And not strangers' with thee. 18 Let thy fountain be blessed;

And have joy of the wife of thy youth. 19 A lovely hind and a graceful doe,

Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; With her love be thou ravished always. 20 Why then wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman,

And embrace the bosom of an alien?

21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD,

And He maketh even all his paths.

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

23 He shall die for lack of instruction;

6

And in the greatness of his folly he shall reel.

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 runner, And thy want as an armed man.

12 A base person, a man of iniquity,

Is he that walketh with a froward mouth;

13 That winketh with his eyes, that scrapeth with his feet,

That pointeth with his fingers;

14 Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth evil continually;

He 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 the LORD 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 thoughts, Feet that are swift in running to evil; 19 A false witness that breatheth out lies,

And he that soweth discord among brethren.

20 My son, keep the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the teaching 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 liest down, it shall watch over thee;

And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

23 For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light,

And reproofs of instruction are the way of life;

24 To keep thee from the evil woman,

From the smoothness of the alien tongue.

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

26 For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a loaf of bread,

But 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 neighbour's wife; Whosoever toucheth her shall not go unpunished.

30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal

To satisfy his soul when he is hungry;

31 But if he be found, he must restore sevenfold,

He must give all the substance of his house. 32 He that committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding;

He doeth it that would destroy his own soul. 33 Wounds and dishonour 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 venge

ance.

35 He will not regard any ransom;

Neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

10

The proverbs of Solomon.

A wise son maketh a glad father;

But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.

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

3 The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish;

But He thrusteth away the desire of the wicked.

4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand;

But the hand of the diligent maketh rich. 5 A wise son gathereth in summer;

But a son that doeth shamefully sleepeth in harvest.

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

7 The memory of the righteous shall be for a blessing;

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 securely; But he that perverteth his ways shall be found out.

10 He that winketh with the eye causeth sor

row;

And a prating fool shall fall.

11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life;

But the mouth of the wicked concealeth

violence.

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 an imminent ruin.

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

16 The wages of the righteous is life; The increase of the wicked is sin.

17 He is in the way of life that heedeth instruction;

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 is wise.

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 want of understanding.