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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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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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Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse,
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Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
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in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
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Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near 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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Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant; he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.
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There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:
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Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold, though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
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But a man who commits adultery has no sense; whoever does so destroys himself.
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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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She took hold of him and kissed him and with a brazen face she said:
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So I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you!
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With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk.
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till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life.
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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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Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right.
