1 My son, have you sinned? Do so no more,
But ask forgiveness for your former sins.
2 Flee from sin as from the face of a serpent;
For if you come too close to it, it shall bite you.
The teeth of it are as the teeth of a lion,
Slaying the beings of men.
3 All wickedness is as a two-edged sword,
The wounds of which cannot be healed.
4 Fear and wickedness shall waste wealth;
Therefore the house of the proud shall be made desolate.
5 A prayer out of a poor man’s mouth reaches the ears of Elohim,
And his right-ruling comes speedily.
6 He who hates to be reproved is in the path of sinners;
But he who reveres 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 shall repent from his heart.
7 A learned man is known far and near;
And a man of understanding knows when he slips.
8 He who builds his house with another man’s silver,
Is like one that gathers stones for the tomb of his burial.
9 The assembly of the wicked is like tow wrapped together;
And their end is a flame of fire to destroy them.
10 The way of sinners is paved with stones,
But at the end of it is the pit of She’ol.
11 He who guards the Law of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 gains understanding from it;
And the perfect reverence of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 is wisdom.
12 He who is not wise cannot be taught;
But there is a knowledge which multiplies bitterness.
13 The knowledge of a wise man shall increase as a flood:
And his counsel is like a pure fountain of life.
14 The inward parts of a fool are like a broken vessel,
And he shall hold no knowledge as long as he lives.
15 If a skilled man hears a wise word,
He commends it, and adds to it;
But when one of no understanding hears it,
It displeases him, and he throws it behind his back.
16 The talking of a fool is like a burden on the way;
But favour shall be found in the lips of the wise.
17 They inquire at the mouth of the wise in the assembly,
And they shall consider his words in their heart.
18 As is a house that is destroyed, so is wisdom to a fool;
And the knowledge of the unwise are words without sense.
19 Instruction to fools is as chains on the feet,
And like shackles on the right hand.
20 A fool lifts up his voice with laughter;
But a wise man hardly smiles a little.
21 Learning is to a wise man as an ornament of gold,
And like a bracelet upon his right arm.
22 The foot of a fool hurries into his house;
But a diligent man is ashamed of him.
23 A fool shall peep at the door into the house;
But he who is disciplined shall stand outside.
24 It is the disrespect of a man to listen at the door:
But a wise man shall be grieved with the shame.
25 The lips of gossipers speak that which does not pertain to them;
But the words of those who have understanding are weighed in the balance.
26 The heart of fools is in their mouth;
But the mouth of the wise is in their heart.
27 When the wicked curses an adversary,
He curses his own being.
28 A whisperer defiles his own being,
and is hated wherever he dwells.