137:1By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down; yea, we wept when we remembered Zion. 137:2We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. 137:3For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that made us wail [required] mirth, [saying,] Sing us [one] of the songs of Zion. 137:4How should we sing a song of Jehovah's upon a foreign soil? 137:5If I forget thee, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget [its skill]; 137:6If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to my palate: if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy. 137:7Remember, O Jehovah, against the sons of Edom, the day of Jerusalem; who said, Lay [it] bare, Lay [it] bare, down to its foundation! 137:8Daughter of Babylon, who art to be laid waste, happy he that rendereth unto thee that which thou hast meted out to us. 137:9Happy he that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the rock.
138:1{[A Psalm] of David.} I will give thee thanks with my whole heart; before the gods will I sing psalms of thee. 138:2I will bow down toward the temple of thy holiness, and celebrate thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth; for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. 138:3In the day when I called thou answeredst me; thou didst encourage me with strength in my soul. 138:4All the kings of the earth shall celebrate thee, Jehovah, when they have heard the words of thy mouth; 138:5And they shall sing in the ways of Jehovah, for great is the glory of Jehovah. 138:6For Jehovah is high; but he looketh upon the lowly, and the proud he knoweth afar off. 138:7Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou wilt stretch forth thy hand against the anger of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. 138:8Jehovah will perfect what concerneth me: thy loving-kindness, O Jehovah, [endureth] for ever; forsake not the works of thine own hands.
139:1{To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David.} Jehovah, thou hast searched me, and known [me]. 139:2*Thou* knowest my down-sitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off; 139:3Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways; 139:4For there is not yet a word on my tongue, [but] lo, O Jehovah, thou knowest it altogether. 139:5Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thy hand upon me. 139:6O knowledge too wonderful for me! it is high, I cannot [attain] unto it. 139:7Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? and whither flee from thy presence? 139:8If I ascend up into the heavens thou art there; or if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou [art there]; 139:9[If] I take the wings of the dawn [and] dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 139:10Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 139:11And if I say, Surely darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night; 139:12Even darkness hideth not from thee, and the night shineth as the day: the darkness is as the light. 139:13For thou hast possessed my reins; thou didst cover me in my mother's womb. 139:14I will praise thee, for I am fearfully, wonderfully made. Marvellous are thy works; and [that] my soul knoweth right well. 139:15My bones were not hidden from thee when I was made in secret, curiously wrought in the lower parts of the earth. 139:16Thine eyes did see my unformed substance, and in thy book all [my members] were written; [during many] days were they fashioned, when [as yet] there was none of them. 139:17But how precious are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! 139:18[If] I would count them, they are more in number than the sand. When I awake, I am still with thee. 139:19Oh that thou wouldest slay the wicked, O God! And ye men of blood, depart from me. 139:20For they speak of thee wickedly, they take [thy name] in vain, thine enemies. 139:21Do not I hate them, O Jehovah, that hate thee? and do not I loathe them that rise up against thee? 139:22I hate them with perfect hatred; I account them mine enemies. 139:23Search me, O God, and know my heart; prove me, and know my thoughts; 139:24And see if there be any grievous way in me; and lead me in the way everlasting.
140:1{To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David.} Free me, O Jehovah, from the evil man; preserve me from the violent man: 140:2Who devise mischiefs in [their] heart; every day are they banded together for war. 140:3They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah. 140:4Keep me, O Jehovah, from the hands of the wicked [man], preserve me from the violent man, who devise to overthrow my steps. 140:5The proud have hidden a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the way-side; they have set traps for me. Selah. 140:6I have said unto Jehovah, Thou art my God: give ear, O Jehovah, to the voice of my supplications. 140:7Jehovah, the Lord, is the strength of my salvation: thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. 140:8Grant not, O Jehovah, the desire of the wicked; further not his device: they would exalt themselves. Selah. 140:9[As for] the head of those that encompass me, let the mischief of their own lips cover them. 140:10Let burning coals fall on them; let them be cast into the fire; into deep waters, that they rise not up again. 140:11Let not the man of [evil] tongue be established in the earth: evil shall hunt the man of violence to [his] ruin. 140:12I know that Jehovah will maintain the cause of the afflicted one, the right of the needy. 140:13Yea, the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name; the upright shall dwell in thy presence.
