³ Let not ^(E)steadfast love and ^(F)faithfulness forsake you;
    ^(G)bind them around your neck;
    ^(H)write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴ So you will ^(I)find favor and ^(J)good success^[a]
    in the sight of God and man.

^5 (K)Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and ^(L)do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶ In all your ways ^(M)acknowledge him,
    and he ^(N)will make straight your paths.
^7 (O)Be not wise in your own eyes;
    ^(P)fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
⁸ It will be ^(Q)healing to your flesh^[b]
    and ^(R)refreshment^[c] to your bones.

⁹ Honor the Lord with your wealth
    and with ^(S)the firstfruits of all your produce;
¹⁰ then your ^(T)barns will be filled with plenty,
    and your vats will be bursting with wine.

^11 (U)My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline
    or be weary of his reproof,
¹² for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
    as ^(V)a father the son in whom he delights.

^19 (AG)The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
    by understanding ^(AH)he established the heavens;
²⁰ by his knowledge ^(AI)the deeps broke open,
    and ^(AJ)the clouds drop down the dew.

²¹ My son, ^(AK)do not lose sight of these—
    keep sound wisdom and discretion,
²² and they will be ^(AL)life for your soul
    and ^(AM)adornment for your neck.
^23 (AN)Then you will walk on your way securely,
    ^(AO)and your foot will not stumble.
^24 (AP)If you lie down, you will not be afraid;
    when you lie down, ^(AQ)your sleep will be sweet.
^25 (AR)Do not be afraid of sudden terror
    or of ^(AS)the ruin^[d] of the wicked, when it comes,
²⁶ for the Lord will be your confidence
    and will ^(AT)keep your foot from being caught.
^27 (AU)Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,^[e]
    when it is in your power to do it.

^28 (AV)Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
    tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
^29 (AW)Do not plan evil against your neighbor,
    who ^(AX)dwells trustingly beside you.
^30 (AY)Do not contend with a man for no reason,
    when he has done you no harm.
^31 (AZ)Do not envy ^(BA)a man of violence
    and do not choose any of his ways,
³² for ^(BB)the devious person is an abomination to the Lord,
    but the upright are ^(BC)in his confidence.
^33 (BD)The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked,
    but he ^(BE)blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
³⁴ Toward the ^(BF)scorners he ^(BG)is scornful,
    ^(BH)but to the humble he gives favor.^[f]
35 The wise will inherit honor,
    but fools get^[g] disgrace.

16 The plans of the heart belong to man,
    but ^(A)the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
^2 (B)All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
    but the Lord ^(C)weighs the spirit.^[a]
3 (D)Commit your work to the Lord,
    and your plans will be established.
^4 (E)The Lord has made everything for its purpose,
    even ^(F)the wicked for the day of trouble.
⁵ Everyone who is arrogant in heart is ^(G)an abomination to the Lord;
    ^(H)be assured, he will not go unpunished.
⁶ By ^(I)steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
    and by ^(J)the fear of the Lord one ^(K)turns away from evil.
⁷ When a man's ways please the Lord,
    ^(L)he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
^8 (M)Better is a little with righteousness
    than great revenues with injustice.
^9 (N)The heart of man plans his way,
    but ^(O)the Lord establishes his steps.
^10 (P)An oracle is on the lips of a king;
    his mouth does not sin in judgment.
^11 (Q)A just balance and scales are the Lord's;
    all the weights in the bag are his work.
¹² It is an abomination to kings to do evil,
    for ^(R)the throne is established by righteousness.
^13 (S)Righteous lips are the delight of a king,
    and he loves him who speaks what is right.
^14 (T)A king's wrath is a messenger of death,
    and a wise man will ^(U)appease it.
^15 (V)In the light of a king's face there is life,
    and his ^(W)favor is like ^(X)the clouds that bring the spring rain.
^16 (Y)How much better to get wisdom than ^(Z)gold!
    To get understanding is to be chosen rather than ^(AA)silver.
¹⁷ The highway of the upright ^(AB)turns aside from evil;
    whoever guards his way preserves his life.
^18 (AC)Pride goes before destruction,
    and a haughty spirit before a fall.
^19 (AD)It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor
    than to ^(AE)divide the spoil with the proud.
²⁰ Whoever gives thought to the word^{[b] (AF)}will discover good,
    and blessed is he ^(AG)who trusts in the Lord.
²¹ The wise of heart is called discerning,
    and sweetness of speech ^(AH)increases persuasiveness.
²² Good sense is ^(AI)a fountain of life to him who has it,
    but the instruction of fools is folly.
^23 (AJ)The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious
    and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
^24 (AK)Gracious words are like ^(AL)a honeycomb,
    sweetness to the soul and ^(AM)health to the body.
²⁵ There is a way that seems right to a man,
    but its end is the way to death.^[c]
26 A worker's appetite works for him;
    his ^(AN)mouth urges him on.
^27 (AO)A worthless man plots evil,
    and his speech^[d] is like ^(AP)a scorching fire.
^28 (AQ)A dishonest man spreads strife,
    and ^(AR)a whisperer ^(AS)separates close friends.
²⁹ A man of violence ^(AT)entices his neighbor
    and leads him in a way that is not good.
³⁰ Whoever winks his eyes plans^{[e] (AU)}dishonest things;
    he who ^(AV)purses his lips brings evil to pass.
^31 (AW)Gray hair is ^(AX)a crown of glory;
    it ^(AY)is gained in a righteous life.
^32 (AZ)Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
    and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
^33 (BA)The lot is cast into the lap,
    but its every decision is ^(BB)from the Lord.

