Psal 132:1 (ASV) Jehovah, remember for David All his affliction;

2 How he sware unto Jehovah, And vowed unto the Mighty One of Jacob:

3 Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, Nor go up into my bed;

4 I will not give sleep to mine eyes, Or slumber to mine eyelids;

5 Until I find out a place for Jehovah, A tabernacle for the Mighty One of Jacob.

6 Lo, we heard of it in Ephrathah: We found it in the field of the wood.

7 We will go into his tabernacles; We will worship at his footstool.

8 Arise, O Jehovah, into thy resting-place; Thou, and the ark of thy strength.

9 Let thy priest be clothed with righteousness; And let thy saints shout for joy.

10 For thy servant David's sake Turn not away the face of thine anointed.

11 Jehovah hath sworn unto David in truth; He will not turn from it: Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.

12 If thy children will keep my covenant And my testimony that I shall teach them, Their children also shall sit upon thy throne for evermore.

13 For Jehovah hath chosen Zion; He hath desired it for his habitation.

14 This is my resting-place for ever: Here will I dwell; For I have desired it.

15 I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread.

16 Her priests also will I clothe with salvation; And her saints shall shout aloud for joy.

17 There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed.

18 His enemies will I clothe with shame; But upon himself shall his crown flourish.

133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!

2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, That ran down upon the beard, Even Aaron's beard; That came down upon the skirt of his garments;

3 Like the dew of Hermon, That cometh down upon the mountains of Zion: For there Jehovah commanded the blessing, Even life for evermore.

134:1 Behold, bless ye Jehovah, all ye servants of Jehovah, That by night stand in the house of Jehovah.

2 Lift up your hands to the sanctuary, And bless ye Jehovah.

3 Jehovah bless thee out of Zion; Even he that made heaven and earth.

135:1 Praise ye Jehovah. Praise ye the name of Jehovah; Praise [him], O ye servants of Jehovah,

2 Ye that stand in the house of Jehovah, In the courts of the house of our God.

3 Praise ye Jehovah; For Jehovah is good: Sing praises unto his name; For it is pleasant.

4 For Jehovah hath chosen Jacob unto himself, [And] Israel for his own possession.

5 For I know that Jehovah is great, And that our Lord is above all gods.

6 Whatsoever Jehovah pleased, that hath he done, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps;

7 Who causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; Who maketh lightnings for the rain; Who bringeth forth the wind out of his treasuries;

8 Who smote the first-born of Egypt, Both of man and beast;

9 Who sent signs and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, Upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants;

10 Who smote many nations, And slew mighty kings,

11 Sihon king of the Amorites, And Og king of Bashan, And all the kingdoms of Canaan,

12 And gave their land for a heritage, A heritage unto Israel his people.

13 Thy name, O Jehovah, [endureth] for ever; Thy memorial [name], O Jehovah, throughout all generations.

14 For Jehovah will judge his people, And repent himself concerning his servants.

15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, The work of men's hands.

16 They have mouths, but they speak not; Eyes have they, but they see not;

17 They have ears, but they hear not; Neither is there any breath in their mouths.

18 They that make them shall be like unto them; Yea, every one that trusteth in them.

19 O house of Israel, bless ye Jehovah: O house of Aaron, bless ye Jehovah:

20 O house of Levi, bless ye Jehovah: Ye that fear Jehovah, bless ye Jehovah.

21 Blessed be Jehovah out of Zion, Who dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye Jehovah.

136:1 Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; For he is good; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever.

2 Oh give thanks unto the God of gods; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever.

3 Oh give thanks unto the Lord of lords; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever:

4 To him who alone doeth great wonders; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever:

5 To him that by understanding made the heavens; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever:

6 To him that spread forth the earth above the waters; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever:

7 To him that made great lights; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever:

8 The sun to rule by day; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever;

9 The moon and stars to rule by night; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever:

10 To him that smote Egypt in their first-born; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever;

11 And brought out Israel from among them; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever;

12 With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever:

13 To him that divided the Red Sea in sunder; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever;

14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever;

15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever:

16 To him that led his people through the wilderness; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever:

17 To him that smote great kings; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever;

18 And slew famous kings; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever:

19 Sihon king of the Amorites; For his lovingkindness [endureth] forever;

20 And Og king of Bashan; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever;

21 And gave their land for a heritage; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever;

22 Even a heritage unto Israel his servant; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever:

23 Who remembered us in our low estate; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever;

24 And hath delivered us from our adversaries; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever:

25 Who giveth food to all flesh; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever.

26 Oh give thanks unto the God of heaven; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever.

137:1 By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept, When we remembered Zion.

2 Upon the willows in the midst thereof We hanged up our harps.

3 For there they that led us captive required of us songs, And they that wasted us [required of us] mirth, [saying], Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

4 How shall we sing Jehovah's song In a foreign land?

5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget [her skill].

6 Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, If I remember thee not; If I prefer not Jerusalem Above my chief joy.

7 Remember, O Jehovah, against the children of Edom The day of Jerusalem; Who said, Rase it, rase it, Even to the foundation thereof.

8 O daughter of Babylon, that art to be destroyed, Happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee As thou hast served us.

9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones Against the rock.

138:1 I will give thee thanks with my whole heart: Before the gods will I sing praises unto thee.

2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, And give thanks unto thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

3 In the day that I called thou answeredst me, Thou didst encourage me with strength in my soul.

4 All the kings of the earth shall give thee thanks, O Jehovah, For they have heard the words of thy mouth.

5 Yea, they shall sing of the ways of Jehovah; For great is the glory of Jehovah.

6 For though Jehovah is high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly; But the haughty he knoweth from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me; Thou wilt stretch forth thy hand against the wrath of mine enemies, And thy right hand will save me.

8 Jehovah will perfect that which concerneth me: Thy lovingkindness, O Jehovah, [endureth] for ever; Forsake not the works of thine own hands.


139:1 O Jehovah, thou hast searched me, and known [me].

2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; Thou understandest my thought afar off.

3 Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, And art acquainted with all my ways.

4 For there is not a word in my tongue, But, lo, O Jehovah, thou knowest it altogether.

5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, And laid thy hand upon me.

6 [Such] knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain unto it.

7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou art there.

9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall overwhelm me, And the light about me shall be night;

12 Even the darkness hideth not from thee, But the night shineth as the day: The darkness and the light are both alike [to thee].

13 For thou didst form my inward parts: Thou didst cover me in my mother's womb.

14 I will give thanks unto thee; For I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Wonderful are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well.

15 My frame was not hidden from thee, When I was made in secret, [And] curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, [Even] the days that were ordained [for me], When as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: When I awake, I am still with thee.

19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: Depart from me therefore, ye bloodthirsty men.

20 For they speak against thee wickedly, And thine enemies take [thy name] in vain.

21 Do not I hate them, O Jehovah, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?

22 I hate them with perfect hatred: They are become mine enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts;

24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

140:1 Deliver me, O Jehovah, from the evil man; Preserve me from the violent man:

2 Who devise mischiefs in their heart; Continually do they gather themselves together for war.

3 They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent; Adders' poison is under their lips. [Selah

4 Keep me, O Jehovah, from the hands of the wicked; Preserve me from the violent man: Who have purposed to thrust aside my steps.

5 The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; They have spread a net by the wayside; They have set gins for me. [Selah

6 I said unto Jehovah, Thou art my God: Give ear unto the voice of my supplications, O Jehovah.

7 O Jehovah the Lord, the strength of my salvation, Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.

8 Grant not, O Jehovah, the desires of the wicked; Further not his evil device, [lest] they exalt themselves. [Selah

9 As for the head of those that compass me about, Let the mischief of their own lips cover them.

10 Let burning coals fall upon them: Let them be cast into the fire, Into deep pits, whence they shall not rise.

11 An evil speaker shall not be established in the earth: Evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.

12 I know that Jehovah will maintain the cause of the afflicted, And justice for the needy.

13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: The upright shall dwell in thy presence.

141:1 Jehovah, I have called upon thee; Make haste unto me: Give ear unto my voice, when I call unto thee.

2 Let my prayer be set forth as incense before thee; The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

3 Set a watch, O Jehovah, before my mouth; Keep the door of my lips.

4 Incline not my heart to any evil thing, To practise deeds of wickedness With men that work iniquity: And let me not eat of their dainties.

5 Let the righteous smite me, [it shall be] a kindness; And let him reprove me, [it shall be as] oil upon the head; Let not my head refuse it: For even in their wickedness shall my prayer continue.

6 Their judges are thrown down by the sides of the rock; And they shall hear my words; For they are sweet.

7 As when one ploweth and cleaveth the earth, Our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

8 For mine eyes are unto thee, O Jehovah the Lord: In thee do I take refuge; Leave not my soul destitute.

9 Keep me from the snare which they have laid for me, And from the gins of the workers of iniquity.

10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, Whilst that I withal escape.

142:1 I cry with my voice unto Jehovah; With my voice unto Jehovah do I make supplication.

2 I pour out my complaint before him; I show before him my trouble.

3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, Thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walk Have they hidden a snare for me.

4 Look on [my] right hand, and see; For there is no man that knoweth me: Refuge hath failed me; No man careth for my soul.

5 I cried unto thee, O Jehovah; I said, Thou art my refuge, My portion in the land of the living.

6 Attend unto my cry; For I am brought very low: Deliver me from my persecutors; For they are stronger than I.

7 Bring my soul out of prison, That I may give thanks unto thy name: The righteous shall compass me about; For thou wilt deal bountifully with me.

143:1 Hear my prayer, O Jehovah; Give ear to my supplications: In thy faithfulness answer me, [and] in thy righteousness.

2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant; For in thy sight no man living is righteous.

3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; He hath smitten my life down to the ground: He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.

4 Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; My heart within me is desolate.

5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy doings; I muse on the work of thy hands.

6 I spread forth my hands unto thee: My soul [thirsteth] after thee, as a weary land. [Selah

7 Make haste to answer me, O Jehovah; My spirit faileth: Hide not thy face from me, Lest I become like them that go down into the pit.

8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; For in thee do I trust: Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; For I lift up my soul unto thee.

9 Deliver me, O Jehovah, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.

10 Teach me to do thy will; For thou art my God: Thy Spirit is good; Lead me in the land of uprightness.

11 Quicken me, O Jehovah, for thy name's sake: In thy righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.

12 And in thy lovingkindness cut off mine enemies, And destroy all them that afflict my soul; For I am thy servant.


144:1 Blessed be Jehovah my rock, Who teacheth my hands to war, [And] my fingers to fight:

2 My lovingkindness, and my fortress, My high tower, and my deliverer; My shield, and he in whom I take refuge; Who subdueth my people under me.

3 Jehovah, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that thou makest account of him?

4 Man is like to vanity: His days are as a shadow that passeth away.

5 Bow thy heavens, O Jehovah, and come down: Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.

6 Cast forth lightning, and scatter them; Send out thine arrows, and discomfit them.

7 Stretch forth thy hand from above; Rescue me, and deliver me out of great waters, Out of the hand of aliens;

8 Whose mouth speaketh deceit, And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

9 I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: Upon a psaltery of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.

10 Thou art he that giveth salvation unto kings; Who rescueth David his servant from the hurtful sword.

11 Rescue me, and deliver me out of the hand of aliens, Whose mouth speaketh deceit, And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12 When our sons shall be as plants grown up in their youth, And our daughters as corner-stones hewn after the fashion of a palace;

13 [When] our garners are full, affording all manner of store, [And] our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields;

14 [When] our oxen are well laden; [When there is] no breaking in, and no going forth, And no outcry in our streets:

15 Happy is the people that is in such a case; [Yea], happy is the people whose God is Jehovah.

145:1 I will extol thee, my God, O King; And I will bless thy name for ever and ever.

2 Every day will I bless thee; And I will praise thy name for ever and ever.

3 Great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised; And his greatness is unsearchable.

4 One generation shall laud thy works to another, And shall declare thy mighty acts.

5 Of the glorious majesty of thine honor, And of thy wondrous works, will I meditate.

6 And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts; And I will declare thy greatness.

7 They shall utter the memory of thy great goodness, And shall sing of thy righteousness.

8 Jehovah is gracious, and merciful; Slow to anger, and of great lovingkindness.

9 Jehovah is good to all; And his tender mercies are over all his works.

10 All thy works shall give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah; And thy saints shall bless thee.

11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, And talk of thy power;

12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, And the glory of the majesty of his kingdom.

13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And thy dominion [endureth] throughout all generations.

