Bible in 90 Days

A Song of Praise

135 Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord! Praise Him, O servants of the Lord, ² you who stand in the house of the Lord, within the walls of the house of our God. ³ Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good. Sing praises to His name, for it is sweet. ⁴ For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself. Israel belongs to Him.

⁵ I know that the Lord is great. He is greater than all gods. ⁶ The Lord does whatever is pleasing to Him, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and in all waters. ⁷ He makes the clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning come with the rain. He brings the wind out from where He stores His riches.

⁸ He killed the first-born of Egypt, both man and animal. ⁹ He sent special things to see and did great works among you, O Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants. ¹⁰ He crushed many nations and killed powerful kings, ¹¹ King Sihon of the Amorites, King Og of Bashan, and all the kings of Canaan. ¹² And He gave their land as a gift, a gift to Israel His people. ¹³ O Lord, Your name lasts forever. O Lord, You will be remembered for all time. ¹⁴ For the Lord will decide in favor of His people. He will have loving-pity on His servants. ¹⁵ The gods of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. ¹⁶ They have mouths but they do not speak. They have eyes but they do not see. ¹⁷ They have ears but they do not hear. And there is no breath in their mouths. ¹⁸ Those who make them and those who trust in them will be like them.

¹⁹ O house of Israel, give honor and thanks to the Lord. O house of Aaron, give honor and thanks to the Lord. ²⁰ O house of Levi, give honor and thanks to the Lord. You who fear the Lord, give honor and thanks to the Lord. ²¹ Honor and thanks be to the Lord from Zion, Who lives in Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!

A Song of Thanks

136 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ² Give thanks to the God of gods, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ⁴ Give thanks to Him Who alone does great works, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ⁵ Give thanks to Him Who by wisdom made the heavens, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ⁶ Give thanks to Him Who spread out the earth upon the waters, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ⁷ Give thanks to Him Who made the great lights, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ⁸ He made the sun to rule during the day, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ⁹ He made the moon and stars to rule during the night, for His loving-kindness lasts forever.

¹⁰ Give thanks to Him Who killed the first-born of Egypt, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ¹¹ He brought Israel out from among them, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ¹² He put out His arm and brought them out with a strong hand, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ¹³ Give thanks to Him Who divided the Red Sea in two, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ¹⁴ He led Israel through, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ¹⁵ But He caused the death of Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ¹⁶ Give thanks to Him Who led His people through the desert, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ¹⁷ Give thanks to Him Who destroyed great kings, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ¹⁸ He killed powerful kings, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ¹⁹ He put to death Sihon, king of the Amorites, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ²⁰ He put to death Og, king of Bashan, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ²¹ He gave their land as a gift, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ²² He gave it as a gift to Israel His servant, for His loving-kindness lasts forever.

²³ Give thanks to Him Who remembered us when we had nothing, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ²⁴ He took us away from those who hated us, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ²⁵ He gives food to all men, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. ²⁶ Give thanks to the God of heaven, for His loving-kindness lasts forever.

Israel in a Strange Land

137 We sat down and cried by the rivers of Babylon when we remembered Zion. ² There upon the trees we put our harps. ³ For those who held us there made us sing. And those who made it hard for us asked for joy. They said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”

⁴ How can we sing the song of the Lord in a strange land? ⁵ If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget what it is able to do. ⁶ May my tongue hold to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not honor Jerusalem above my highest joy.

⁷ O Lord, remember what the sons of Edom did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Knock it down,” they said, “Knock it down to the ground.” ⁸ O daughter of Babylon, you who will be destroyed, how honored will be the one who pays you back for what you have done to us! ⁹ How honored will be the one who catches your children and throws them against the rock!

A Song of Praise

138 I will give You thanks with all my heart. I will sing praises to You in front of the gods. ² I will bow down toward Your holy house. And I will give thanks to Your name for Your loving-kindness and Your truth. For You have honored Your Word because of what Your name is. ³ You answered me on the day I called. You gave me strength in my soul.

