| 1 | Hear, [my] sons, the instruction of a father, And attend to know understanding: |
| 2 | For I give you good doctrine; Forsake ye not my law. |
| 3 | For I was a son unto my father, Tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. |
| 4 | And he taught me, and said unto me: Let thy heart retain my words; Keep my commandments, and live; |
| 5 | Get wisdom, get understanding; Forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth; |
| 6 | Forsake her not, and she will preserve thee; Love her, and she will keep thee. |
| 7 | Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom; Yea, with all thy getting get 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 chaplet of grace; A crown of beauty will she deliver to thee. |
| 10 | Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; And the years of thy life shall be many. |
| 11 | I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in paths of uprightness. |
| 12 | When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; And if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. |
| 13 | Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: Keep her; for she is thy life. |
| 14 | Enter not into the path of the wicked, And walk not in the way of evil men. |
| 15 | Avoid it, pass not by it; Turn from it, and pass on. |
| 16 | For they sleep not, except they do evil; And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. |
| 17 | For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. |
| 18 | But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day. |
| 19 | The way of the wicked is as darkness: They know not at what they stumble. |
| 20 | My son, attend to my words; Incline thine ear unto my sayings. |
| 21 | Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thy heart. |
| 22 | For they are life unto those that find them, And health to all their flesh. |
| 23 | Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life. |
| 24 | Put away from thee a wayward mouth, And perverse lips put far from thee. |
| 25 | Let thine eyes look right on, And let thine eyelids look straight before thee. |
| 26 | Make level the path of thy feet, And let all thy ways be established. |
| 27 | Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: Remove thy foot from evil. |