cept they have done mifchief; and their fleep is taken away unless they caufe fome to fall. 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. 18 But the path of the juft is as the fhining light, that fhineth more and more unto the perfect day. 19 The way of the wicked is as darknefs: they know 'not at what they stumble. 20 My fon attend to my words, incline thine ear unto my fayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midft of thine heart.i 22 For they are life unto thofe that find them, and health to all their flefh. 23¶ Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the iffues 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 ftraight before thee. 26 Ponder the path of thy feet; and let all thy ways be established. 27 Turn net to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil. CHAP. V. Y fon, attend unto M my wildom, and bow thine ear to my understanding 2 That thou mayelt regard difcretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge. 3 For the lips of a ftrange woman drop as an honey-comb, and her mouth is fmoother than oil 4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged fword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her fteps take hold on hell. 6 Left thou shouldeft ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canit not know them: 7 Hear me now therefore, Oye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth. 8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her houfe: 9 Left thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel: : 10 Left ftrangers be filled with thy wealth and thy labours be in the house of a ftranger; 11 And thou mourn at the lift, when thy flesh and thy body are confumed, 12. And 12 And fay, How have I the cords of his fins. hated inftruction, and my heart defpifed reproof 13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor 23 He fhall die without inftruction: and in the greatnefs of his folly he fhall go aftray... inclined mine ear to them AL CHAP. VI. that inftructed me!''I 14 I was almost if thou be in the midft of the congrega-Murety for thy friend, tion and affembly. if thou haft ftricken thy hand with a ftranger, 2 Thou art fnared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth." 16 Let thy fountains be difperfed abroad, and rivers 3 Do this now, my fon, of waters in the streets. and deliver thyfelf, when 117 Let them be only thing thou art come into the hand own, and not strangers with of thy friend; go, humble thee.f thyfelf, and make fure thy friend. 18 Let thy fountain be bieffed and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. 19 Let her be as the loving hind, and, pleasant roc: let her breafts fatisfy thee at all times, and be thou ravifhed always with her love. 4 Give not fleep to thine eyes, nor flumber to thine eye-lids: 5 Deliver thyfelf as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand das of the fowler. 6 Go to the ant, thou fluggard; confider her ways, and be wife: 7 Which having no guide, overfeer, or ruler, 8 Provideth her meat in the fummer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. 9 How long wilt thou fleep, O fluggard? when wilt thou arife out of thy fleep? 10 Yet a little fleep, a little de flumber, a little folding of the hands to fleep: 11 So fhall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. 124 A naughty perfon, a wicked man walketh with a froward mouth.: 13 He winketh with his eyes, he fpeaketh, with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers: 21. Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. go 22 When thou goeft, it fhall lead thee; when thou fleepeft, it fhall keep thee; and when thou awakeft, it fhall talk with thee. 23 For the commandment is a lamp and the law is light: and reproofs of inftruction are the way of life; 24. To keep thee from the 14 Frowardnefs is in his evil woman, from the flattery. heart; he deviseth mifchief of the tongue of a strange continually he foweth dif-woman. cord. 25 ¶ Luft not after her 15 Therefore fhall his ca- beauty in thine heart: neilamity come fuddenly; fud-ther let her take thee with denly fhall he be broken her eye-lids.. without remedy. 15 Thefe fix things doth the Lord hate; yea, feven are, an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that devifeth wicked imaginations, feet that be fwift in running to mifchief, 26 For by means of a whorifh woman a man is brought to a piece of bread i and the adulterefs will hunt for the precious life. 27 Can a man take fira in his bofom, and his clothes not be burned? 28 Can one go upon, hot coals, and his feet not be burned? 29 So he that goeth in to 19 A falfe witnefs that his neighbour's wife whofpeaketh lies, and he that foever toucheth her shall not foweth difcord among bre-be innocent. thren. 30 Men do not defpife a 20 q My fon, keep thy fa- thief, if he fteal to fatisfy his ther's commandment, and foul when he is hungry; forfake not the law of thy 31 But if he be found he fhall restore seven-fold, he fhall mother: 5 fhall give all the substance of 7 And beheld among the his houfe: 32 But whofo committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it deftroyeth his own foul. 33 A wound and difhonour fhall he get, and his reproach fhall not be wiped away. 34 For jealoufy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. 35 He will not regard any ransom: neither will he reft content, though thou giveft many gifts. MY CHAP. VII. fimple ones, I difcerned a mong the youths a young man void of understanding, 8 Paffing through the ftreet near her corner: and he went the way to her house, 9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night. 10 And behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and fubtil of heart. II (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: 12 Now is fhe without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.) 13 So fhe caught him, and Y fon, keep my words, and lay up my com-kiffed him, and with an immandments with thee. pudent face faid unto him, E 2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. 3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. 4 Say unto wifdom, Thou art my fifter; and call understanding thy kinfwoman. 14 I have peace-offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. 15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to feek thy face, and I have found thee. 16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, 5 That they may keep with carved works, with fine thee from the ftrange wo-linen of Egypt. man, from the ftranger which flattereth with her words. 6 For at the window of T my houfe I looked through my cafement, 17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morn ing; let us folace ourselves | forth her voice? with loves, 19 For the good man is not at home, he is gone a long journey; 20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed. 21 With her much fair fpeech the caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips fhe forced him.. 22 He goeth after her ftraightway, as an ox goeth to, the flaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the ftocks; 23 Till a dart ftrike through his liver as a bird hafteth to the fnare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. 24 Hearken unto me, now, therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. 25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not aftray in her paths: 26 For the hath caft down many wounded: yea, many ftrong men have been flain by her. 2 She ftandeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. 3 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.: 4 Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the fons of man. 5 O ye fimple, understand wisdom; and ye fools, be of an understanding heart. ye 6'q Hear: for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. 7 For my mouth fhall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 8 All the words of my mouth are in righteoufnefs; there is nothing froward or perverfe in them. 9 They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge. 10 Receive my inftruc¶ tion, and not filver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. II For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be defired are not to be compared to it. 12 I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. |