⁴ O Lord, all the kings of the earth will give thanks to You when they have heard the words of Your mouth. ⁵ And they will sing of the ways of the Lord. For the shining beauty of the Lord is great. ⁶ For even if the Lord is honored, He thinks about those who have no pride. But He knows the proud from far away. ⁷ Even if I walk into trouble, You will keep my life safe. You will put out Your hand against the anger of those who hate me. And Your right hand will save me. ⁸ The Lord will finish the work He started for me. O Lord, Your loving-kindness lasts forever. Do not turn away from the works of Your hands.

God Cares for His People

139 O Lord, You have looked through me and have known me. ² You know when I sit down and when I get up. You understand my thoughts from far away. ³ You look over my path and my lying down. You know all my ways very well. ⁴ Even before I speak a word, O Lord, You know it all. ⁵ You have closed me in from behind and in front. And You have laid Your hand upon me. ⁶ All You know is too great for me. It is too much for me to understand.

⁷ Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I run away from where You are? ⁸ If I go up to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in the place of the dead, You are there! ⁹ If I take the wings of the morning or live in the farthest part of the sea, ¹⁰ even there Your hand will lead me and Your right hand will hold me. ¹¹ If I say, “For sure the darkness will cover me and the light around me will be night,” ¹² even the darkness is not dark to You. And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are the same to You.

¹³ For You made the parts inside me. You put me together inside my mother. ¹⁴ I will give thanks to You, for the greatness of the way I was made brings fear. Your works are great and my soul knows it very well. ¹⁵ My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret and put together with care in the deep part of the earth. ¹⁶ Your eyes saw me before I was put together. And all the days of my life were written in Your book before any of them came to be.

¹⁷ Your thoughts are of great worth to me, O God. How many there are! ¹⁸ If I could number them, there would be more than the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.

¹⁹ If only You would kill the sinful, O God, and the men of blood would go away from me! ²⁰ For they speak against You in sin. Those who hate You use Your name in a wrong way. ²¹ Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord? And do I not hate those who rise up against You? ²² I hate them with the strongest hate. They have become men who hate me.

²³ Look through me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. ²⁴ See if there is any sinful way in me and lead me in the way that lasts forever.

A Prayer for Help

140 O Lord, take me away from sinful men. Keep me safe from men who want to hurt others. ² They make sinful plans in their hearts. They always start wars. ³ They make their tongues sharp like a snake’s. And the poison of a snake is under their lips.

⁴ O Lord, keep me from the hands of the sinful. Keep me safe from men who want to hurt others and have planned to trip my feet. ⁵ The proud have hidden a trap for me. With ropes they have spread a net. They have set traps for me beside the road. ⁶ I said to the Lord, “You are my God. Listen to the voice of my prayers, O Lord. ⁷ O God the Lord, the strength that saves me, You have covered my head in the day of battle. ⁸ O Lord, do not give the sinful what they want. Do not let their plans work, or they will be honored.

⁹ “As for those who gather around me, may the wrong-doing of their lips come upon their heads. ¹⁰ May burning coals fall upon them. May they be thrown into the fire, into deep holes, and rise no more. ¹¹ Do not let the man whose talking hurts people stand in the land. May trouble hurry to catch and destroy the man who wants to hurt others.”

¹² I know that the Lord will stand by those who suffer and do what is right for the poor. ¹³ For sure those who are right and good will give thanks to Your name. Those who are right will live with You.

An Evening Prayer

141 I call upon You, O Lord. Hurry to me! Hear my voice when I call to You! ² May my prayer be like special perfume before You. May the lifting up of my hands be like the evening gift given on the altar in worship. ³ O Lord, put a watch over my mouth. Keep watch over the door of my lips. ⁴ Do not let my heart turn to any sinful thing, to do wrong with men who sin. And do not let me eat their fine food.

⁵ Let those who are right with God punish me and speak strong words to me in kindness. It is oil upon my head. Do not let my head turn away from it. Yet my prayer is always against the sinful works of those who sin. ⁶ When their rulers are thrown down from high rocks, they will hear my words, for they are true. ⁷ Our bones have been spread around the mouth of the grave like the broken ground behind the plow.