⁷ And ^(M)now, O sons, listen to me,
    and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
⁸ Keep your way far from her,
    and do not go near the door of her house,
⁹ lest you give your honor to others
    and your years to the merciless,
¹⁰ lest strangers take their fill of your strength,
    and your ^(N)labors go to the house of a foreigner,
¹¹ and at the end of your life you ^(O)groan,
    when your flesh and body are consumed,
¹² and you say, ^(P)“How I hated discipline,
    and my heart ^(Q)despised reproof!
¹³ I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
    or incline my ear to my instructors.
^14 (R)I am at the brink of utter ruin
    in the assembled congregation.”

¹⁵ Drink ^(S)water from your own cistern,
    flowing water from your own well.
¹⁶ Should your ^(T)springs be scattered abroad,
    streams of water ^(U)in the streets?
^17 (V)Let them be for yourself alone,
    and not for strangers with you.
¹⁸ Let your ^(W)fountain be blessed,
    and ^(X)rejoice in ^(Y)the wife of your youth,
¹⁹     a lovely ^(Z)deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts ^(AA)fill you at all times with delight;
    be intoxicated^[d] always in her love.
²⁰ Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with ^(AB)a forbidden woman
    and embrace the bosom of ^(AC)an adulteress?^[e]
21 For ^(AD)a man's ways are ^(AE)before the eyes of the Lord,
    and he ^(AF)ponders^[f] all his paths.
²² The ^(AG)iniquities of the wicked ^(AH)ensnare him,
    and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
^23 (AI)He dies for lack of discipline,
    and because of his great folly he is ^(AJ)led astray.

⁶ For at ^(I)the window of my house
    I have looked out through my lattice,
⁷ and I have seen among ^(J)the simple,
    I have perceived among the youths,
    a young man ^(K)lacking sense,
⁸ passing along the street ^(L)near her corner,
    taking the road to her house
⁹ in ^(M)the twilight, in the evening,
    at ^(N)the time of night and darkness.

¹⁰ And behold, the woman meets him,
    ^(O)dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.^[c]
11 She is ^(P)loud and ^(Q)wayward;
    ^(R)her feet do not stay at home;
¹² now in the street, now in the market,
    and ^(S)at every corner she ^(T)lies in wait.
¹³ She seizes him and kisses him,
    and with ^(U)bold face she says to him,
¹⁴ “I had to ^(V)offer sacrifices,^[d]
    and today I have ^(W)paid my vows;
¹⁵ so now I have come out to meet you,
    to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
¹⁶ I have spread my couch with ^(X)coverings,
    colored linens from ^(Y)Egyptian linen;
¹⁷ I have perfumed my bed with ^(Z)myrrh,
    aloes, and ^(AA)cinnamon.
¹⁸ Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
    let us delight ourselves with love.
¹⁹ For ^(AB)my husband is not at home;
    he has gone on a long journey;
²⁰ he took a bag of money with him;
    at full moon he will come home.”

²¹ With much seductive speech she persuades him;
    with ^(AC)her smooth talk she compels him.
²² All at once he follows her,
    as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast^[e]
23     till an arrow pierces its liver;
as ^(AD)a bird rushes into a snare;
    he does not know that it will cost him his life.

²⁴ And ^(AE)now, O sons, listen to me,
    and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
²⁵ Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
    do not stray into her paths,
²⁶ for many a victim has she laid low,
    and all her slain are ^(AF)a mighty throng.
²⁷ Her house is ^(AG)the way to Sheol,
    going down to the chambers of death.