14 Jehovah upholdeth all that fall, And raiseth up all those that are bowed down.

15 The eyes of all wait for thee; And thou givest them their food in due season.

16 Thou openest thy hand, And satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

17 Jehovah is righteous in all his ways, And gracious in all his works.

18 Jehovah is nigh unto all them that call upon him, To all that call upon him in truth.

19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him; He also will hear their cry and will save them.

20 Jehovah preserveth all them that love him; But all the wicked will he destroy.

21 My mouth shall speak the praise of Jehovah; And let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

146:1 Praise ye Jehovah. Praise Jehovah, O my soul.

2 While I live will I praise Jehovah: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.

3 Put not your trust in princes, Nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.

4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; In that very day his thoughts perish.

5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in Jehovah his God:

6 Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that in them is; Who keepeth truth for ever;

7 Who executeth justice for the oppressed; Who giveth food to the hungry. Jehovah looseth the prisoners;

8 Jehovah openeth [the eyes of] the blind; Jehovah raiseth up them that are bowed down; Jehovah loveth the righteous;

9 Jehovah preserveth the sojourners; He upholdeth the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.

10 Jehovah will reign for ever, Thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye Jehovah.

147:1 Praise ye Jehovah; For it is good to sing praises unto our God; For it is pleasant, [and] praise is comely.

2 Jehovah doth build up Jerusalem; He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.

3 He healeth the broken in heart, And bindeth up their wounds.

4 He counteth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by [their] names.

5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.

6 Jehovah upholdeth the meek: He bringeth the wicked down to the ground.

7 Sing unto Jehovah with thanksgiving; Sing praises upon the harp unto our God,

8 Who covereth the heavens with clouds, Who prepareth rain for the earth, Who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

9 He giveth to the beast his food, [And] to the young ravens which cry.

10 He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: He taketh no pleasure in the legs of a man.

11 Jehovah taketh pleasure in them that fear him, In those that hope in his lovingkindness.

12 Praise Jehovah, O Jerusalem; Praise thy God, O Zion.

13 For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; He hath blessed thy children within thee.

14 He maketh peace in thy borders; He filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.

15 He sendeth out his commandment upon earth; His word runneth very swiftly.

16 He giveth snow like wool; He scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes.

17 He casteth forth his ice like morsels: Who can stand before his cold?

18 He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: He causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

19 He showeth his word unto Jacob, His statutes and his ordinances unto Israel.

20 He hath not dealt so with any nation; And as for his ordinances, they have not known them. Praise ye Jehovah.

148:1 Praise ye Jehovah. Praise ye Jehovah from the heavens: Praise him in the heights.

2 Praise ye him, all his angels: Praise ye him, all his host.

3 Praise ye him, sun and moon: Praise him, all ye stars of light.

4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, And ye waters that are above the heavens.

5 Let them praise the name of Jehovah; For he commanded, and they were created.

6 He hath also established them for ever and ever: He hath made a decree which shall not pass away.

7 Praise Jehovah from the earth, Ye sea-monsters, and all deeps.

8 Fire and hail, snow and vapor; Stormy wind, fulfilling his word;

9 Mountains and all hills; Fruitful trees and all cedars;

10 Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and flying birds;

11 Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth;

12 Both young men and virgins; Old men and children:

13 Let them praise the name of Jehovah; For his name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and the heavens.

14 And 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. Praise ye Jehovah.

149:1 Praise ye Jehovah. Sing unto Jehovah a new song, And his praise in the assembly of the saints.

2 Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

3 Let them praise his name in the dance: Let them sing praises unto him with timbrel and harp.

4 For Jehovah taketh pleasure in his people: He will beautify the meek with salvation.

5 Let the saints exult in glory: Let them sing for joy upon their beds.

6 [Let] the high praises of God [be] in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand;

7 To execute vengeance upon the nations, And punishments upon the peoples;

8 To bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron;

9 To execute upon them the judgment written: This honor have all his saints. Praise ye Jehovah.

150:1 Praise ye Jehovah. Praise God in his sanctuary: Praise him in the firmament of his power.

2 Praise him for his mighty acts: Praise him according to his excellent greatness.

3 Praise him with trumpet sound: Praise him with psaltery and harp.

4 Praise him with timbrel and dance: Praise him with stringed instruments and pipe.

5 Praise him with loud cymbals: Praise him with high sounding cymbals.

6 Let everything that hath breath praise Jehovah. Praise ye Jehovah.


Prov 1:1 (ASV) The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:

2 To know wisdom and instruction; To discern the words of understanding;

3 To receive instruction in wise dealing, In righteousness and justice and equity;

4 To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion:

5 That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning; And that the man of understanding may attain unto sound counsels:

6 To understand a proverb, and a figure, The words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

7 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; [But] the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.

8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother:

9 For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, And chains about thy neck.

10 My son, if sinners entice thee, Consent thou not.

11 If they say, Come with us, Let us lay wait for blood; Let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause;

12 Let us swallow them up alive as Sheol, And whole, as those that go down into the pit;

13 We shall find all precious substance; We shall fill our houses with spoil;

14 Thou shalt cast thy lot among us; We will all have one purse:

15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; Refrain thy foot from their path:

16 For their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed blood.

17 For in vain is the net spread In the sight of any bird:

18 And these lay wait for their own blood; They lurk privily for their own lives.

19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; It taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

20 Wisdom crieth aloud in the street; She uttereth her voice in the broad places;

21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse; At the entrance of the gates, In the city, she uttereth her words:

22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? And scoffers delight them in scoffing, And fools hate knowledge?

23 Turn you at my reproof: Behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you; I will make known my words unto you.

24 Because I have called, and ye have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man hath regarded;

25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, And would none of my reproof:

26 I also will laugh in [the day of] your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

27 When your fear cometh as a storm, And your calamity cometh on as a whirlwind; When distress and anguish come upon you.

28 Then will they call upon me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me:

29 For that they hated knowledge, And did not choose the fear of Jehovah:

30 They would none of my counsel; They despised all my reproof.

31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled with their own devices.

32 For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them, And the careless ease of fools shall destroy them.

33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, And shall be quiet without fear of evil.

2:1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, And lay up my commandments with thee;

2 So as to incline thine ear unto wisdom, And apply thy heart to understanding;

3 Yea, if thou cry after discernment, And lift up thy voice for understanding;

4 If thou seek her as silver, And search for her as for hid treasures:

5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah, And find the knowledge of God.

6 For Jehovah giveth wisdom; Out of his mouth [cometh] knowledge and understanding:

7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright; [He is] a shield to them that walk in integrity;

8 That he may guard the paths of justice, And preserve the way of his saints.

9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness and justice, And equity, [yea], every good path.

10 For wisdom shall enter into thy heart, And knowledge shall be pleasant unto thy soul;

11 Discretion shall watch over thee; Understanding shall keep thee:

12 To deliver thee from the way of evil, From the men that speak perverse things;

13 Who forsake the paths of uprightness, To walk in the ways of darkness;

14 Who rejoice to do evil, And delight in the perverseness of evil;

15 Who are crooked in their ways, And wayward in their paths:

16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, Even from the foreigner that flattereth with her words;

17 That forsaketh the friend of her youth, And forgetteth the covenant of her God:

18 For her house inclineth unto death, And her paths unto the dead;

19 None that go unto her return again, Neither do they attain unto the paths of life:

20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, And keep the paths of the righteous.

21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, And the perfect shall remain in it.

22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, And the treacherous shall be rooted out of it.

3:1 My son, forget not my law; But let thy heart keep my commandments:

2 For length of days, and years of life, And peace, will they add to thee.

3 Let not kindness and truth forsake thee: Bind them about thy neck; Write them upon the tablet of thy heart:

4 So shalt thou find favor and good understanding In the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding:

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths.

7 Be not wise in thine own eyes; Fear Jehovah, and depart from evil:

8 It will be health to thy navel, And marrow to thy bones.

9 Honor Jehovah with thy substance, And with the first-fruits of all thine increase:

10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, And thy vats shall overflow with new wine.

11 My son, despise not the chastening of Jehovah; Neither be weary of his reproof:

12 For whom Jehovah loveth he reproveth; Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, And the man that getteth understanding.

14 For the gaining of it is better than the gaining of silver, And the profit thereof than fine gold.

15 She is more precious than rubies: And none of the things thou canst desire are to be compared unto her.

16 Length of days is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor.

17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace.

18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: And happy is every one that retaineth her.

19 Jehovah by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding he established the heavens.

20 By his knowledge the depths were broken up, And the skies drop down the dew.

21 My son, let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep sound wisdom and discretion:

22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, And grace to thy neck.

23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, And thy foot shall not stumble.

24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: Yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, Neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh:

26 For Jehovah will be thy confidence, And will keep thy foot from being taken.

27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, When it is in the power of thy hand to do it.

28 Say not unto thy neighbor, Go, and come again, And to-morrow I will give; When thou hast it by thee.

29 Devise not evil against thy neighbor, Seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.

30 Strive not with a man without cause, If he have done thee no harm.

31 Envy thou not the man of violence, And choose none of his ways.

32 For the perverse is an abomination to Jehovah; But his friendship is with the upright.

33 The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked; But he blesseth the habitation of the righteous.

34 Surely he scoffeth at the scoffers; But he giveth grace unto the lowly.

35 The wise shall inherit glory; But shame shall be the promotion of fools.


4:1 Hear, [my] sons, 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 a son unto my father, Tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.

4 And he taught me, and said unto me: Let thy heart retain my words; Keep my commandments, and live;

5 Get wisdom, get understanding; Forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth;

6 Forsake her not, and she will preserve thee; Love her, and she will keep thee.

7 Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [Therefore] get wisdom; Yea, with all thy getting get understanding.

8 Exalt her, and she will promote thee; She will bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her.

9 She will give to thy head a chaplet of grace; A crown of beauty will 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 paths of uprightness.

12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; And if 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 walk not in the way of evil men.

15 Avoid it, pass not by it; Turn from it, and pass on.

16 For they sleep not, except they do evil; 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 righteous is as the dawning 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 thy 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 wayward mouth, And perverse lips put far from thee.

25 Let thine eyes look right on, And let thine eyelids look straight before thee.

26 Make level 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.

5:1 My son, attend unto my wisdom; Incline thine ear to my understanding:

2 That thou mayest preserve discretion, And that thy lips may keep knowledge.

3 For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil:

4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.

5 Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold on Sheol;

6 So that she findeth not the level path of life: Her ways are unstable, [and] she knoweth [it] not.

7 Now therefore, [my] sons, hearken unto me, And depart not from the words of my mouth.

8 Remove thy way far from her, And come not nigh the door of her house;

9 Lest thou give thine honor unto others, And thy years unto the cruel;

10 Lest strangers be filled with thy strength, And thy labors [be] in the house of an alien,

11 And thou mourn at thy latter end, When thy flesh and thy body are consumed,

12 And say, How have I hated instruction, And my heart despised reproof;

13 Neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!

14 I was well-nigh in all evil In the midst of the assembly and congregation.

15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, And running waters out of thine own well.

16 Should thy springs be dispersed abroad, And streams of water in the streets?

17 Let them be for thyself alone, And not for strangers with thee.

18 Let thy fountain be blessed; And rejoice in the wife of thy youth.

19 [As] a loving hind and a pleasant doe, Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; And be thou ravished always with her love.

20 For why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, And embrace the bosom of a foreigner?

21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah; And he maketh level all his paths.

22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked, And he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.

23 He shall die for lack of instruction; And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

6:1 My son, if thou art become surety for thy neighbor, If thou hast stricken thy hands for a stranger;

2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, Thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, Seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbor: Go, humble thyself, and importune thy neighbor;

4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, Nor slumber to thine eyelids;

5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand [of the hunter], And as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; Consider her ways, and be wise:

7 Which having no chief, Overseer, or ruler,

8 Provideth her bread in the summer, And gathereth her food in the harvest.

9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

10 [Yet] a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep:

11 So shall thy poverty come as a robber, And thy want as an armed man.

12 A worthless person, a man of iniquity, Is he that walketh with a perverse mouth;

13 That winketh with his eyes, that speaketh with his feet, That maketh signs with his fingers;

14 In whose heart is perverseness, Who deviseth evil continually, Who soweth discord.

15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; On a sudden shall he be broken, and that without remedy.

16 There are six things which Jehovah hateth; Yea, seven which are an abomination unto him:

17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood;

18 A heart that deviseth wicked purposes, Feet that are swift in running to mischief,

19 A false witness that uttereth lies, And he that soweth discord among brethren.

20 My son, keep the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother:

21 Bind them continually upon thy heart; Tie them about thy neck.

22 When thou walkest, it shall lead thee; When thou sleepest, it shall watch over thee; And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

23 For the commandment is a lamp; And the law is light; And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

24 To keep thee from the evil woman, From the flattery of the foreigner's tongue.

25 Lust not after her beauty in thy heart; Neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

26 For on account of a harlot [a man is brought] to a piece of bread; And the adulteress hunteth for the precious life.

27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?

