9. Then will they call upon me, but I will not answer! They will seek me early, but they shall not find me! 10. Because they have hated my knowledge, And have not chosen the fear of the LORD, 11. Because they would not attend to my counsel, And have despised all my reproof, 12. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own devices; 13. Yea, the stubbornness of the stupid shall slay them, And the carelessness of fools shall destroy them. 14, But whoso hearkeneth to me shall dwell securely, And shall not be disquieted with the fear of evil. 1. CHAPTER III. The pursuit of wisdom leads to virtue and piety. Он, my son, that thou wouldst receive my words, And treasure up my precepts within thee; 2. That thou wouldst apply thine ear to wisdom, And incline thy heart to understanding! 3. For if thou wilt call aloud to knowledge, And lift up thy voice to understanding, 4. If thou wilt seek her silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures,5. Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God. 6. For the LORD giveth wisdom; From his mouth proceed knowledge and understanding: 7. He layeth up safety for the righteous; He is a shield to them that walk uprightly; 8. He guardeth the paths of equity, And defendeth the way of his servants. 9. Then shalt thou understand righteousness and equity And uprightness, yea, every good path. 10. *When wisdom entereth into thy heart, And knowledge is pleasant to thy soul, 11. Discretion will guard thee, Understanding will preserve thee. 12. It will preserve thee from the way of the wicked, From the men who speak perverse things; 13. Who forsake the paths of uprightness, To walk in the ways of darkness; 14. Who rejoice in doing evil, And delight in the perverseness of the wicked; 15. Whose paths are crooked, and who are froward in their ways. 16. It will deliver thee from the stranger, who useth smooth words; 17. Who forsaketh the friend of her youth, And forgetteth the covenant of her God. 18. For her house sinketh down to Death, And her paths to the shades of the dead: 19. None that go to her return again; They will not attain the paths of life. 20. Therefore walk thou in the way of good men, And keep the paths of the righteous: 21. For the upright shall dwell in the land, And the righteous shall remain in it; 22. But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, And transgressors shall be rooted out of it. 1. First principles. CHAPTER IV. Obedience, Reliance upon God. Patience under the divine chastisements. My son, forget not my teaching, And let thy heart observe my precepts ! 2. For length of days, and years of life, And peace shall they multiply to thee. 3. *Let not kindness and truth forsake thee; Bind them around thy neck, Write them upon the tablets of thy heart: 4. Then shalt thou find favor and good success In the sight of God and man. 5. *Trust in the LORD with all thy heart, 6. In all thy ways acknowledge him, 9. Honor the LORD with thy substance, And with the first-fruits of all thy increase; 10. So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, And thy vats overflow with new wine, 11. *My son, despise not the correction of the LORD, Nor be impatient under his chastisement! 12. For whom the LORD loveth he chasteneth, Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. 13. *Withhold not kindness from those who need it, And to-morrow I will give to thee," when thou hast it by thee. 15. *Devise not evil against thy neighbor, While he dwelleth securely by thee. 16. *Contend not with a man without cause, When he hath done thee no harm. 17. Envy not the oppressor, And choose none of his ways. 18. For the perverse man is the abomination of the LORD, But giveth favor to the lowly. 20. The wise shall obtain honor, 21. But fools shall bear off shame. *Happy the man who findeth wisdom; Yea, the man who getteth understanding! 22. *For the profit thereof is greater than that of silver, And the gain thereof than that of fine gold. 23. *More precious is she than pearls, And none of thy jewels is to be compared with her. 24. *Length of days is in her right hand In her left hand are riches and honor. 25. *Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. 26. *She is a tree of life to them that lay hold of her, And happy is every one who hath her in his grasp. 27. The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding he framed the heavens. 28. By his knowledge the deep waters were cleft, And the clouds drop down the dew. 29. My son, let them not depart from thine eyes; 30. For they shall be life to thy soul, And grace to thy neck. 31. Then shalt thou go on thy way securely, And thy foot shall not stumble; 32. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid, Yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. 33. *Be thou not afraid of sudden alarm; Nor of the storm that is for the wicked, when it cometh; 34. For the LORD shall be thy confidence; Yea, he will keep thy foot from being taken. 1. CHAPTER V Exhortation to wisdom and virtue. HEAR, ye children, the instruction of a father, And attend, that ye may learn understanding! 2. For I give you good instruction! Forsake ye not my commandments. 3. For I was my father's son, A tender and only child in the sight of my mother. 4. He taught me, and said to me, let thy heart hold fast my words; Keep my commandments, and live. 5. Get wisdom, get understanding; Forget not, and depart not from the words of my mouth. 6. Forsake her not, and she will guard thee : Love her, and she will preserve thee. 7. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore gain wisdom, And with all thy gain, gain understanding. 8. Exalt her, and she will promote thee; She will bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her; 9. She will give to thy head a graceful wreath, A beautiful crown will she bestow upon thee. 10. *Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go; Keep her, for she is thy life. 11. Enter not into the path of the wicked, And go not in the way of evil men ; 12. Avoid it, pass not upon it, Turn from it, and go away. 13. For they sleep not, unless they have done mischief; Yea, their sleep is taken away, unless they have caused some to fall. 14. For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. 15. *But the path of the righteous is as the light of dawn, Which groweth brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. 16. The way of the wicked is as thick darkness; They know not at what they stumble. 17. *More than anything which thou watchest, watch thy heart; For from it goeth forth life. 18. Put away from thee a deceitful mouth, 21. *Turn not to the right hand or to the left; 1. CHAPTER VI. Warning against unchastity. My son attend to my wisdom, And bow thine ear to my understanding; 2. That thou mayest keep discretion, And that thy lips may preserve knowledge! 3. Truly, the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil; 4. But her end is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. 5. Her feet go down to death; Her steps lay hold of the under-world. 6. That she may not ponder the way of life, Her paths waver when she heedeth it not. 7. Hear me now, therefore, O children! And turn not away from the words of my mouth! 8. Remove thy way far from her, And come not nigh the door of her house : 9. Lest thou give thy bloom to others, And thy years to a cruel one; 10. Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth, And thine earnings be in the house of an alien; 11. And lest thou mourn in thy latter end, When thy flesh and thy body are consumed, 12. And say, "How have I hated instruction! And how hath my heart despised reproof! 13. I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined mine ear to my instructors; 14. I have well-nigh fallen into utter misery, 15. In the midst of the congregation and the assembly." His own iniquities shall ensnare the wicked; Yea, he shall be held fast by the cords of his own sins. 16. He shall die for want of instruction; 17. Yea, through the greatness of his folly he shall stagger. Now, therefore, ye children, hearken to me, 18. Let not thy heart turn aside to her ways; 19. For many are the wounded which she hath cast down: Yea, countless is the number of those slain by her. 20. Her house is the way to the under-world, Leading down to the chambers of death. |