¹ Hear, ye children,
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 my father's son,
tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
⁴ He taught me also,
and said unto me,
Let thine heart retain my words:
keep my commandments,
and live.
⁵ Get wisdom,
get understanding:
forget it not;
neither decline from the words of my mouth.
⁶ Forsake her not,
and she shall preserve thee:
love her,
and she shall keep thee.
⁷ Wisdom is the principal thing;
therefore get wisdom:
and with all thy getting get understanding.
⁸ Exalt her,
and she shall promote thee:
she shall bring thee to honour,
when thou dost embrace her.
⁹ give to thine head an ornament of grace:
a crown of glory shall 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 right paths.
¹² When thou goest,
thy steps shall not be straitened;
and when 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 go not in the way of evil men.
¹⁵ Avoid it,
pass not by it,
turn from it,
and pass away.
¹⁶ For they sleep not,
except they have done mischief;
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 just is as the shining 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 thine 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 froward mouth,
and perverse lips put far from thee.
²⁵ Let thine eyes look right on,
and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
²⁶ Ponder 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.