28 Or can one walk upon hot coals, And his feet not be scorched?

29 So he that goeth in to his neighbor's wife; Whosoever toucheth her shall not be unpunished.

30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal To satisfy himself when he is hungry:

31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; He shall give all the substance of his house.

32 He that committeth adultery with a woman is void of understanding: He doeth it who would destroy his own soul.

33 Wounds and dishonor shall he get; And his reproach shall not be wiped away.

34 For jealousy is the rage of a man; And he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

35 He will not regard any ransom; Neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

7:1 My son, keep my words, And lay up my commandments with thee.

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 tablet of thy heart.

4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; And call understanding [thy] kinswoman:

5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, From he foreigner that flattereth with her words.

6 For at the window of my house I looked forth through my lattice;

7 And I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, A young man void of understanding,

8 Passing through the street near her corner; And he went the way to her house,

9 In the twilight, in the evening of the day, In the middle of the night and in the darkness.

10 And, behold, there met him a woman With the attire of a harlot, and wily of heart.

11 She is clamorous and wilful; Her feet abide not in her house:

12 Now she is in the streets, now in the broad places, And lieth in wait at every corner.

13 So she caught him, and kissed him, [And] with an impudent face she said unto him:

14 Sacrifices of peace-offerings are with me; This day have I paid my vows.

15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, Diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.

16 I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, With striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.

17 I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning; Let us solace ourselves with loves.

19 For the man is not at home; He is gone a long journey:

20 He hath taken a bag of money with him; He will come home at the full moon.

21 With her much fair speech she causeth him to yield; With the flattering of her lips she forceth him along.

22 He goeth after her straightway, As an ox goeth to the slaughter, Or as [one in] fetters to the correction of the fool;

23 Till an arrow strike through his liver; As a bird hasteth to the snare, And knoweth not that it is for his life.

24 Now therefore, [my] sons, hearken unto me, And attend to the words of my mouth.

25 Let not thy heart decline to her ways; Go not astray in her paths.

26 For she hath cast down many wounded: Yea, all her slain are a mighty host.

27 Her house is the way to Sheol, Going down to the chambers of death.


8:1 Doth not wisdom cry, And understanding put forth her voice?

2 On the top of high places by the way, Where the paths meet, she standeth;

3 Beside the gates, at the entry of the city, At the coming in at the doors, she crieth aloud:

4 Unto you, O men, I call; And my voice is to the sons of men.

5 O ye simple, understand prudence; And, ye fools, be of an understanding heart.

6 Hear, for I will speak excellent things; And the opening of my lips shall be right things.

7 For my mouth shall utter truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing crooked or perverse in them.

9 They are all plain to him that understandeth, And right to them that find knowledge.

10 Receive my instruction, and not silver; And knowledge rather than choice gold.

11 For wisdom is better than rubies; And all the things that may be desired are not to be compared unto it.

12 I wisdom have made prudence my dwelling, And find out knowledge [and] discretion.

13 The fear of Jehovah is to hate evil: Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, And the perverse mouth, do I hate.

14 Counsel is mine, and sound knowledge: I am understanding; I have might.

15 By me kings reign, And princes decree justice.

16 By me princes rule, And nobles, [even] all the judges of the earth.

17 I love them that love me; And those that seek me diligently shall find me.

18 Riches and honor are with me; [Yea], durable wealth and righteousness.

19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; And my revenue than choice silver.

20 I walk in the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice;

21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance, And that I may fill their treasuries.

22 Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old.

23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth was.

24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water.

25 Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth;

26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world.

27 When he established the heavens, I was there: When he set a circle upon the face of the deep,

28 When he made firm the skies above, When the fountains of the deep became strong,

29 When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth;

30 Then I was by him, [as] a master workman; And I was daily [his] delight, Rejoicing always before him,

31 Rejoicing in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of men.

32 Now therefore, [my] sons, hearken unto me; For blessed are they that keep my ways.

33 Hear instruction, and be wise, And refuse it not.

34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors.

35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, And shall obtain favor of Jehovah.

36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: All they that hate me love death.

9:1 Wisdom hath builded her house; She hath hewn out her seven pillars:

2 She hath killed her beasts; She hath mingled her wine; She hath also furnished her table:

3 She hath sent forth her maidens; She crieth upon the highest places of the city:

4 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: As for him that is void of understanding, she saith to him,

5 Come, eat ye of my bread, And drink of the wine which I have mingled.

6 Leave off, ye simple ones, and live; And walk in the way of understanding.

7 He that correcteth a scoffer getteth to himself reviling; And he that reproveth a wicked man [getteth] himself a blot.

8 Reprove not a scoffer, lest he hate thee: Reprove a wise man, and he will love thee.

9 Give [instruction] to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

10 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom; And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

11 For by me thy days shall be multiplied, And the years of thy life shall be increased.

12 If thou art wise, thou art wise for thyself; And if thou scoffest, thou alone shalt bear it.

13 The foolish woman is clamorous; [She is] simple, and knoweth nothing.

14 And she sitteth at the door of her house, On a seat in the high places of the city,

15 To call to them that pass by, Who go right on their ways:

16 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither; And as for him that is void of understanding, she saith to him,

17 Stolen waters are sweet, And bread [eaten] in secret is pleasant.

18 But he knoweth not that the dead are there; That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

10:1 The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father; But a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.

2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing; But righteousness delivereth from death.

3 Jehovah will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish; But he thrusteth away the desire of the wicked.

4 He becometh poor that worketh with a slack hand; But the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

5 He that gathereth in summer is a wise son; [But] he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.

6 Blessings are upon the head of the righteous; But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.

7 The memory of the righteous is blessed; But the name of the wicked shall rot.

8 The wise in heart will receive commandments; But a prating fool shall fall.

9 He that walketh uprightly walketh surely; But he that perverteth his ways shall be known.

10 He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow; But a prating fool shall fall.

11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life; But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.

12 Hatred stirreth up strifes; But love covereth all transgressions.

13 In the lips of him that hath discernment wisdom is found; But a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.

14 Wise men lay up knowledge; But the mouth of the foolish is a present destruction.

15 The rich man's wealth is his strong city: The destruction of the poor is their poverty.

16 The labor of the righteous [tendeth] to life; The increase of the wicked, to sin.

17 He is in the way of life that heedeth correction; But he that forsaketh reproof erreth.

18 He that hideth hatred is of lying lips; And he that uttereth a slander is a fool.

19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not transgression; But he that refraineth his lips doeth wisely.

20 The tongue of the righteous is [as] choice silver: The heart of the wicked is little worth.

21 The lips of the righteous feed many; But the foolish die for lack of understanding.

22 The blessing of Jehovah, it maketh rich; And he addeth no sorrow therewith.

23 It is as sport to a fool to do wickedness; And [so is] wisdom to a man of understanding.

24 The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him; And the desire of the righteous shall be granted.

25 When the whirlwind passeth, the wicked is no more; But the righteous is an everlasting foundation.

26 As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, So is the sluggard to them that send him.

27 The fear of Jehovah prolongeth days; But the years of the wicked shall be shortened.

28 The hope of the righteous [shall be] gladness; But the expectation of the wicked shall perish.

29 The way of Jehovah is a stronghold to the upright; But it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity.

30 The righteous shall never be removed; But the wicked shall not dwell in the land.

31 The mouth of the righteous bringeth forth wisdom; But the perverse tongue shall be cut off.

32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable; But the mouth of the wicked [speaketh] perverseness.

Prov 11:1 (ASV) A false balance is an abomination to Jehovah; But a just weight is his delight.

2 When pride cometh, then cometh shame; But with the lowly is wisdom.

3 The integrity of the upright shall guide them; But the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.

4 Riches profit not in the day of wrath; But righteousness delivereth from death.

5 The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way; But the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.

6 The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them; But the treacherous shall be taken in their own iniquity.

7 When a wicked man dieth, [his] expectation shall perish; And the hope of iniquity perisheth.

8 The righteous is delivered out of trouble, And the wicked cometh in his stead.

9 With his mouth the godless man destroyeth his neighbor; But through knowledge shall the righteous be delivered.

10 When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth; And when the wicked perish, there is shouting.

11 By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted; But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

12 He that despiseth his neighbor is void of wisdom; But a man of understanding holdeth his peace.

13 He that goeth about as a tale-bearer revealeth secrets; But he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth a matter.

14 Where no wise guidance is, the people falleth; But in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

15 He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it; But he that hateth suretyship is secure.

16 A gracious woman obtaineth honor; And violent men obtain riches.

17 The merciful man doeth good to his own soul; But he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.

18 The wicked earneth deceitful wages; But he that soweth righteousness [hath] a sure reward.

19 He that is stedfast in righteousness [shall attain] unto life; And he that pursueth evil [doeth it] to his own death.

20 They that are perverse in heart are an abomination to Jehovah; But such as are perfect in [their] way are his delight.

21 [Though] hand [join] in hand, the evil man shall not be unpunished; But the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.

22 [As] a ring of gold in a swine's snout, [So is] a fair woman that is without discretion.

23 The desire of the righteous is only good; [But] the expectation of the wicked is wrath.

24 There is that scattereth, and increaseth yet more; And there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but [it tendeth] only to want.

25 The liberal soul shall be made fat; And he that watereth shall be watered also himself.

26 He that withholdeth grain, the people shall curse him; But blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.

27 He that diligently seeketh good seeketh favor; But he that searcheth after evil, it shall come unto him.

28 He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; But the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf.

29 He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind; And the foolish shall be servant to the wise of heart.

30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; And he that is wise winneth souls.

31 Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: How much more the wicked and the sinner!


12:1 Whoso loveth correction loveth knowledge; But he that hateth reproof is brutish.

2 A good man shall obtain favor of Jehovah; But a man of wicked devices will he condemn.

3 A man shall not be established by wickedness; But the root of the righteous shall not be moved.

4 A worthy woman is the crown of her husband; But she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

5 The thoughts of the righteous are just; [But] the counsels of the wicked are deceit.

6 The words of the wicked are of lying in wait for blood; But the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.

7 The wicked are overthrown, and are not; But the house of the righteous shall stand.

8 A man shall be commended according to his wisdom; But he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised.

9 Better is he that is lightly esteemed, and hath a servant, Than he that honoreth himself, and lacketh bread.

10 A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast; But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

11 He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread; But he that followeth after vain [persons] is void of understanding.

12 The wicked desireth the net of evil men; But the root of the righteous yieldeth [fruit].

13 In the transgression of the lips is a snare to the evil man; But the righteous shall come out of trouble.

14 A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth; And the doings of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him.

15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes; But he that is wise hearkeneth unto counsel.

16 A fool's vexation is presently known; But a prudent man concealeth shame.

17 He that uttereth truth showeth forth righteousness; But a false witness, deceit.

18 There is that speaketh rashly like the piercings of a sword; But the tongue of the wise is health.

19 The lip of truth shall be established for ever; But a lying tongue is but for a moment.

20 Deceit is in the heart of them that devise evil; But to the counsellors of peace is joy.

21 There shall no mischief happen to the righteous; But the wicked shall be filled with evil.

22 Lying lips are an abomination to Jehovah; But they that deal truly are his delight.

23 A prudent man concealeth knowledge; But the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.

24 The hand of the diligent shall bear rule; But the slothful shall be put under taskwork.

25 Heaviness in the heart of a man maketh it stoop; But a good word maketh it glad.

26 The righteous is a guide to his neighbor; But the way of the wicked causeth them to err.

27 The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting; But the precious substance of men [is to] the diligent.

28 In the way of righteousness is life; And in the pathway thereof there is no death.

13:1 A wise son [heareth] his father's instruction; But a scoffer heareth not rebuke.

2 A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth; But the soul of the treacherous [shall eat] violence.

3 He that guardeth his mouth keepeth his life; [But] he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

4 The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

5 A righteous man hateth lying; But a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame.

6 Righteousness guardeth him that is upright in the way; But wickedness overthroweth the sinner.

7 There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: There is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great wealth.

8 The ransom of a man's life is his riches; But the poor heareth no threatening.

9 The light of the righteous rejoiceth; But the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.

10 By pride cometh only contention; But with the well-advised is wisdom.

11 Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished; But he that gathereth by labor shall have increase.

