¶ Hear, ye¹ children, the instruction of a father, and attend² to know understanding.

For I give you good³ doctrine, forsake⁴ ye not my law.

⁵For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.

He⁶ taught me also, and said unto me, Let⁷ thine heart retain my words: keep⁸ my commandments, and live.

Get wisdom⁹, get understanding: forget it not; neither¹⁰ decline from the words of my mouth.

Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love¹¹ her, and she shall keep thee.

Wisdom is¹² the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with¹³ all thy getting get understanding¹⁴.

¹⁵Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.

She shall give¹⁶ to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown¹⁷ of glory shall she deliver to thee.

¶ Hear, O my¹⁸ son, and receive my sayings; and the¹⁹ years of thy life shall be many.

I have taught²⁰ thee in the way of wisdom; I have led²¹ thee in right paths.

When thou goest²², thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt²³ not stumble.

Take²⁴ fast hold of instruction; let²⁵ her not go: keep her; for she²⁶ is thy life.

¶²⁷Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.

²⁸Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

²⁹For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.

³⁰For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

³¹But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

³²The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

¶³³My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.

Let them not depart³⁴ from thine eyes; keep them in the³⁵ midst of thine heart.

For they are life³⁶ unto those that find them, and health³⁷ to all their flesh.

Keep³⁸ thy heart with all diligence³⁹; for⁴⁰ out of it are the issues of life.

Put⁴¹ away from thee a⁴² froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.

⁴³Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.

Ponder⁴⁴ the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established⁴⁵.

Turn⁴⁶ not to the right hand nor to the left: remove⁴⁷ thy foot from evil.