⁸ For my eyes are toward You, O God the Lord. In You I have a safe place. Do not leave me without help. ⁹ Keep me from the trap they have set for me. Keep me from the nets of those who do wrong. ¹⁰ Let the sinful fall into their own nets, while I pass by and am safe.

A Prayer for Help

142 I cry with a loud voice to the Lord. I pray with my voice to the Lord. ² I talk and complain to Him. I tell Him all my trouble. ³ When my spirit had grown weak within me, You knew my path. They have hidden a trap for me in the way where I walk. ⁴ Look to the right and see. For there is no one who thinks about me. There is no place for me to go to be safe. No one cares about my soul.

⁵ I cried out to You, O Lord. I said, “You are my safe place, my share in the land of the living. ⁶ Listen to my cry, for I am brought down. Save me from those who make it hard for me. For they are too strong for me. ⁷ Bring my soul out of prison, so that I may give thanks to Your name. Those who are right and good will gather around me. For You will give much to me.”

A Prayer for Help

143 Hear my prayer, O Lord. Listen when I ask for help. Answer me because You are faithful and right. ² Do not find Your servant guilty, for no man living is right and good in Your eyes. ³ For the one who hates me has made it hard for my soul. He has crushed my life to the ground. He has made me live in dark places, like those who have been dead for a long time. ⁴ So my spirit grows weak within me. My heart within me is afraid.

⁵ I remember the days long ago. I think about all You have done. I think about the work of Your hands. ⁶ I put out my hands to You. My soul is thirsty for You like a dry land.

⁷ Hurry to answer me, O Lord! My spirit is becoming weak! Do not hide Your face from me, or I will become like those who go down to the grave. ⁸ Let me hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for I trust in You. Teach me the way I should go for I lift up my soul to You. ⁹ O Lord, take me away from those who hate me. I run to You to be safe.

¹⁰ Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Let Your good Spirit lead me on a straight path. ¹¹ Give me new life, O Lord, because of Your name. Bring me out of trouble because You are right and good. ¹² In Your loving-kindness cut off those who hate me. Destroy all those who make it hard for my soul, for I am Your servant.

A Song of Thanks

144 Praise and thanks be to the Lord, my rock. He makes my hands ready for war, and my fingers for battle. ² He is my loving-kindness and my walls of strength, my strong place and the One Who sets me free, my safe-covering and the One in Whom I trust. He brings my people under my rule. ³ O Lord, what is man that You think of him, the son of man that You remember him? ⁴ Man is like a breath. His days are like a passing shadow. ⁵ O Lord, divide Your heavens and come down. Touch the mountains so they will smoke. ⁶ Send out lightning and divide them. Send out Your arrows and trouble them. ⁷ Put out Your hand from above. Take me out of trouble and away from the many waters, from the power of those from other lands. ⁸ Their mouths speak lies. And their right hand is a right hand that is false.

⁹ I will sing a new song to You, O God. I will sing praises to You on a harp of ten strings. ¹⁰ You save kings. You take Your servant David away from the sharp sword. ¹¹ Take me out of trouble and away from the power of those from other lands. Their mouths speak lies. And their right hand is a right hand that is false.

¹² May our young sons be like plants that are full-grown. And may our daughters be like the corner pieces of a great house. ¹³ May our store-houses be full of all kinds of food. And may our sheep grow by the thousands and ten thousands in our fields. ¹⁴ Let our cattle give birth without trouble and without loss. And may there be no cry of trouble in our streets. ¹⁵ Happy are the people who have all this. Yes, happy are the people whose God is the Lord!

A Song of Praise

145 I will praise You, my God and King. I will honor Your name forever and ever. ² I will honor You every day, and praise Your name forever and ever. ³ The Lord is great and our praise to Him should be great. He is too great for anyone to understand. ⁴ Families of this time will praise Your works to the families-to-come. They will tell about Your powerful acts. ⁵ I will think about the shining-greatness of Your power and about Your great works. ⁶ Men will speak of Your powerful acts that fill us with fear. And I will tell of Your greatness. ⁷ Many words will come from their mouths about how good You are. They will sing for joy about how right You are.