12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick; But when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

13 Whoso despiseth the word bringeth destruction on himself; But he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.

14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life, That one may depart from the snares of death.

15 Good understanding giveth favor; But the way of the transgressor is hard.

16 Every prudent man worketh with knowledge; But a fool flaunteth [his] folly.

17 A wicked messenger falleth into evil; But a faithful ambassador is health.

18 Poverty and shame [shall be to] him that refuseth correction; But he that regardeth reproof shall be honored.

19 The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul; But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.

20 Walk with wise men, and thou shalt be wise; But the companion of fools shall smart for it.

21 Evil pursueth sinners; But the righteous shall be recompensed with good.

22 A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children; And the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the righteous.

23 Much food [is in] the tillage of the poor; But there is that is destroyed by reason of injustice.

24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son; But he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

25 The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul; But the belly of the wicked shall want.

14:1 Every wise woman buildeth her house; But the foolish plucketh it down with her own hands.

2 He that walketh in his uprightness feareth Jehovah; But he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.

3 In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for [his] pride; But the lips of the wise shall preserve them.

4 Where no oxen are, the crib is clean; But much increase is by the strength of the ox.

5 A faithful witness will not lie; But a false witness uttereth lies.

6 A scoffer seeketh wisdom, and [findeth it] not; But knowledge is easy unto him that hath understanding.

7 Go into the presence of a foolish man, And thou shalt not perceive [in him] the lips of knowledge.

8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way; But the folly of fools is deceit.

9 A trespass-offering mocketh fools; But among the upright there is good will.

10 The heart knoweth its own bitterness; And a stranger doth not inter-meddle with its joy.

11 The house of the wicked shall be overthrown; But the tent of the upright shall flourish.

12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man; But the end thereof are the ways of death.

13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; And the end of mirth is heaviness.

14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways; And a good man [shall be satisfied] from himself.

15 The simple believeth every word; But the prudent man looketh well to his going.

16 A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil; But the fool beareth himself insolently, and is confident.

17 He that is soon angry will deal foolishly; And a man of wicked devices is hated.

18 The simple inherit folly; But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

19 The evil bow down before the good; And the wicked, at the gates of the righteous.

20 The poor is hated even of his own neighbor; But the rich hath many friends.

21 He that despiseth his neighbor sinneth; But he that hath pity on the poor, happy is he.

22 Do they not err that devise evil? But mercy and truth [shall be to] them that devise good.

23 In all labor there is profit; But the talk of the lips [tendeth] only to penury.

24 The crown of the wise is their riches; [But] the folly of fools is [only] folly.

25 A true witness delivereth souls; But he that uttereth lies [causeth] deceit.

26 In the fear of Jehovah is strong confidence; And his children shall have a place of refuge.

27 The fear of Jehovah is a fountain of life, That one may depart from the snares of death.

28 In the multitude of people is the king's glory; But in the want of people is the destruction of the prince.

29 He that is slow to anger is of great understanding; But he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.

30 A tranquil heart is the life of the flesh; But envy is the rottenness of the bones.

31 He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker; But he that hath mercy on the needy honoreth him.

32 The wicked is thrust down in his evil-doing; But the righteous hath a refuge in his death.

33 Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding; But [that which is] in the inward part of fools is made known.

34 Righteousness exalteth a nation; But sin is a reproach to any people.

35 The king's favor is toward a servant that dealeth wisely; But his wrath will be [against] him that causeth shame.

15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath; But a grievous word stirreth up anger.

2 The tongue of the wise uttereth knowledge aright; But the mouth of fools poureth out folly.

3 The eyes of Jehovah are in every place, Keeping watch upon the evil and the good.

4 A gentle tongue is a tree of life; But perverseness therein is a breaking of the spirit.

5 A fool despiseth his father's correction; But he that regardeth reproof getteth prudence.

6 In the house of the righteous is much treasure; But in the revenues of the wicked is trouble.

7 The lips of the wise disperse knowledge; But the heart of the foolish [doeth] not so.

8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to Jehovah; But the prayer of the upright is his delight.

9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to Jehovah; But he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.

10 There is grievous correction for him that forsaketh the way; [And] he that hateth reproof shall die.

11 Sheol and Abaddon are before Jehovah: How much more then the hearts of the children of men!

12 A scoffer loveth not to be reproved; He will not go unto the wise.

13 A glad heart maketh a cheerful countenance; But by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.

14 The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge; But the mouth of fools feedeth on folly.

15 All the days of the afflicted are evil; But he that is of a cheerful heart [hath] a continual feast.

16 Better is little, with the fear of Jehovah, Than great treasure and trouble therewith.

17 Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, Than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.

18 A wrathful man stirreth up contention; But he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.

19 The way of the sluggard is as a hedge of thorns; But the path of the upright is made a highway.

20 A wise son maketh a glad father; But a foolish man despiseth his mother.

21 Folly is joy to him that is void of wisdom; But a man of understanding maketh straight his going.

22 Where there is no counsel, purposes are disappointed; But in the multitude of counsellors they are established.

23 A man hath joy in the answer of his mouth; And a word in due season, how good is it!

24 To the wise the way of life [goeth] upward, That he may depart from Sheol beneath.

25 Jehovah will root up the house of the proud; But he will establish the border of the widow.

26 Evil devices are an abomination to Jehovah; But pleasant words [are] pure.

27 He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; But he that hateth bribes shall live.

28 The heart of the righteous studieth to answer; But the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.

29 Jehovah is far from the wicked; But he heareth the prayer of the righteous.

30 The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart; [And] good tidings make the bones fat.

31 The ear that hearkeneth to the reproof of life Shall abide among the wise.

32 He that refuseth correction despiseth his own soul; But he that hearkeneth to reproof getteth understanding.

33 The fear of Jehovah is the instruction of wisdom; And before honor [goeth] humility.


16:1 The plans of the heart belong to man; But the answer of the tongue is from Jehovah.

2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; But Jehovah weigheth the spirits.

3 Commit thy works unto Jehovah, And thy purposes shall be established.

4 Jehovah hath made everything for its own end; Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to Jehovah: [Though] hand [join] in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

6 By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for; And by the fear of Jehovah men depart from evil.

7 When a man's ways please Jehovah, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

8 Better is a little, with righteousness, Than great revenues with injustice.

9 A man's heart deviseth his way; But Jehovah directeth his steps.

10 A divine sentence is in the lips of the king; His mouth shall not transgress in judgment.

11 A just balance and scales are Jehovah's; All the weights of the bag are his work.

12 It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness; For the throne is established by righteousness.

13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings; And they love him that speaketh right.

14 The wrath of a king is [as] messengers of death; But a wise man will pacify it.

15 In the light of the king's countenance is life; And his favor is as a cloud of the latter rain.

16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! Yea, to get understanding is rather to be chosen than silver.

17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: He that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.

18 Pride [goeth] before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.

19 Better it is to be of a lowly spirit with the poor, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

20 He that giveth heed unto the word shall find good; And whoso trusteth in Jehovah, happy is he.

21 The wise in heart shall be called prudent; And the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.

22 Understanding is a well-spring of life unto him that hath it; But the correction of fools is [their] folly.

23 The heart of the wise instructeth his mouth, And addeth learning to his lips.

24 Pleasant words are [as] a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

25 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death.

26 The appetite of the laboring man laboreth for him; For his mouth urgeth him [thereto].

27 A worthless man deviseth mischief; And in his lips there is as a scorching fire.

28 A perverse man scattereth abroad strife; And a whisperer separateth chief friends.

29 A man of violence enticeth his neighbor, And leadeth him in a way that is not good.

30 He that shutteth his eyes, [it is] to devise perverse things: He that compresseth his lips bringeth evil to pass.

31 The hoary head is a crown of glory; It shall be found in the way of righteousness.

32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; And he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city.

33 The lot is cast into the lap; But the whole disposing thereof is of Jehovah.

17:1 Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, Than a house full of feasting with strife.

2 A servant that dealeth wisely shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, And shall have part in the inheritance among the brethren.

3 The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold; But Jehovah trieth the hearts.

4 An evil-doer giveth heed to wicked lips; [And] a liar giveth ear to a mischievous tongue.

5 Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker; [And] he that is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished.

6 Children's children are the crown of old men; And the glory of children are their fathers.

7 Excellent speech becometh not a fool; Much less do lying lips a prince.

8 A bribe is [as] a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it; Whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.

9 He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; But he that harpeth on a matter separateth chief friends.

10 A rebuke entereth deeper into one that hath understanding Than a hundred stripes into a fool.

11 An evil man seeketh only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.

12 Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, Rather than a fool in his folly.

13 Whoso rewardeth evil for good, Evil shall not depart from his house.

14 The beginning of strife is [as] when one letteth out water: Therefore leave off contention, before there is quarrelling.

15 He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to Jehovah.

16 Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, Seeing he hath no understanding?

17 A friend loveth at all times; And a brother is born for adversity.

18 A man void of understanding striketh hands, And becometh surety in the presence of his neighbor.

19 He loveth transgression that loveth strife: He that raiseth high his gate seeketh destruction.

20 He that hath a wayward heart findeth no good; And he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.

21 He that begetteth a fool [doeth it] to his sorrow; And the father of a fool hath no joy.

22 A cheerful heart is a good medicine; But a broken spirit drieth up the bones.

23 A wicked man receiveth a bribe out of the bosom, To pervert the ways of justice.

24 Wisdom is before the face of him that hath understanding; But the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.

25 A foolish son is a grief to his father, And bitterness to her that bare him.

26 Also to punish the righteous is not good, [Nor] to smite the noble for [their] uprightness.

27 He that spareth his words hath knowledge; And he that is of a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

28 Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise; When he shutteth his lips, he is [esteemed as] prudent.

18:1 He that separateth himself seeketh [his own] desire, And rageth against all sound wisdom.

2 A fool hath no delight in understanding, But only that his heart may reveal itself.

3 When the wicked cometh, there cometh also contempt, And with ignominy [cometh] reproach.

4 The words of a man's mouth are [as] deep waters; The wellspring of wisdom is [as] a flowing brook.

5 To respect the person of the wicked is not good, [Nor] to turn aside the righteous in judgment.

6 A fool's lips enter into contention, And his mouth calleth for stripes.

7 A fool's mouth is his destruction, And his lips are the snare of his soul.

8 The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts.

9 He also that is slack in his work Is brother to him that is a destroyer.

10 The name of Jehovah is a strong tower; The righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

11 The rich man's wealth is his strong city, And as a high wall in his own imagination.

12 Before destruction the heart of man is haughty; And before honor [goeth] humility.

13 He that giveth answer before he heareth, It is folly and shame unto him.

14 The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; But a broken spirit who can bear?

15 The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; And the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

16 A man's gift maketh room for him, And bringeth him before great men.

17 He that pleadeth his cause first [seemeth] just; But his neighbor cometh and searcheth him out.

18 The lot causeth contentions to cease, And parteth between the mighty.

19 A brother offended [is harder to be won] than a strong city; And [such] contentions are like the bars of a castle.

20 A man's belly shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; With the increase of his lips shall he be satisfied.

21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue; And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, And obtaineth favor of Jehovah.

23 The poor useth entreaties; But the rich answereth roughly.

24 He that maketh many friends [doeth it] to his own destruction; But there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

19:1 Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity Than he that is perverse in his lips and is a fool.

2 Also, that the soul be without knowledge is not good; And he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.

3 The foolishness of man subverteth his way; And his heart fretteth against Jehovah.

4 Wealth addeth many friends; But the poor is separated from his friend.

5 A false witness shall not be unpunished; And he that uttereth lies shall not escape.

6 Many will entreat the favor of the liberal man; And every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.

7 All the brethren of the poor do hate him: How much more do his friends go far from him! He pursueth [them with] words, [but] they are gone.

8 He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: He that keepeth understanding shall find good.

9 A false witness shall not be unpunished; And he that uttereth lies shall perish.

10 Delicate living is not seemly for a fool; Much less for a servant to have rule over princes.

11 The discretion of a man maketh him slow to anger; And it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

12 The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; But his favor is as dew upon the grass.

13 A foolish son is the calamity of his father; And the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.

14 House and riches are an inheritance from fathers; But a prudent wife is from Jehovah.

15 Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; And the idle soul shall suffer hunger.

16 He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his soul; [But] he that is careless of his ways shall die.

17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto Jehovah, And his good deed will he pay him again.

18 Chasten thy son, seeing there is hope; And set not thy heart on his destruction.

19 A man of great wrath shall bear the penalty; For if thou deliver [him], thou must do it yet again.

20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, That thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.

