiality in judgment.
^24 (R)He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
Him the people will curse;
Nations will abhor him.
²⁵ But those who rebuke the wicked will have ^(S)delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.

²⁶ He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.

^27 (T)Prepare your outside work,
Make it fit for yourself in the field;
And afterward build your house.

^28 (U)Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,
^[e]For would you deceive with your lips?
^29 (V)Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me;
I will render to the man according to his work.”

³⁰ I went by the field of the lazy man,
And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
³¹ And there it was, ^(W)all overgrown with thorns;
Its surface was covered with nettles;
Its stone wall was broken down.
³² When I saw it, I considered it well;
I looked on it and received instruction:
^33 (X)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest;
^34 (Y)So shall your poverty come like ^[f]a prowler,
And your need like ^[g]an armed man.

² To know wisdom and instruction,
To ^[a]perceive the words of understanding,
³ To receive the instruction of wisdom,
Justice, judgment, and equity;
⁴ To give prudence to the ^(B)simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion—
^5 (C)A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will ^[b]attain wise counsel,
⁶ To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their ^(D)riddles.

^7 (E)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

¹⁰ My son, if sinners entice you,
^(H)Do not consent.
¹¹ If they say, “Come with us,
Let us ^(I)lie in wait to shed blood;
Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
¹² Let us swallow them alive like ^[c]Sheol,
And whole, ^(J)like those who go down to the Pit;
¹³ We shall find all kinds of precious ^[d]possessions,
We shall fill our houses with ^[e]spoil;
¹⁴ Cast in your lot among us,
Let us all have one purse”—
¹⁵ My son, ^(K)do not walk in the way with them,
^(L)Keep your foot from their path;
^16 (M)For their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed blood.
¹⁷ Surely, in ^[f]vain the net is spread
In the sight of any ^[g]bird;
¹⁸ But they lie in wait for their own blood,
They lurk secretly for their own lives.
^19 (N)So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of its owners.

²⁸ “Then^(U) they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
²⁹ Because they ^(V)hated knowledge
And did not ^(W)choose the fear of the Lord,
^30 (X)They would have none of my counsel
And despised my every rebuke.
³¹ Therefore ^(Y)they shall eat the fruit of their own way,
And be filled to the full with their own fancies.
³² For the ^[l]turning away of the simple will slay them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them;
³³ But whoever listens to me will dwell ^(Z)safely,
And ^(AA)will be ^[m]secure, without fear of evil.”