⁸ The Lord is full of loving-favor and pity, slow to anger and great in loving-kindness. ⁹ The Lord is good to all. And His loving-kindness is over all His works. ¹⁰ All Your works will give thanks to You, O Lord. And all those who belong to You will honor You. ¹¹ They will speak of the shining-greatness of Your holy nation, and talk of Your power. ¹² They will make Your powerful acts and the great power of Your holy nation known to the sons of men. ¹³ Your holy nation is a nation that lasts forever. And Your rule lasts for all time.

¹⁴ The Lord holds up all who fall. He raises up all who are brought down. ¹⁵ The eyes of all look to You. And You give them their food at the right time. ¹⁶ You open Your hand and fill the desire of every living thing.

¹⁷ The Lord is right and good in all His ways, and kind in all His works. ¹⁸ The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. ¹⁹ He will fill the desire of those who fear Him. He will also hear their cry and will save them. ²⁰ The Lord takes care of all who love Him. But He will destroy all the sinful. ²¹ My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord. And all flesh will honor His holy name forever and ever.

The Lord—Our Helper

146 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! ² I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God as long as I live. ³ Do not put your trust in princes, in a son of a man, who cannot save us. ⁴ When his spirit leaves, he returns to the earth. His thoughts end on that day. ⁵ Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob, and whose hope is in the Lord his God. ⁶ The Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them. He is faithful forever. ⁷ He helps those who have a bad power over them. He gives food to the hungry. And He sets those in prison free.

⁸ The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord raises up those who are brought down. The Lord loves those who are right and good. ⁹ The Lord keeps the strangers safe. He takes care of the children who have no father and the woman whose husband has died. But He destroys the way of the sinful. ¹⁰ The Lord will rule forever. Your God, O Zion, will rule over all people for all time. Praise the Lord!

Praise for God’s Goodness

147 Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God. For it is pleasing and praise is right. ² The Lord builds up Jerusalem. He gathers those of Israel who had been taken away. ³ He heals those who have a broken heart. He heals their sorrows. ⁴ He knows the number of the stars. He gives names to all of them. ⁵ Great is our Lord, and great in power. His understanding has no end. ⁶ The Lord lifts up those who are suffering, and He brings the sinful down to the ground.

⁷ Sing to the Lord with thanks. Sing praises to our God on the harp. ⁸ He covers the heavens with clouds. He gives rain for the earth. He makes grass grow on the mountains. ⁹ He gives food to the animals, and to the young ravens that cry. ¹⁰ His joy is not in the strength of a horse. He does not find joy in the legs of a man. ¹¹ But the Lord favors those who fear Him and those who wait for His loving-kindness.

¹² Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! ¹³ For He has made your gates strong. He has made good come to your children within you. ¹⁴ He makes peace within your walls. He fills you with the best grain. ¹⁵ He sends His Word to the earth. And His Word runs fast. ¹⁶ He gives snow like wool. He spreads ice like ashes. ¹⁷ He throws down His ice as hail stones. Who can stand before His cold? ¹⁸ He sends out His Word and melts them. He makes His wind blow and the waters flow. ¹⁹ He speaks His Word to Jacob, and His Law to Israel. ²⁰ He has not done this with any other nation. They do not know His Law. Praise the Lord!

The Whole World Should Praise the Lord

148 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise Him on high! ² Praise Him, all His angels! Praise Him, all His army! ³ Praise Him, sun and moon! Praise Him, all you shining stars! ⁴ Praise Him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! ⁵ Let them praise the name of the Lord! For He spoke and they came into being. ⁶ He has made them last forever and ever. He has set a Law which will not pass away.

⁷ Praise the Lord from the earth, you large sea animals and all seas, ⁸ fire and hail, snow and clouds, and wind storms, obeying His Word. ⁹ Praise the Lord, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all tall trees, ¹⁰ wild animals and all cattle, small animals that move on the ground and birds that fly, ¹¹ kings of the earth and all people, princes and all leaders of the earth, ¹² both young men and women who have never had men, and old men and children.