21 There are many devices in a man's heart; But the counsel of Jehovah, that shall stand.

22 That which maketh a man to be desired is his kindness; And a poor man is better than a liar.

23 The fear of Jehovah [tendeth] to life; And he [that hath it] shall abide satisfied; He shall not be visited with evil.

24 The sluggard burieth his hand in the dish, And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

25 Smite a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence; And reprove one that hath understanding, [and] he will understand knowledge.

26 He that doeth violence to his father, and chaseth away his mother, Is a son that causeth shame and bringeth reproach.

27 Cease, my son, to hear instruction [Only] to err from the words of knowledge.

28 A worthless witness mocketh at justice; And the mouth of the wicked swalloweth iniquity.

29 Judgments are prepared for scoffers, And stripes for the back of fools.


20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; And whosoever erreth thereby is not wise.

2 The terror of a king is as the roaring of a lion: He that provoketh him to anger sinneth [against] his own life.

3 It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife; But every fool will be quarrelling.

4 The sluggard will not plow by reason of the winter; Therefore he shall beg in harvest, and have nothing.

5 Counsel in the heart of man is [like] deep water; But a man of understanding will draw it out.

6 Most men will proclaim every one his own kindness; But a faithful man who can find?

7 A righteous man that walketh in his integrity, Blessed are his children after him.

8 A king that sitteth on the throne of judgment Scattereth away all evil with his eyes.

9 Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

10 Diverse weights, and diverse measures, Both of them alike are an abomination to Jehovah.

11 Even a child maketh himself known by his doings, Whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

12 The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, Jehovah hath made even both of them.

13 Love not sleep, let thou come to poverty; Open thine eyes, [and] thou shalt be satisfied with bread.

14 It is bad, it is bad, saith the buyer; But when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.

15 There is gold, and abundance of rubies; But the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

16 Take his garment that is surety for a stranger; And hold him in pledge [that is surety] for foreigners.

17 Bread of falsehood is sweet to a man; But afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.

18 Every purpose is established by counsel; And by wise guidance make thou war.

19 He that goeth about as a tale-bearer revealeth secrets; Therefore company not with him that openeth wide his lips.

20 Whoso curseth his father or his mother, His lamp shall be put out in blackness of darkness.

21 An inheritance [may be] gotten hastily at the beginning; But the end thereof shall not be blessed.

22 Say not thou, I will recompense evil: Wait for Jehovah, and he will save thee.

23 Diverse weights are an abomination to Jehovah; And a false balance is not good.

24 A man's goings are of Jehovah; How then can man understand his way?

25 It is a snare to a man rashly to say, [It is] holy, And after vows to make inquiry.

26 A wise king winnoweth the wicked, And bringeth the [threshing]-wheel over them.

27 The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah, Searching all his innermost parts.

28 Kindness and truth preserve the king; And his throne is upholden by kindness.

29 The glory of young men is their strength; And the beauty of old men is the hoary head.

30 Stripes that wound cleanse away evil; And strokes [reach] the innermost parts.

Prov 21:1 (ASV) The king's heart is in the hand of Jehovah as the watercourses: He turneth it whithersoever he will.

2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes; But Jehovah weighteth the hearts.

3 To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to Jehovah than sacrifice.

4 A high look, and a proud heart, [Even] the lamp of the wicked, is sin.

5 The thoughts of the diligent [tend] only to plenteousness; But every one that is hasty [hasteth] only to want.

6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue Is a vapor driven to and fro by them that seek death.

7 The violence of the wicked shall sweep them away, Because they refuse to do justice.

8 The way of him that is laden with guilt is exceeding crooked; But as for the pure, his work is right.

9 It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, Than with a contentious woman in a wide house.

10 The soul of the wicked desireth evil: His neighbor findeth no favor in his eyes.

11 When the scoffer is punished, the simple is made wise; And when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge.

12 The righteous man considereth the house of the wicked, [How] the wicked are overthrown to [their] ruin.

13 Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, He also shall cry, but shall not be heard.

14 A gift in secret pacifieth anger; And a present in the bosom, strong wrath.

15 It is joy to the righteous to do justice; But it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity.

16 The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding Shall rest in the assembly of the dead.

17 He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: He that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

18 The wicked is a ransom for the righteous; And the treacherous [cometh] in the stead of the upright.

19 It is better to dwell in a desert land, Than with a contentious and fretful woman.

20 There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise; But a foolish man swalloweth it up.

21 He that followeth after righteousness and kindness Findeth life, righteousness, and honor.

22 A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty, And bringeth down the strength of the confidence thereof.

23 Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue Keepeth his soul from troubles.

24 The proud and haughty man, scoffer is his name; He worketh in the arrogance of pride.

25 The desire of the sluggard killeth him; For his hands refuse to labor.

26 There is that coveteth greedily all the day long; But the righteous giveth and withholdeth not.

27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination: How much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind!

28 A false witness shall perish; But the man that heareth shall speak so as to endure.

29 A wicked man hardeneth his face; But as for the upright, he establisheth his ways.

30 There is no wisdom nor understanding Nor counsel against Jehovah.

31 The horse is prepared against the day of battle; But victory is of Jehovah.

22:1 A [good] name is rather to be chosen than great riches, [And] loving favor rather than silver and gold.

2 The rich and the poor meet together: Jehovah is the maker of them all.

3 A prudent man seeth the evil, and hideth himself; But the simple pass on, and suffer for it.

4 The reward of humility [and] the fear of Jehovah [Is] riches, and honor, and life.

5 Thorns [and] snares are in the way of the perverse: He that keepeth his soul shall be far from them.

6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old he will not depart from it.

7 The rich ruleth over the poor; And the borrower is servant to the lender.

8 He that soweth iniquity shall reap calamity; And the rod of his wrath shall fail.

9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; For he giveth of his bread to the poor.

10 Cast out the scoffer, and contention will go out; Yea, strife and ignominy will cease.

11 He that loveth pureness of heart, [For] the grace of his lips the king will be his friend.

12 The eyes of Jehovah preserve [him that hath] knowledge; But he overthroweth the words of the treacherous man.

13 The sluggard saith, There is a lion without: I shall be slain in the streets.

14 The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: He that is abhorred of Jehovah shall fall therein.

15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; [But] the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

16 He that oppresseth the poor to increase his [gain], [And] he that giveth to the rich, [shall come] only to want.

17 Incline thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, And apply thy heart unto my knowledge.

18 For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee, If they be established together upon thy lips.

19 That thy trust may be in Jehovah, I have made [them] known to thee this day, even to thee.

20 Have not I written unto thee excellent things Of counsels and knowledge,

21 To make thee know the certainty of the words of truth, That thou mayest carry back words of truth to them that send thee?

22 Rob not the poor, because he is poor; Neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:

23 For Jehovah will plead their cause, And despoil of life those that despoil them.

24 Make no friendship with a man that is given to anger; And with a wrathful man thou shalt not go:

25 Lest thou learn this ways, And get a snare to thy soul.

26 Be thou not one of them that strike hands, [Or] of them that are sureties for debts.

27 If thou hast not wherewith to pay, Why should he take away thy bed from under thee?

28 Remove not the ancient landmark, Which thy fathers have set.

29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; He shall not stand before mean men.


23:1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Consider diligently him that is before thee;

2 And put a knife to thy throat, If thou be a man given to appetite.

3 Be not desirous of his dainties; Seeing they are deceitful food.

4 Weary not thyself to be rich; Cease from thine own wisdom.

5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For [riches] certainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.

6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties:

7 For as he thinketh within himself, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee.

8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, And lose thy sweet words.

9 Speak not in the hearing of a fool; For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

10 Remove not the ancient landmark; And enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

11 For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their cause against thee.

12 Apply thy heart unto instruction, And thine ears to the words of knowledge.

13 Withhold not correction from the child; [For] if thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.

14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, And shalt deliver his soul from Sheol.

15 My son, if thy heart be wise, My heart will be glad, even mine:

16 Yea, my heart will rejoice, When thy lips speak right things.

17 Let not thy heart envy sinners; But [be thou] in the fear of Jehovah all the day long:

18 For surely there is a reward; And thy hope shall not be cut off.

19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And guide thy heart in the way.

20 Be not among winebibbers, Among gluttonous eaters of flesh:

21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; And drowsiness will clothe [a man] with rags.

22 Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she is old.

23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; [Yea], wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; And he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him.

25 Let thy father and thy mother be glad, And let her that bare thee rejoice.

26 My son, give me thy heart; And let thine eyes delight in my ways.

27 For a harlot is a deep ditch; And a foreign woman is a narrow pit.

28 Yea, she lieth in wait as a robber, And increaseth the treacherous among men.

29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?

30 They that tarry long at the wine; They that go to seek out mixed wine.

31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in the cup, When it goeth down smoothly:

32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, And stingeth like an adder.

33 Thine eyes shall behold strange things, And thy heart shall utter perverse things.

34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, Or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.

35 They have stricken me, [shalt thou say], and I was not hurt; They have beaten me, and I felt it not: When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

24:1 Be not thou envious against evil men; Neither desire to be with them:

2 For their heart studieth oppression, And their lips talk of mischief.

3 Through wisdom is a house builded; And by understanding it is established;

4 And by knowledge are the chambers filled With all precious and pleasant riches.

5 A wise man is strong; Yea, a man of knowledge increaseth might.

6 For by wise guidance thou shalt make thy war; And in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

7 Wisdom is too high for a fool: He openeth not his mouth in the gate.

8 He that deviseth to do evil, Men shall call him a mischief-maker.

9 The thought of foolishness is sin; And the scoffer is an abomination to men.

10 If thou faint in the day of adversity, Thy strength is small.

11 Deliver them that are carried away unto death, And those that are ready to be slain see that thou hold back.

12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew not this; Doth not he that weigheth the hearts consider it? And he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? And shall not he render to every man according to his work?

13 My son, eat thou honey, for it is good; And the droppings of the honeycomb, which are sweet to thy taste:

14 So shalt thou know wisdom to be unto thy soul; If thou hast found it, then shall there be a reward, And thy hope shall not be cut off.

15 Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the habitation of the righteous; Destroy not his resting-place:

16 For a righteous man falleth seven times, and riseth up again; But the wicked are overthrown by calamity.

17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, And let not thy heart be glad when he is overthrown;

18 Lest Jehovah see it, and it displease him, And he turn away his wrath from him.

19 Fret not thyself because of evil-doers; Neither be thou envious at the wicked:

20 For there shall be no reward to the evil man; The lamp of the wicked shall be put out.

21 My son, fear thou Jehovah and the king; [And] company not with them that are given to change:

22 For their calamity shall rise suddenly; And the destruction from them both, who knoweth it?

23 These also are [sayings] of the wise. To have respect of persons in judgment is not good.

24 He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; Peoples shall curse him, nations shall abhor him:

25 But to them that rebuke [him] shall be delight, And a good blessing shall come upon them.

26 He kisseth the lips Who giveth a right answer.

27 Prepare thy work without, And make it ready for thee in the field; And afterwards build thy house.

28 Be not a witness against thy neighbor without cause; And deceive not with thy lips.

29 Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.

30 I went by the field of the sluggard, And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;

31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, The face thereof was covered with nettles, And the stone wall thereof was broken down.

32 Then I beheld, and considered well; I saw, and received instruction:

33 [Yet] a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep;

34 So shall thy poverty come as a robber, And thy want as an armed man.

25:1 These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.

2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

3 As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, So the heart of kings is unsearchable.

4 Take away the dross from the silver, And there cometh forth a vessel for the refiner:

5 Take away the wicked [from] before the king, And his throne shall be established in righteousness.

6 Put not thyself forward in the presence of the king, And stand not in the place of great men:

7 For better is it that it be said unto thee, Come up hither, Than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince, Whom thine eyes have seen.

8 Go not forth hastily to strive, Lest [thou know not] what to do in the end thereof, When thy neighbor hath put thee to shame.

9 Debate thy cause with thy neighbor [himself], And disclose not the secret of another;

10 Lest he that heareth it revile thee, And thine infamy turn not away.

11 A word fitly spoken Is [like] apples of gold in network of silver.

12 [As] an ear-ring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, [So is] a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.

13 As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, [So is] a faithful messenger to them that send him; For he refresheth the soul of his masters.

14 [As] clouds and wind without rain, [So is] he that boasteth himself of his gifts falsely.

15 By long forbearing is a ruler persuaded, And a soft tongue breaketh the bone.

16 Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, Lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.

17 Let thy foot be seldom in thy neighbor's house, Lest he be weary of thee, and hate thee.

18 A man that beareth false witness against his neighbor Is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.

19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble Is [like] a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.