141:1{A Psalm of David.} Jehovah, I have called upon thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I call unto thee. 141:2Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening oblation. 141:3Set a watch, O Jehovah, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. 141:4Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise deeds of wickedness with men that are workers of iniquity; and let me not eat of their dainties. 141:5Let the righteous smite me, it is kindness; and let him reprove me, it is an excellent oil which my head shall not refuse: for yet my prayer also is [for them] in their calamities. 141:6When their judges are thrown down from the rocks, they shall hear my words, for they are sweet. 141:7Our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol, as when one cutteth and cleaveth [wood] upon the earth. 141:8For unto thee, Jehovah, Lord, are mine eyes; in thee do I trust: leave not my soul destitute. 141:9Keep me from the snare which they have laid for me, and from the traps of the workers of iniquity. 141:10Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that *I* withal pass over. 141:11
142:1{An instruction of David; when he was in the cave: a prayer.} I cry unto Jehovah with my voice: with my voice unto Jehovah do I make supplication. 142:2I pour out my plaint before him; I shew before him my trouble. 142:3When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then *thou* knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they hidden a snare for me. 142:4Look on the right hand and see; there is no man that knoweth me: refuge hath failed me; no man careth for my soul. 142:5I cried unto thee, Jehovah; I said, Thou art my refuge, my portion in the land of the living. 142:6Attend unto my cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I. 142:7Bring my soul out of prison, that I may celebrate thy name. The righteous shall surround me, because thou dealest bountifully with me.
143:1{A Psalm of David.} Jehovah, hear my prayer; give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, in thy righteousness. 143:2And enter not into judgment with thy servant; for in thy sight no man living shall be justified. 143:3For the enemy persecuteth my soul: he hath crushed my life down to the earth; he hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead. 143:4And my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate. 143:5I remember the days of old: I meditate on all thy doing; I muse on the work of thy hands. 143:6I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul, as a parched land, [thirsteth] after thee. Selah. 143:7Answer me speedily, O Jehovah; my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, or I shall be like unto them that go down into the pit. 143:8Cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning, for in thee do I confide; make me to know the way wherein I should walk, for unto thee do I lift up my soul. 143:9Deliver me, O Jehovah, from mine enemies: unto thee do I flee for refuge. 143:10Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: let thy good Spirit lead me in a plain country. 143:11Revive me, O Jehovah, for thy name's sake; in thy righteousness bring my soul out of trouble; 143:12And in thy loving-kindness cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that oppress my soul: for I am thy servant.
144:1{[A Psalm] of David.} Blessed be Jehovah my rock, who teacheth my hands to war, my fingers to fight; 144:2My mercy and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I trust, who subdueth my people under me! 144:3Jehovah, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him, the son of man, that thou takest thought of him? 144:4Man is like to vanity; his days are as a shadow that passeth away. 144:5Jehovah, bow thy heavens, and come down; touch the mountains, that they smoke; 144:6Cast forth lightnings, and scatter them; send forth thine arrows, and discomfit them: 144:7Stretch out thy hands from above; rescue me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of aliens, 144:8Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood. 144:9O God, I will sing a new song unto thee; with the ten-stringed lute will I sing psalms unto thee: 144:10Who givest salvation unto kings; who rescuest David thy servant from the hurtful sword. 144:11Rescue me, and deliver me from the hand of aliens, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood. 144:12That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; our daughters as corner-columns, sculptured after the fashion of a palace: 144:13Our granaries full, affording all manner of store; our sheep bringing forth thousands, ten thousands in our pastures; 144:14Our kine laden [with young]; no breaking in and no going forth, and no outcry in our streets. 144:15Blessed the people that is in such a case! Blessed the people whose God is Jehovah!
