So now, O kings, show insight;
Take warning, O judges of the earth.
Serve Yahweh with fear
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the way of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of Yahweh,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not rise in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.

An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above pearls.
•••
Her children rise up and bless her;
As for her husband, he also praises her, saying:
•••
“Many daughters have done excellently,
But you have gone above them all.”
•••
Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears Yahweh, she shall be praised.
•••
Give to her from the fruit of her hands,
And let her works praise her in the gates.

Every word of God is tested;
He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
Do not add to His words
Lest He reprove you, and you be proved a liar.

The rod and reproof give wisdom,
But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.
•••
Discipline your son, and he will give you rest;
And he will give delight to your soul.
•••
Where there is no vision, the people are out of control,
But how blessed is he who keeps the law.
•••
A man’s lofty pride will bring him low,
But a lowly spirit will take hold of glory.
•••
Trembling before man brings a snare,
But he who trusts in Yahweh will be set securely on high.

By the transgression of a land many are its princes,
But by a man who understands, who knows, so it endures.
•••
Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
But those who keep the law strive with them.
•••
Better is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than he who is crooked—double dealing—though he be rich.
•••
He who turns away his ear from listening to the law,
Even his prayer is an abomination.
•••
He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them will receive compassion.

Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you do not know what a day may bring forth.
•••
Let a stranger praise you, and not your own mouth;
A foreigner, and not your own lips.
•••
Iron sharpens iron,
So one man sharpens another.
•••
Know well the condition of your flocks,
And pay attention to your herds;
For wealth is not forever

Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
•••
The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
Than seven men who can respond with a discreet answer.
•••
Like one who seizes a dog by the ears
Is he who passes by and becomes passionate about strife not belonging to him.
•••
With no wood the fire goes out,
And where there is no whisperer, strife quiets down.

Do not go out hastily to plead your case;
Lest, what will you do in the end,
When your neighbor humiliates you?
Plead your case with your neighbor,
And do not reveal the secret of another,
Lest he who hears it bring disgrace upon you,
And the bad report about you will not turn away.
•••
Like a city that is broken into and without a wall
Is a man without restraint over his spirit.

If you are slack in the day of trouble,
Your strength is in trouble.
Deliver those who are being taken away to death,
And those who are stumbling to the slaughter, Oh hold them back.
If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
Does not He who weighs the hearts understand?
And does not He who guards your soul know?
And will not He render to man according to his work?