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Prologue: Exhortations to Embrace Wisdom
Warning Against the Invitation of Sinful Men
Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
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My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them.
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If they say, “Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for innocent blood, let’s ambush some harmless soul;
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These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves!
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“Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me,
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but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”
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For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
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Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse,
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Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— when you already have it with you.
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Then he taught me, and he said to me, “Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live.
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Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say.
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and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.
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For jealousy arouses a husband’s fury, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
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I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who had no sense.
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Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
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So I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you!
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Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love!
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Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say.
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At the highest point along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
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By me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just;
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by me princes govern, and nobles—all who rule on earth.
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I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.
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With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity.
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bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me and making their treasuries full.
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“The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old;
