1 H ear, O sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention that you may gain understanding,

Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father, And attend to know understanding:

2 F or I give you sound teaching; Do not abandon my instruction.

For I give you good doctrine; Forsake ye not my law.

3 W hen I was a son to my father, Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother,

For I was a son unto my father, Tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.

4 T hen he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; Keep my commandments and live;

And he taught me, and said unto me: Let thy heart retain my words; Keep my commandments, and live;

5 A cquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

Get wisdom, get understanding; Forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth;

6 “ Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; Love her, and she will watch over you.

Forsake her not, and she will preserve thee; Love her, and she will keep thee.

7 “ The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding.

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; Yea, with all thy getting get understanding.

8 “ Prize her, and she will exalt you; She will honor you if you embrace her.

Exalt her, and she will promote thee; She will bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her.

9 “ She will place on your head a garland of grace; She will present you with a crown of beauty.”

She will give to thy head a chaplet of grace; A crown of beauty will she deliver to thee.

10 H ear, my son, and accept my sayings And the years of your life will be many.

Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; And the years of thy life shall be many.

11 I have directed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths.

I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in paths of uprightness.

12 W hen you walk, your steps will not be impeded; And if you run, you will not stumble.

When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; And if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

13 T ake hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life.

Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: Keep her; for she is thy life.

14 D o not enter the path of the wicked And do not proceed in the way of evil men.

Enter not into the path of the wicked, And walk not in the way of evil men.

15 A void it, do not pass by it; Turn away from it and pass on.

Avoid it, pass not by it; Turn from it, and pass on.

16 F or they cannot sleep unless they do evil; And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.

For they sleep not, except they do evil; And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.

17 F or they eat the bread of wickedness And drink the wine of violence.

For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence.

18 B ut the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.

But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

19 T he way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.

The way of the wicked is as darkness: They know not at what they stumble.

20 M y son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.

My son, attend to my words; Incline thine ear unto my sayings.

21 D o not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart.

Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thy heart.

22 F or they are life to those who find them And health to all their body.

For they are life unto those that find them, And health to all their flesh.

23 W atch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.

Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.

24 P ut away from you a deceitful mouth And put devious speech far from you.

Put away from thee a wayward mouth, And perverse lips put far from thee.

25 L et your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.

Let thine eyes look right on, And let thine eyelids look straight before thee.

26 W atch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established.

Make level the path of thy feet, And let all thy ways be established.

27 D o not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil.

Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: Remove thy foot from evil.