145:1{A Psalm of praise. Of David.} I will extol thee, my God, O King, and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. 145:2Every day will I bless thee, and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. 145:3Great is Jehovah, and exceedingly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. 145:4One generation shall laud thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. 145:5I will speak of the glorious splendour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. 145:6And they shall tell of the might of thy terrible acts; and thy great deeds will I declare. 145:7They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 145:8Jehovah is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great loving-kindness. 145:9Jehovah is good to all; and his tender mercies are over all his works. 145:10All thy works shall praise thee, Jehovah, and thy saints shall bless thee. 145:11They shall tell of the glory of thy kingdom, and speak of thy power; 145:12To make known to the children of men his mighty acts, and the glorious splendour of his kingdom. 145:13Thy kingdom is a kingdom of all ages, and thy dominion is throughout all generations. 145:14Jehovah upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all that are bowed down. 145:15The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their food in its season. 145:16Thou openest thy hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. 145:17Jehovah is righteous in all his ways, and kind in all his works. 145:18Jehovah is nigh unto all that call upon him, unto all that call upon him in truth. 145:19He fulfilleth the desire of them that fear him; he heareth their cry, and saveth them. 145:20Jehovah keepeth all that love him, and all the wicked will he destroy. 145:21My mouth shall speak the praise of Jehovah; and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
146:1Hallelujah! Praise Jehovah, O my soul. 146:2As long as I live will I praise Jehovah; I will sing psalms unto my God while I have my being. 146:3Put not confidence in nobles, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. 146:4His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his purposes perish. 146:5Blessed is he who hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in Jehovah his God, 146:6Who made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is therein; who keepeth truth for ever; 146:7Who executeth judgment for the oppressed, who giveth bread to the hungry. Jehovah looseth the prisoners; 146:8Jehovah openeth [the eyes of] the blind; Jehovah raiseth up them that are bowed down; Jehovah loveth the righteous; 146:9Jehovah preserveth the strangers; he lifteth up the fatherless and the widow; but the way of the wicked doth he subvert. 146:10Jehovah will reign for ever, [even] thy God, O Zion, from generation to generation. Halleluiah!
147:1Praise ye Jah! for it is good. Sing psalms of our God; for it is pleasant: praise is comely. 147:2Jehovah doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth the outcasts of Israel. 147:3He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. 147:4He counteth the number of the stars; he giveth names to them all. 147:5Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. 147:6Jehovah lifteth up the meek; he abaseth the wicked to the earth. 147:7Sing unto Jehovah with thanksgiving; sing psalms upon the harp unto our God: 147:8Who covereth the heavens with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains; 147:9Who giveth to the cattle their food, to the young ravens which cry. 147:10He delighteth not in the strength of the horse, he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man; 147:11Jehovah taketh pleasure in those that fear him, in those that hope in his loving-kindness. 147:12Laud Jehovah, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion. 147:13For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee; 147:14He maketh peace in thy borders; he satisfieth thee with the finest of the wheat. 147:15He sendeth forth his oracles to the earth: his word runneth very swiftly. 147:16He giveth snow like wool, scattereth the hoar frost like ashes; 147:17He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold? 147:18He sendeth his word, and melteth them; he causeth his wind to blow the waters flow. 147:19He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. 147:20He hath not dealt thus with any nation; and as for [his] judgments, they have not known them. Hallelujah!
148:1Hallelujah! Praise Jehovah from the heavens; praise him in the heights. 148:2Praise ye him, all his angels; praise ye him, all his hosts. 148:3Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all ye stars of light. 148:4Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that are above the heavens. 148:5Let them praise the name of Jehovah, for he it is that commanded, and they were created: 148:6And he established them for ever and ever; he made [for them] a statute which shall not pass. 148:7Praise Jehovah from the earth, ye sea-monsters, and all deeps; 148:8Fire and hail, snow and vapour, stormy wind fulfilling his word; 148:9Mountains and all hills, fruit-trees and all cedars; 148:10Beasts and all cattle, creeping things and winged fowl; 148:11Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all judges of the earth; 148:12Both young men and maidens, old men with youths, 148:13Let them praise the name of Jehovah: for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above the earth and the heavens. 148:14And he hath lifted up the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints, [even] of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Hallelujah!
149:1Hallelujah! Sing unto Jehovah a new song; [sing] his praise in the congregation of the godly. 149:2Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; let the sons of Zion be joyful in their King. 149:3Let them praise his name in the dance; let them sing psalms unto him with the tambour and harp. 149:4For Jehovah taketh pleasure in his people; he beautifieth the meek with salvation. 149:5Let the godly exult in glory; let them shout for joy upon their beds. 149:6Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand: 149:7To execute vengeance against the nations, [and] punishment among the peoples; 149:8To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; 149:9To execute upon them the judgment written. This honour have all his saints. Hallelujah!
