THE PROVERBS PROVERBS I My son, if sinners entice thee, Consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, We shall find all precious substance; Cast in thy lot among us; We will all have one purse My son, walk not thou in the way with them; Refrain thy foot from their path: Avoid it, pass not by it; Turn from it, and pass on. For their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed blood. In the sight of any bird: And these lay wait for their own blood; So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; It taketh away the life of the owners thereof. PROVERBS I, II My son, if thou wilt receive my words, And search for her as for hid treasures: For the Lord giveth wisdom; Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding: He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright; Equity, yea, every good path. For wisdom shall enter into thy heart, And knowledge shall be pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall watch over thee; Understanding shall keep thee: To deliver thee from the way of evil, From the men that speak perverse things; men, And keep the paths of the righteous. PROVERBS I, VI, VII Wisdom crieth aloud in the street; She uttereth her voice in the broad places; In the city, she uttereth her words, saying: If thou say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; And call understanding thy familiar friend: Then shalt thou walk in the way of good men, And keep the paths of the righteous. When thou walkest, it shall lead thee; When thou sleepest, it shall watch over thee; And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; And reproofs of instruction are the way of life. PROVERBS III My son, forget not my law; But let thy heart keep my commandments: Let not kindness and truth forsake thee: Bind them about thy neck; Write them upon the tablet of thy heart: Trust in the Lord with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding: In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes; And strength to all thy bones. And let all thy ways be ordered aright. PROVERBS III, IV Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father, Forsake ye not my law. Get wisdom, get understanding; Forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth; Forsake her not, and she will preserve thee; Love her, and she will keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; Yea, with all thy getting get understanding. She will bring thee to honour, when thou dost choose her. She will give to thy head a chaplet of grace; Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, And the profit thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: And none of the things thou canst desire are to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honour. And all her paths are peace. PROVERBS IV, V, VI My son, attend to my words; Keep thine heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life. Let thine eyes look right on, And let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, And let all thy ways be ordered aright. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: Remove thy foot from evil. For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord; And he weigheth carefully all his paths. His own iniquities shall take the wicked, And he shall be holden with the cords of his own sin. He shall die for lack of instruction; And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray. |