20 [As] one that taketh off a garment in cold weather, [and as] vinegar upon soda, So is he that singeth songs to a heavy heart.

21 If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:

22 For thou wilt heap coals of fire upon his head, And Jehovah will reward thee.

23 The north wind bringeth forth rain: So doth a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.

24 It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, Than with a contentious woman in a wide house.

25 [As] cold waters to a thirsty soul, So is good news from a far country.

26 [As] a troubled fountain, and a corrupted spring, [So is] a righteous man that giveth way before the wicked.

27 It is not good to eat much honey: So [for men] to search out their own glory is grievous.

28 He whose spirit is without restraint Is [like] a city that is broken down and without walls.

26:1 As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, So honor is not seemly for a fool.

2 As the sparrow in her wandering, as the swallow in her flying, So the curse that is causeless alighteth not.

3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, And a rod for the back of fools.

4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, Lest thou also be like unto him.

5 Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own conceit.

6 He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool Cutteth off [his own] feet, [and] drinketh in damage.

7 The legs of the lame hang loose: So is a parable in the mouth of fools.

8 As one that bindeth a stone in a sling, So is he that giveth honor to a fool.

9 [As] a thorn that goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, So is a parable in the mouth of fools.

10 [As] an archer that woundeth all, So is he that hireth a fool and he that hireth them that pass by.

11 As a dog that returneth to his vomit, [So is] a fool that repeateth his folly.

12 Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? There is more hope of a fool than of him.

13 The sluggard saith, There is a lion in the way; A lion is in the streets.

14 [As] the door turneth upon its hinges, So doth the sluggard upon his bed.

15 The sluggard burieth his hand in the dish; It wearieth him to bring it again to his mouth.

16 The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit Than seven men that can render a reason.

17 He that passeth by, [and] vexeth himself with strife belonging not to him, Is [like] one that taketh a dog by the ears.

18 As a madman who casteth firebrands, Arrows, and death,

19 So is the man that deceiveth his neighbor, And saith, Am not I in sport?

20 For lack of wood the fire goeth out; And where there is no whisperer, contention ceaseth.

21 [As] coals are to hot embers, and wood to fire, So is a contentious man to inflame strife.

22 The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts.

23 Fervent lips and a wicked heart Are [like] an earthen vessel overlaid with silver dross.

24 He that hateth dissembleth with his lips; But he layeth up deceit within him:

25 When he speaketh fair, believe him not; For there are seven abominations in his heart:

26 Though [his] hatred cover itself with guile, His wickedness shall be openly showed before the assembly.

27 Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein; And he that rolleth a stone, it shall return upon him.

28 A lying tongue hateth those whom it hath wounded; And a flattering mouth worketh ruin.


27:1 Boast not thyself of tomorrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; A stranger, and not thine own lips.

3 A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; But a fool's vexation is heavier than they both.

4 Wrath is cruel, and anger is overwhelming; But who is able to stand before jealousy?

5 Better is open rebuke Than love that is hidden.

6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; But the kisses of an enemy are profuse.

7 The full soul loatheth a honeycomb; But to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

8 As a bird that wandereth from her nest, So is a man that wandereth from his place.

9 Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; So doth the sweetness of a man's friend [that cometh] of hearty counsel.

10 Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; And go not to thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: Better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off.

11 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, That I may answer him that reproacheth me.

12 A prudent man seeth the evil, [and] hideth himself; [But] the simple pass on, [and] suffer for it.

13 Take his garment that is surety for a stranger; And hold him in pledge [that is surety] for a foreign woman.

14 He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, It shall be counted a curse to him.

15 A continual dropping in a very rainy day And a contentious woman are alike:

16 He that would restrain her restraineth the wind; And his right hand encountereth oil.

17 Iron sharpeneth iron; So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

18 Whoso keepeth the fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof; And he that regardeth his master shall be honored.

19 As in water face [answereth] to face, So the heart of man to man.

20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; And the eyes of man are never satisfied.

21 The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold; And a man is [tried] by his praise.

22 Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with bruised grain, Yet will not his foolishness depart from him.

23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, [And] look well to thy herds:

24 For riches are not for ever: And doth the crown endure unto all generations?

25 The hay is carried, and the tender grass showeth itself, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in.

26 The lambs are for thy clothing, And the goats are the price of the field;

27 And [there will be] goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, And maintenance for thy maidens.

28:1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth; But the righteous are bold as a lion.

2 For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof; But by men of understanding [and] knowledge the state [thereof] shall be prolonged.

3 A needy man that oppresseth the poor Is [like] a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.

4 They that forsake the law praise the wicked; But such as keep the law contend with them.

5 Evil men understand not justice; But they that seek Jehovah understand all things.

6 Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, Than he that is perverse in [his] ways, though he be rich.

7 Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son; But he that is a companion of gluttons shameth his father.

8 He that augmenteth his substance by interest and increase, Gathereth it for him that hath pity on the poor.

9 He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.

10 Whoso causeth the upright to go astray in an evil way, He shall fall himself into his own pit; But the perfect shall inherit good.

11 The rich man is wise in his own conceit; But the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out.

12 When the righteous triumph, there is great glory; But when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.

13 He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy.

14 Happy is the man that feareth alway; But he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.

15 [As] a roaring lion, and a ranging bear, [So is] a wicked ruler over a poor people.

16 The prince that lacketh understanding is also a great oppressor; [But] he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days.

17 A man that is laden with the blood of any person Shall flee unto the pit; Let no man stay him.

18 Whoso walketh uprightly shall be delivered; But he that is perverse in [his] ways shall fall at once.

19 He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread; But he that followeth after vain [persons] shall have poverty enough.

20 A faithful man shall abound with blessings; But he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be unpunished.

21 To have respect of persons is not good; Neither that a man should transgress for a piece of bread.

22 he that hath an evil eye hasteth after riches, And knoweth not that want shall come upon him.

23 He that rebuketh a man shall afterward find more favor Than he that flattereth with the tongue.

24 Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression, The same is the companion of a destroyer.

25 He that is of a greedy spirit stirreth up strife; But he that putteth his trust in Jehovah shall be made fat.

26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool; But whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.

27 He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack; But he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.

28 When the wicked rise, men hide themselves; But when they perish, the righteous increase.

29:1 He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck Shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

2 When the righteous are increased, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man beareth rule, the people sigh.

3 Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father; But he that keepeth company with harlots wasteth [his] substance.

4 The king by justice establisheth the land; But he that exacteth gifts overthroweth it.

5 A man that flattereth his neighbor Spreadeth a net for his steps.

6 In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare; But the righteous doth sing and rejoice.

7 The righteous taketh knowledge of the cause of the poor; The wicked hath not understanding to know [it].

8 Scoffers set a city in a flame; But wise men turn away wrath.

9 If a wise man hath a controversy with a foolish man, Whether he be angry or laugh, there will be no rest.

10 The bloodthirsty hate him that is perfect; And as for the upright, they seek his life.

11 A fool uttereth all his anger; But a wise man keepeth it back and stilleth it.

12 If a ruler hearkeneth to falsehood, All his servants are wicked.

13 The poor man and the oppressor meet together; Jehovah lighteneth the eyes of them both.

14 The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, His throne shall be established for ever.

15 The rod and reproof give wisdom; But a child left to himself causeth shame to his mother.

16 When the wicked are increased, transgression increaseth; But the righteous shall look upon their fall.

17 Correct thy son, and he will give thee rest; Yea, he will give delight unto thy soul.

18 Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint; But he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

19 A servant will not be corrected by words; For though he understand, he will not give heed.

20 Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? There is more hope of a fool than of him.

21 He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child Shall have him become a son at the last.

22 An angry man stirreth up strife, And a wrathful man aboundeth in transgression.

23 A man's pride shall bring him low; But he that is of a lowly spirit shall obtain honor.

24 Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul; He heareth the adjuration and uttereth nothing.

25 The fear of man bringeth a snare; But whoso putteth his trust in Jehovah shall be safe.

26 Many seek the ruler's favor; But a man's judgment [cometh] from Jehovah.

27 An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous; And he that is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.

30:1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh; The oracle. The man saith unto Ithiel, unto Ithiel and Ucal:

2 Surely I am more brutish than any man, And have not the understanding of a man;

3 And I have not learned wisdom, Neither have I the knowledge of the Holy One.

4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in his garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou knowest?

5 Every word of God is tried: He is a shield unto them that take refuge in him.

6 Add thou not unto his words, Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

7 Two things have I asked of thee; Deny me [them] not before I die:

8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies; Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is needful for me:

9 Lest I be full, and deny [thee], and say, Who is Jehovah? Or lest I be poor, and steal, And use profanely the name of my God.

10 Slander not a servant unto his master, Lest he curse thee, and thou be held guilty.

11 There is a generation that curse their father, And bless not their mother.

12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, And [yet] are not washed from their filthiness.

13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up.

14 There is a generation whose teeth are [as] swords, and their jaw teeth [as] knives, To devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.

15 The horseleach hath two daughters, [crying], Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, [Yea], four that say not, Enough:

16 Sheol; And the barren womb; The earth that is not satisfied with water; And the fire that saith not, Enough.

17 The eye that mocketh at his father, And despiseth to obey his mother, The ravens of the valley shall pick it out, And the young eagles shall eat it.

18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Yea, four which I know not:

19 The way of an eagle in the air; The way of a serpent upon a rock; The way of a ship in the midst of the sea; And the way of a man with a maiden.

20 So is the way of an adulterous woman; She eateth, and wipeth her mouth, And saith, I have done no wickedness.

21 For three things the earth doth tremble, And for four, [which] it cannot bear:

22 For a servant when he is king; And a fool when he is filled with food;

23 For an odious woman when she is married; And a handmaid that is heir to her mistress.

24 There are four things which are little upon the earth, But they are exceeding wise:

25 The ants are a people not strong, Yet they provide their food in the summer;

26 The conies are but a feeble folk, Yet make they their houses in the rocks;

27 The locusts have no king, Yet go they forth all of them by bands;

28 The lizard taketh hold with her hands, Yet is she in kings' palaces.

29 There are three things which are stately in their march, Yea, four which are stately in going:

30 The lion, which is mightiest among beasts, And turneth not away for any;

31 The greyhound; The he-goat also; And the king against whom there is no rising up.

32 If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, Or if thou hast thought evil, [Lay] thy hand upon thy mouth.

33 For the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, And the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood; So the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.

31:1 The words of king Lemuel; the oracle which his mother taught him.

2 What, my son? and what, O son of my womb? And what, O son of my vows?

3 Give not thy strength unto women, Nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.

4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; Nor for princes [to say], Where is strong drink?

5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, And pervert the justice [due] to any that is afflicted.

6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, And wine unto the bitter in soul:

7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more.

8 Open thy mouth for the dumb, In the cause of all such as are left desolate.

9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously, And minister justice to the poor and needy.

10 A worthy woman who can find? For her price is far above rubies.

11 The heart of her husband trusteth in her, And he shall have no lack of gain.

12 She doeth him good and not evil All the days of her life.

13 She seeketh wool and flax, And worketh willingly with her hands.

14 She is like the merchant-ships; She bringeth her bread from afar.

15 She riseth also while it is yet night, And giveth food to her household, And their task to her maidens.

16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it; With the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

17 She girdeth her loins with strength, And maketh strong her arms.

18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is profitable: Her lamp goeth not out by night.

19 She layeth her hands to the distaff, And her hands hold the spindle.

20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household; For all her household are clothed with scarlet.

22 She maketh for herself carpets of tapestry; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sitteth among the elders of the land.

24 She maketh linen garments and selleth them, And delivereth girdles unto the merchant.

25 Strength and dignity are her clothing; And she laugheth at the time to come.

26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; And the law of kindness is on her tongue.

27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, And eateth not the bread of idleness.

28 Her children rise up, and call her blessed; Her husband [also], and he praiseth her, [saying]:

29 Many daughters have done worthily, But thou excellest them all.

30 Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain; [But] a woman that feareth Jehovah, she shall be praised.

31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; And let her works praise her in the gates.


Eccl 1:1 (ASV) The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.

3 What profit hath man of all his labor wherein he laboreth under the sun?

4 One generation goeth, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth for ever.

5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to its place where it ariseth.

6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it turneth about continually in its course, and the wind returneth again to its circuits.

7 All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again.

8 All things are full of weariness; man cannot utter [it]: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

9 That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

10 Is there a thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been long ago, in the ages which were before us.

11 There is no remembrance of the former [generations]; neither shall there be any remembrance of the latter [generations] that are to come, among those that shall come after.

12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven: it is a sore travail that God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith.

14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

16 I communed with mine own hear, saying, Lo, I have gotten me great wisdom above all that were before me in Jerusalem; yea, my heart hath had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also was a striving after wind.