150:1Hallelujah! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in the firmament of his power. 150:2Praise him in his mighty acts; praise him according to the abundance of his greatness. 150:3Praise him with the sound of the trumpet; praise him with lute and harp; 150:4Praise him with the tambour and dance; praise him with stringed instruments and the pipe; 150:5Praise him with loud cymbals; praise him with high sounding cymbals. 150:6Let everything that hath breath praise Jah. Hallelujah!
Proverbs
1:1Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: 1:2to know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding; 1:3to receive the instruction of wisdom, righteousness and judgment, and equity; 1:4to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. 1:5He that is wise will hear, and will increase learning; and the intelligent will gain wise counsels: 1:6to understand a proverb and an allegory, the words of the wise and their enigmas. 1:7The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge: fools despise wisdom and instruction. 1:8Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother; 1:9for they shall be a garland of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck. 1:10My son, if sinners entice thee, consent not. 1:11If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause; 1:12let us swallow them up alive as Sheol, and whole, as those that go down into the pit; 1:13we shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: 1:14cast in thy lot among us; we will all have one purse: 1:15my son, walk not in the way with them, keep back thy foot from their path; 1:16for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. 1:17For in vain the net is spread in the sight of anything which hath wings. 1:18And these lay wait for their own blood; they lurk secretly for their own lives. 1:19So are the paths of every one that is greedy of gain: it taketh away the life of its possessors. 1:20Wisdom crieth without; she raiseth her voice in the broadways; 1:21she calleth in the chief [place] of concourse, in the entry of the gates; in the city she uttereth her words: 1:22How long, simple ones, will ye love simpleness, and scorners take pleasure in their scorning, and the foolish hate knowledge? 1:23Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour forth my spirit unto you, I will make known to you my words. 1:24Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one regarded; 1:25and ye have rejected all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 1:26I also will laugh in your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh; 1:27when your fear cometh as sudden destruction, and your calamity cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come upon you: 1:28then will they call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me early, and shall not find me. 1:29Because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of Jehovah; 1:30they would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof: 1:31therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their way, and be filled with their own devices. 1:32For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of the foolish shall cause them to perish. 1:33But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be at rest from fear of evil.
2:1My son, if thou receivest my words, and layest up my commandments with thee, 2:2so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom [and] thou apply thy heart to understanding; 2:3yea, if thou criest after discernment [and] liftest up thy voice to understanding; 2:4if thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hidden treasures: 2:5then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah, and find the knowledge of God. 2:6For Jehovah giveth wisdom; out of his mouth [come] knowledge and understanding. 2:7He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright; [he] is a shield to them that walk in integrity; 2:8guarding the paths of just judgment and keeping the way of his godly ones. 2:9Then shalt thou understand righteousness and judgment and equity: every good path. 2:10When wisdom entereth into thy heart and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul, 2:11discretion shall keep thee, understanding shall preserve thee: 2:12To deliver thee from the way of evil, from the man that speaketh froward things; 2:13[from those] who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; 2:14who rejoice to do evil, [and] delight in the frowardness of evil; 2:15whose paths are crooked, and who are perverted in their course: 2:16To deliver thee from the strange woman, from the stranger who flattereth with her words; 2:17who forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God; 2:18for her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead; 2:19none that go unto her return again, neither do they attain to the paths of life: 2:20that thou mayest walk in the way of the good, and keep the paths of the righteous. 2:21For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it; 2:22but the wicked shall be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful shall be plucked up out of it.