18 For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

2:1 I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also was vanity.

2 I said of laughter, It is mad; and of mirth, What doeth it?

3 I searched in my heart how to cheer my flesh with wine, my heart yet guiding [me] with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what it was good for the sons of men that they should do under heaven all the days of their life.

4 I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards;

5 I made me gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit;

6 I made me pools of water, to water therefrom the forest where trees were reared;

7 I bought men-servants and maid-servants, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of herds and flocks, above all that were before me in Jerusalem;

8 I gathered me also silver and gold, and the treasure of kings and of the provinces; I gat me men-singers and women-singers, and the delights of the sons of men, musical instruments, and that of all sorts.

9 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.

10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced because of all my labor; and this was my portion from all my labor.

11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do; and, behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was no profit under the sun.

12 And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what [can] the man [do] that cometh after the king? [even] that which hath been done long ago.

13 Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.

14 The wise man's eyes are in his head, and the fool walketh in darkness: and yet I perceived that one event happeneth to them all.

15 Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then said I in my heart, that this also is vanity.

16 For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no remembrance for ever; seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. And how doth the wise man die even as the fool!

17 So I hated life, because the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

18 And I hated all my labor wherein I labored under the sun, seeing that I must leave it unto the man that shall be after me.

19 And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet will he have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

20 Therefore I turned about to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor wherein I had labored under the sun.

21 For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skilfulness; yet to a man that hath not labored therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

22 For what hath a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, wherein he laboreth under the sun?

23 For all his days are [but] sorrows, and his travail is grief; yea, even in the night his heart taketh no rest. This also is vanity.

24 There is nothing better for a man [than] that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

25 For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?

26 For to the man that pleaseth him [God] giveth wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that pleaseth God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

3:1 For everything there is a season, and a time for very purpose under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboreth?

10 I have seen the travail which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith.

11 He hath made everything beautiful in its time: also he hath set eternity in their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God hath done from the beginning even to the end.

12 I know that there is nothing better for them, than to rejoice, and to do good so long as they live.

13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy good in all his labor, is the gift of God.

14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it; and God hath done it, that men should fear before him.

15 That which is hath been long ago; and that which is to be hath long ago been: and God seeketh again that which is passed away.

16 And moreover I saw under the sun, in the place of justice, that wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there.

17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

18 I said in my heart, [It is] because of the sons of men, that God may prove them, and that they may see that they themselves are [but as] beasts.

19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; and man hath no preeminence above the beasts: for all is vanity.

20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

21 Who knoweth the spirit of man, whether it goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast, whether it goeth downward to the earth?

22 Wherefore I saw that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him [back] to see what shall be after him?

4:1 Then I returned and saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and, behold, the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.

2 Wherefore I praised the dead that have been long dead more than the living that are yet alive;

3 yea, better than them both [did I esteem] him that hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.

4 Then I saw all labor and every skilful work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

5 The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.

6 Better is a handful, with quietness, than two handfuls with labor and striving after wind.

7 Then I returned and saw vanity under the sun.

8 There is one that is alone, and he hath not a second; yea, he hath neither son nor brother; yet is there no end of all his labor, neither are his eyes satisfied with riches. For whom then, [saith he], do I labor, and deprive my soul of good? This also is vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.

10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to lift him up.

11 Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one be warm [alone]?

12 And if a man prevail against him that is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

13 Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king, who knoweth not how to receive admonition any more.

14 For out of prison he came forth to be king; yea, even in his kingdom he was born poor.

15 I saw all the living that walk under the sun, that they were with the youth, the second, that stood up in his stead.

16 There was no end of all the people, even of all them over whom he was: yet they that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind.


5:1 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God; for to draw nigh to hear is better than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they know not that they do evil.

2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

3 For a dream cometh with a multitude of business, and a fool's voice with a multitude of words.

4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou vowest.

5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that is was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands?

7 For in the multitude of dreams there are vanities, and in many words: but fear thou God.

8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and the violent taking away of justice and righteousness in a province, marvel not at the matter: for one higher than the high regardeth; and there are higher than they.

9 Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king [himself] is served by the field.

10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance, with increase: this also is vanity.

11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what advantage is there to the owner thereof, save the beholding [of them] with his eyes?

12 The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much; but the fulness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

13 There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, [namely], riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt:

14 and those riches perish by evil adventure; and if he hath begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand.

15 As he came forth from his mother's womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.

16 And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that he laboreth for the wind?

17 All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he is sore vexed, and hath sickness and wrath.

18 Behold, that which I have seen to be good and to be comely is for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labor, wherein he laboreth under the sun, all the days of his life which God hath given him: for this is his portion.

19 Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor -- this is the gift of God.

20 For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth [him] in the joy of his heart.

6:1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy upon men:

2 a man to whom God giveth riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacketh nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but an alien eateth it; this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

3 If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul be not filled with good, and moreover he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he:

4 for it cometh in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and the name thereof is covered with darkness;

5 moreover it hath not seen the sun nor known it; this hath rest rather than the other:

6 yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet enjoy no good, do not all go to one place?

7 All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

8 For what advantage hath the wise more than the fool? [or] what hath the poor man, that knoweth how to walk before the living?

9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

10 Whatsoever hath been, the name thereof was given long ago; and it is know what man is; neither can he contend with him that is mightier than he.

11 Seeing there are many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?

12 For who knoweth what is good for man in [his] life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?

7:1 A [good] name is better than precious oil; and the day of death, than the day of one's birth.

2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.

3 Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made glad.

4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.

6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.

7 Surely extortion maketh the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroyeth the understanding.

8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof; [and] the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry; for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

10 Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.

11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance; yea, more excellent is it for them that see the sun.

12 For wisdom is a defence, even as money is a defence; but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom preserveth the life of him that hath it.

13 Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?

14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yea, God hath made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything [that shall be] after him.

15 All this have I seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth [his life] in his evil-doing.

16 Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?

17 Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?

18 It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from that withdraw not thy hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth from them all.

19 Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers that are in a city.

20 Surely there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

21 Also take not heed unto all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee;

22 for oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.

23 All this have I proved in wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.

24 That which is, is far off and exceeding deep; who can find it out?

25 I turned about, and my heart [was set] to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the reason [of things], and to know that wickedness is folly, and that foolishness is madness.

26 And I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, [and] whose hands are bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.

27 Behold, this have I found, saith the Preacher, [laying] one thing to another, to find out the account;

28 which my soul still seeketh, but I have not found: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.

29 Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

8:1 Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.

2 I [counsel thee], Keep the king's command, and that in regard of the oath of God.

3 Be not hasty to go out of his presence; persist not in an evil thing: for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.

4 For the king's word [hath] power; and who may say unto him, What doest thou?

5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall know no evil thing; and a wise man's heart discerneth time and judgment:

6 for to every purpose there is a time and judgment; because the misery of man is great upon him:

7 for he knoweth not that which shall be; for who can tell him how it shall be?

8 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in war: neither shall wickedness deliver him that is given to it.

9 All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: [there is] a time wherein one man hath power over another to his hurt.

10 So I saw the wicked buried, and they came [to the grave]; and they that had done right went away from the holy place, and were forgotten in the city: this also is vanity.

11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

12 Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and prolong his [days], yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, that fear before him:

13 but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong [his] days, [which are] as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.

14 There is a vanity which is done upon the earth, that there are righteous men unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.

15 Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be joyful: for that shall abide with him in his labor [all] the days of his life which God hath given him under the sun.

16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes),

17 then I beheld all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because however much a man labor to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea moreover, though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.


9:1 For all this I laid to my heart, even to explore all this: that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; whether it be love or hatred, man knoweth it not; all is before them.

2 All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not; as is the good, so is the sinner; [and] he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea also, the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that [they go] to the dead.

4 For to him that is joined with all the living there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

6 As well their love, as their hatred and their envy, is perished long ago; neither have they any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun.

7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God hath already accepted thy works.

8 Let thy garments be always white; and let not thy head lack oil.

9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of thy life of vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all thy days of vanity: for that is thy portion in life, and in thy labor wherein thou laborest under the sun.

10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do [it] with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither thou goest.

11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, even so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

13 I have also seen wisdom under the sun on this wise, and it seemed great unto me:

14 There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it.

15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.

16 Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

17 The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.

18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroyeth much good.

10:1 Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to send forth an evil odor; [so] doth a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor.

2 A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.

3 Yea also, when the fool walketh by the way, his understanding faileth him, and he saith to every one [that] he is a fool.

4 If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for gentleness allayeth great offences.

5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as it were an error which proceedeth from the ruler:

6 folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place.

7 I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking like servants upon the earth.

8 He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh through a wall, a serpent shall bite him.

9 Whoso heweth out stones shall be hurt therewith; [and] he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby.

10 If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.

11 If the serpent bite before it is charmed, then is there no advantage in the charmer.

12 The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

14 A fool also multiplieth words: [yet] man knoweth not what shall be; and that which shall be after him, who can tell him?

15 The labor of fools wearieth every one of them; for he knoweth not how to go to the city.

16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!

17 Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

18 By slothfulness the roof sinketh in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaketh.

19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh glad the life; and money answereth all things.

20 Revile not the king, no, not in thy thought; and revile not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the heavens shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

11:1 Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days.

2 Give a portion to seven, yea, even unto eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

3 If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there shall it be.

4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.

5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the wind, [nor] how the bones [do grow] in the womb of her that is with child; even so thou knowest not the work of God who doeth all.

6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand; for thou knowest not which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.

7 Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.

8 Yea, if a man live many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.

9 Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.

10 Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh; for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.

12:1 Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

2 before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain;

3 in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows shall be darkened,

4 and the doors shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;

5 yea, they shall be afraid of [that which is] high, and terrors [shall be] in the way; and the almond-tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goeth to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets:

6 before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern,

7 and the dust returneth to the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth unto God who gave it.

8 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is vanity.

9 And further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he pondered, and sought out, [and] set in order many proverbs.

10 The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, [even] words of truth.

11 The words of the wise are as goads; and as nails well fastened are [the words of] the masters of assemblies, [which] are given from one shepherd.

12 And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

13 [This is] the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole [duty] of man.

14 For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.


Song 1:1 (ASV) The Song of songs, which is Solomon's.

2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; For thy love is better than wine.

3 Thine oils have a goodly fragrance; Thy name is [as] oil poured forth; Therefore do the virgins love thee.

4 Draw me; we will run after thee: The king hath brought me into his chambers; We will be glad and rejoice in thee; We will make mention of thy love more than of wine: Rightly do they love thee.

5 I am black, but comely, Oh ye daughters of Jerusalem, As the tents of Kedar, As the curtains of Solomon.

6 Look not upon me, because I am swarthy, Because the sun hath scorched me. My mother's sons were incensed against me; They made me keeper of the vineyards; [But] mine own vineyard have I not kept.

7 Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, Where thou feedest [thy flock], Where thou makest [it] to rest at noon: For why should I be as one that is veiled Beside the flocks of thy companions?

8 If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, And feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents.

9 I have compared thee, O my love, To a steed in Pharaoh's chariots.

10 Thy cheeks are comely with plaits [of hair], Thy neck with strings of jewels.

11 We will make thee plaits of gold With studs of silver.

12 While the king sat at his table, My spikenard sent forth its fragrance.

13 My beloved is unto me [as] a bundle of myrrh, That lieth betwixt my breasts.

14 My beloved is unto me [as] a cluster of henna-flowers In the vineyards of En-gedi.

15 Behold, thou art fair, my love; Behold thou art fair; Thine eyes are [as] doves.

16 Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: Also our couch is green.

17 The beams of our house are cedars, [And] our rafters are firs.

2:1 I am a rose of Sharon, A lily of the valleys.

2 As a lily among thorns, So is my love among the daughters.

3 As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, So is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, And his fruit was sweet to my taste.

4 He brought me to the banqueting-house, And his banner over me was love.

5 Stay ye me with raisins, refresh me with apples; For I am sick from love.

6 His left hand [is] under my head, And his right hand doth embrace me.

7 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the roes, or by the hinds of the field, That ye stir not up, nor awake [my] love, Until he please.

8 The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh, Leaping upon the mountains, Skipping upon the hills.

9 My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: Behold, he standeth behind our wall; He looketh in at the windows; He glanceth through the lattice.

10 My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

11 For, lo, the winter is past; The rain is over and gone;

12 The flowers appear on the earth; The time of the singing [of birds] is come, And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land;

13 The fig-tree ripeneth her green figs, And the vines are in blossom; They give forth their fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

14 O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, In the covert of the steep place, Let me see thy countenance, Let me hear thy voice; For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.

15 Take us the foxes, the little foxes, That spoil the vineyards; For our vineyards are in blossom.

16 My beloved is mine, and I am his: He feedeth [his flock] among the lilies.

17 Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away, Turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart Upon the mountains of Bether.

3:1 By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.

2 [I said], I will rise now, and go about the city; In the streets and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.

3 The watchmen that go about the city found me; [To whom I said], Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?

4 It was but a little that I passed from them, When I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, Until I had brought him into my mother's house, And into the chamber of her that conceived me.

5 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the roes, or by the hinds of the field, That ye stir not up, nor awake [my] love, Until he please.

6 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness Like pillars of smoke, Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, With all powders of the merchant?

7 Behold, it is the litter of Solomon; Threescore mighty men are about it, Of the mighty men of Israel.

8 They all handle the sword, [and] are expert in war: Every man hath his sword upon his thigh, Because of fear in the night.

9 King Solomon made himself a palanquin Of the wood of Lebanon.

10 He made the pillars thereof of silver, The bottom thereof of gold, the seat of it of purple, The midst thereof being paved with love, From the daughters of Jerusalem.

11 Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon, With the crown wherewith his mother hath crowned him In the day of his espousals, And in the day of the gladness of his heart.

4:1 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; Thine eyes are [as] doves behind thy veil. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That lie along the side of mount Gilead.

2 Thy teeth are like a flock [of ewes] that are [newly] shorn, Which are come up from the washing, Whereof every one hath twins, And none is bereaved among them.

3 Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, And thy mouth is comely. Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate Behind thy veil.

4 Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armory, Whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, All the shields of the mighty men.

5 Thy two breasts are like two fawns That are twins of a roe, Which feed among the lilies.

6 Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, And to the hill of frankincense.

7 Thou art all fair, my love; And there is no spot in thee.

8 Come with me from Lebanon, [my] bride, With me from Lebanon: Look from the top of Amana, From the top of Senir and Hermon, From the lions' dens, From the mountains of the leopards.

9 Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, [my] bride; Thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, With one chain of thy neck.

10 How fair is thy love, my sister, [my] bride! How much better is thy love than wine! And the fragrance of thine oils than all manner of spices!

11 Thy lips, O [my] bride, drop [as] the honeycomb: Honey and milk are under thy tongue; And the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

12 A garden shut up is my sister, [my] bride; A spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

13 Thy shoots are an orchard of pomegranates, with precious fruits; Henna with spikenard plants,

14 Spikenard and saffron, Calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; Myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices.

15 [Thou art] a fountain of gardens, A well of living waters, And flowing streams from Lebanon.

16 Awake, O north wind; And come, thou south; Blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, And eat his precious fruits.

5:1 I am come into my garden, my sister, [my] bride: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends; Drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.

2 I was asleep, but my heart waked: It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, [saying], Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled; For my head is filled with dew, My locks with the drops of the night.

3 I have put off my garment; How shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

4 My beloved put in his hand by the hole [of the door], And my heart was moved for him.

5 I rose up to open to my beloved; And my hands droppeth with myrrh, And my fingers with liquid myrrh, Upon the handles of the bolt.

6 I opened to my beloved; But my beloved had withdrawn himself, [and] was gone. My soul had failed me when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.

7 The watchmen that go about the city found me, They smote me, they wounded me; The keepers of the walls took away my mantle from me.

8 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, If ye find my beloved, That ye tell him, that I am sick from love.

9 What is thy beloved more than [another] beloved, O thou fairest among women? What is thy beloved more than [another] beloved, That thou dost so adjure us?

10 My beloved is white and ruddy, The chiefest among ten thousand.

11 His head is [as] the most fine gold; His locks are bushy, [and] black as a raven.

12 His eyes are like doves beside the water-brooks, Washed with milk, [and] fitly set.

13 His cheeks are as a bed of spices, [As] banks of sweet herbs: His lips are [as] lilies, dropping liquid myrrh.

14 His hands are [as] rings of gold set with beryl: His body is [as] ivory work overlaid [with] sapphires.

15 His legs are [as] pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: His aspect is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.

16 His mouth is most sweet; Yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

6:1 Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? Whither hath thy beloved turned him, That we may seek him with thee?

2 My beloved is gone down to his garden, To the beds of spices, To feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

3 I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine; He feedeth [his flock] among the lilies,

4 Thou art fair, O my love, as Tirzah, Comely as Jerusalem, Terrible as an army with banners.

5 Turn away thine eyes from me, For they have overcome me. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That lie along the side of Gilead.

6 Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes, Which are come up from the washing; Whereof every one hath twins, And none is bereaved among them.

7 Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate Behind thy veil.

8 There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, And virgins without number.

9 My dove, my undefiled, is [but] one; She is the only one of her mother; She is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; [Yea], the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, Fair as the moon, Clear as the sun, Terrible as an army with banners?

11 I went down into the garden of nuts, To see the green plants of the valley, To see whether the vine budded, [And] the pomegranates were in flower.

12 Before I was aware, my soul set me [Among] the chariots of my princely people.

13 Return, return, O Shulammite; Return, return, that we may look upon thee. Why will ye look upon the Shulammite, As upon the dance of Mahanaim?

7:1 How beautiful are thy feet in sandals, O prince's daughter! Thy rounded thighs are like jewels, The work of the hands of a skilful workman.

2 Thy body is [like] a round goblet, [Wherein] no mingled wine is wanting: Thy waist is [like] a heap of wheat Set about with lilies.

3 Thy two breasts are like two fawns That are twins of a roe.

4 Thy neck is like the tower of ivory; Thine eyes [as] the pools in Heshbon, By the gate of Bath-rabbim; Thy nose is like the tower of Lebanon Which looketh toward Damascus.

5 Thy head upon thee is like Carmel, And the hair of thy head like purple; The king is held captive in the tresses [thereof].

6 How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!

7 This thy stature is like to a palm-tree, And thy breasts to its clusters.

8 I said, I will climb up into the palm-tree, I will take hold of the branches thereof: Let thy breasts be as clusters of the vine, And the smell of thy breath like apples,

9 And thy mouth like the best wine, That goeth down smoothly for my beloved, Gliding through the lips of those that are asleep.

10 I am my beloved's; And his desire is toward me.

11 Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; Let us lodge in the villages.

12 Let us get up early to the vineyards; Let us see whether the vine hath budded, [And] its blossom is open, [And] the pomegranates are in flower: There will I give thee my love.

13 The mandrakes give forth fragrance; And at our doors are all manner of precious fruits, new and old, Which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.

8:1 Oh that thou wert as my brother, That sucked the breasts of my mother! [When] I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; Yea, and none would despise me.

2 I would lead thee, [and] bring thee into my mother's house, Who would instruct me; I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine, Of the juice of my pomegranate.

3 His left hand [should be] under my head, And his right hand should embrace me.

4 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, That ye stir not up, nor awake [my] love, Until he please.

5 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, Leaning upon her beloved? Under the apple-tree I awakened thee: There thy mother was in travail with thee, There was she in travail that brought thee forth.

6 Set me as a seal upon thy heart, As a seal upon thine arm: For love is strong as death; Jealousy is cruel as Sheol; The flashes thereof are flashes of fire, A very flame of Jehovah.

7 Many waters cannot quench love, Neither can floods drown it: If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, He would utterly be contemned.

8 We have a little sister, And she hath no breasts: What shall we do for our sister In the day when she shall be spoken for?

9 If she be a wall, We will build upon her a turret of silver: And if she be a door, We will inclose her with boards of cedar.

10 I am a wall, and my breasts like the towers [thereof] Then was I in his eyes as one that found peace.

11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; He let out the vineyard unto keepers; Every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand [pieces] of silver.

12 My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: Thou, O Solomon, shalt have the thousand, And those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.

13 Thou that dwellest in the gardens, The companions hearken for thy voice: Cause me to hear it.

14 Make haste, my beloved, And be thou like to a roe or to a young hart Upon the mountains of spices.


Isai 1:1 (ASV) The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for Jehovah hath spoken: I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.

3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; [but] Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.

4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, children that deal corruptly! they have forsaken Jehovah, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are estranged [and gone] backward.

5 Why will ye be still stricken, that ye revolt more and more? the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; [but] wounds, and bruises, and fresh stripes: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with oil.

7 Your country is desolate; your cities are burned with fire; your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

8 And the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.

9 Except Jehovah of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

10 Hear the word of Jehovah, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

11 What unto me is the multitude of your sacrifices? saith Jehovah: I have had enough of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats.

12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to trample my courts?

13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; new moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies,-- I cannot away with iniquity and the solemn meeting.

14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth; they are a trouble unto me; I am weary of bearing them.

15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

17 learn to do well; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith Jehovah: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

20 but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.

21 How is the faithful city become a harlot! she that was full of justice! righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.

22 Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water.

23 Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves; every one loveth bribes, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.

24 Therefore saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies;

25 and I will turn my hand upon thee, and thoroughly purge away thy dross, and will take away all thy tin;

26 and I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called The city of righteousness, a faithful town.

27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her converts with righteousness.

28 But the destruction of transgressors and sinners shall be together, and they that forsake Jehovah shall be consumed.

29 For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.

30 For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water.

31 And the strong shall be as tow, and his work as a spark; and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.

2:1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

2 And it shall come to pass in the latter days, that the mountain of Jehovah's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

3 And many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem.

4 And he will judge between the nations, and will decide concerning many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of Jehovah.

6 For thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they are filled [with customs] from the east, and [are] soothsayers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners.

7 And their land is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land also is full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots.

8 Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.

9 And the mean man is bowed down, and the great man is brought low: therefore forgive them not.

10 Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, from before the terror of Jehovah, and from the glory of his majesty.

11 The lofty looks of man shall be brought low, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and Jehovah alone shall be exalted in that day.

12 For there shall be a day of Jehovah of hosts upon all that is proud and haughty, and upon all that is lifted up; and it shall be brought low;

13 and upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,

14 and upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up,

15 and upon every lofty tower, and upon every fortified wall,

16 and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant imagery.

17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; and Jehovah alone shall be exalted in that day.

18 And the idols shall utterly pass away.

19 And men shall go into the caves of the rocks, and into the holes of the earth, from before the terror of Jehovah, and from the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake mightily the earth.

20 In that day men shall cast away their idols of silver, and their idols of gold, which have been made for them to worship, to the moles and to the bats;

21 to go into the caverns of the rocks, and into the clefts of the ragged rocks, from before the terror of Jehovah, and from the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake mightily the earth.

22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted of?

3:1 For, behold, the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah stay and staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water;

2 the mighty man, and the man of war; the judge, and the prophet, and the diviner, and the elder;

3 the captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counsellor, and the expert artificer, and the skilful enchanter.

4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor: the child shall behave himself proudly against the old man, and the base against the honorable.

6 When a man shall take hold of his brother in the house of his father, [saying], Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand;

7 in that day shall he lift up [his voice], saying, I will not be a healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: ye shall not make me ruler of the people.

8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen; because their tongue and their doings are against Jehovah, to provoke the eyes of his glory.

9 The show of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have done evil unto themselves.

10 Say ye of the righteous, that [it shall be] well [with him]; for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

11 Woe unto the wicked! [it shall be] ill [with him]; for what his hands have done shall be done unto him.

12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they that lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

13 Jehovah standeth up to contend, and standeth to judge the peoples.

14 Jehovah will enter into judgment with the elders of his people, and the princes thereof: It is ye that have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses:

15 what mean ye that ye crush my people, and grind the face of the poor? saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.

16 Moreover Jehovah said, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet;

17 therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and Jehovah will lay bare their secret parts.

18 In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, and the cauls, and the crescents;

19 the pendants, and the bracelets, and the mufflers;

20 the headtires, and the ankle chains, and the sashes, and the perfume-boxes, and the amulets;

21 the rings, and the nose-jewels;

22 the festival robes, and the mantles, and the shawls, and the satchels;

23 the hand-mirrors, and the fine linen, and the turbans, and the veils.

24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet spices there shall be rottenness; and instead of a girdle, a rope; and instead of well set hair, baldness; and instead of a robe, a girding of sackcloth; branding instead of beauty.

25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.

26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she shall be desolate and sit upon the ground.

4:1 And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name; take thou away our reproach.

2 In that day shall the branch of Jehovah be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.

3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem;

4 when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof, by the spirit of justice, and by the spirit of burning.

5 And Jehovah will create over the whole habitation of mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory [shall be spread] a covering.

6 And there shall be a pavilion for a shade in the day-time from the heat, and for a refuge and for a covert from storm and from rain.