3:1My son, forget not my teaching, and let thy heart observe my commandments; 3:2for length of days, and years of life, and peace shall they add to thee. 3:3Let not loving-kindness and truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck, write them upon the tablet of thy heart: 3:4and thou shalt find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. 3:5Confide in Jehovah with all thy heart, and lean not unto thine own intelligence; 3:6in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will make plain thy paths. 3:7Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear Jehovah, and depart from evil: 3:8it shall be health for thy navel, and moisture for thy bones. 3:9Honour Jehovah with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase; 3:10so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy vats shall overflow with new wine. 3:11My son, despise not the instruction of Jehovah, neither be weary of his chastisement; 3:12for whom Jehovah loveth he chasteneth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. 3:13Blessed is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. 3:14For the gain thereof is better than the gain of silver, and her revenue than fine gold. 3:15She is more precious than rubies; and all the things thou canst desire are not equal unto her. 3:16Length of days is in her right hand; in her left hand riches and honour. 3:17Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 3:18She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her; and happy is he that retaineth her. 3:19Jehovah by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens. 3:20By his knowledge the deeps were broken up, and the skies drop down the dew. 3:21My son, let them not depart from thine eyes; keep sound wisdom and discretion: 3:22so shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace unto thy neck. 3:23Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, and thy foot shall not stumble; 3:24when thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid, but thou shalt lie down and thy sleep shall be sweet. 3:25Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the destruction of the wicked, when it cometh; 3:26for Jehovah shall be thy confidence, and he will keep thy foot from being taken. 3:27Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thy hand to do it. 3:28Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to-morrow I will give, when thou hast it by thee. 3:29Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. 3:30Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm. 3:31Envy not the man of violence, and choose none of his ways. 3:32For the perverse is an abomination to Jehovah; but his secret is with the upright. 3:33The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked; but he blesseth the habitation of the righteous. 3:34He indeed scorneth the scorners; but he giveth grace unto the lowly. 3:35The wise shall inherit glory; but shame shall be the promotion of the foolish.
4:1Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know intelligence; 4:2for I give you good doctrine: forsake ye not my law. 4:3For I was a son unto my father, tender and an only one in the sight of my mother. 4:4And he taught me, and said unto me, Let thy heart retain my words; keep my commandments and live. 4:5Get wisdom, get intelligence: forget [it] not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. 4:6Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee; love her, and she shall preserve thee. 4:7The beginning of wisdom [is], Get wisdom; and with all thy getting get intelligence. 4:8Exalt her, and she shall promote thee; she shall bring thee to honour when thou dost embrace her. 4:9She shall give to thy head a garland of grace; a crown of glory will she bestow upon thee. 4:10Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of thy life shall be multiplied. 4:11I will teach thee in the way of wisdom, I will lead thee in paths of uprightness. 4:12When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. 4:13Take fast hold of instruction, let [her] not go: keep her, for she is thy life. 4:14Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil [men]: 4:15avoid it, pass not by it; turn from it, and pass away. 4:16For they sleep not except they have done mischief, and their sleep is taken away unless they have caused [some] to fall. 4:17For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. 4:18But the path of the righteous is as the shining light, going on and brightening until the day be fully come. 4:19The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. 4:20My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. 4:21Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thy heart. 4:22For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. 4:23Keep thy heart more than anything that is guarded; for out of it are the issues of life. 4:24Put away from thee perverseness of mouth, and corrupt lips put far from thee. 4:25Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. 4:26Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be well-ordered. 4:27Turn not to the right hand nor to the left; remove thy foot from evil.
5:1My son, attend unto my wisdom, incline thine ear to my understanding; 5:2that thou mayest keep reflection, and that thy lips may preserve knowledge. 5:3For the lips of the strange woman drop honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; 5:4but her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. 5:5Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on Sheol. 5:6Lest she should ponder the path of life, her ways wander, she knoweth not [whither]. 5:7And now, children, hearken unto me, and depart not from the words of my mouth. 5:8Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house: 5:9lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel; 5:10lest strangers be filled with thy wealth, and the fruits of thy toil [come] into the house of a stranger; 5:11and thou mourn in thine end, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed; 5:12and thou say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof! 5:13and I have not hearkened unto the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to those that instructed me; 5:14I was well nigh in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly. 5:15Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. 5:16Thy fountains shall be poured forth, as water-brooks in the broadways. 5:17Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee. 5:18Let thy fountain be blessed; and have joy of the wife of thy youth. 5:19As a lovely hind and a graceful roe, let her breasts satisfy thee at all times: be thou ravished continually with her love. 5:20And why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? 5:21For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah, and he pondereth all his paths. 5:22His own iniquities shall take the wicked, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sin. 5:23He shall die for want of discipline; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.