¹³ Let them praise the name of the Lord. For His name alone is honored. His shining-greatness is above earth and heaven. ¹⁴ He has raised up a horn for His people, praise for all who belong to Him, for the people of Israel, who are near to Him. Praise the Lord!

A Call to Praise God

149 Praise the Lord! Sing a new song to the Lord! Praise Him in the meeting of His people. ² Let Israel be glad in his Maker. Let the sons of Zion be full of joy in their King. ³ Let them praise His name with dancing. Let them sing praises to Him with timbrels and a harp. ⁴ For the Lord is happy with His people. He saves those who have no pride and makes them beautiful.

⁵ Let those who are God-like be full of joy and honor. Let them sing for joy on their beds. ⁶ Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and in their hand a sword that cuts both ways. ⁷ Let it be used to punish the nations and the people. ⁸ Let their kings be tied in chains, and their rulers with ropes of iron. ⁹ Let the punishment that is written be given to them. This is an honor for all His faithful ones. Praise the Lord!

A Song of Praise

150 Praise the Lord! Praise God in His holy place! Praise Him in the heavens of His power! ² Praise Him for His great works! Praise Him for all His greatness!

³ Praise Him with the sound of a horn. Praise Him with harps. ⁴ Praise Him with timbrels and dancing. Praise Him with strings and horns. ⁵ Praise Him with loud sounds. Praise Him with loud and clear sounds. ⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

Wise Sayings for Good Use

1 These are the wise sayings of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: ² They show you how to know wisdom and teaching, to find the words of understanding. ³ They help you learn about the ways of wisdom and what is right and fair. ⁴ They give wisdom to the child-like, and much learning and wisdom to those who are young. ⁵ A wise man will hear and grow in learning. A man of understanding will become able ⁶ to understand a saying and a picture-story, the words of the wise and what they mean.

⁷ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of much learning. Fools hate wisdom and teaching.

⁸ Hear your father’s teaching, my son, and do not turn away from your mother’s teaching. ⁹ For they are a glory to your head and a chain of beauty around your neck. ¹⁰ My son, if sinners try to lead you into sin, do not go with them. ¹¹ If they say, “Come with us. Let us lie in wait to kill someone. Let us set a trap for those who are without blame. ¹² Let us swallow them alive like death, as those who go down to the grave. ¹³ We will find all kinds of things of great worth. We will fill our houses with the stolen riches. ¹⁴ Throw in your share with us. We will all have one money bag.”

¹⁵ My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path. ¹⁶ For their feet run to sin and hurry to kill. ¹⁷ Yes, the net is spread for nothing if the bird is watching. ¹⁸ They set traps for their own lives and wait to die. ¹⁹ Such are the ways of all who get things by hurting others. Their desire for stolen riches takes away their own lives.

²⁰ Wisdom calls out in the street. She lifts her voice in the center of town. ²¹ There she cries out in the noisy streets. At the open gates of the city she speaks: ²² “O foolish ones, how long will you love being foolish? How long will those who laugh at others be happy in their laughing? How long will fools hate much learning? ²³ Listen to my strong words! See, I will pour out my spirit on you. I will make my words known to you. ²⁴ I called but you would not listen. I put out my hand and no one gave it a thought. ²⁵ You did not listen when I told you what you should do, and you would not hear any of my strong words. ²⁶ So I will laugh at your trouble. I will laugh when you are afraid. ²⁷ Fear will come to you like a storm. Hard times will come like a strong wind. When trouble and suffering come upon you, ²⁸ then they will call on me, but I will not answer. They will look for me, but they will not find me. ²⁹ Because they hated much learning, and did not choose the fear of the Lord. ³⁰ They would not listen when I told them what they should do. They laughed at all my strong words. ³¹ So they will eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own plans. ³² For the foolish will be killed by their turning away. The trust that fools put in themselves will destroy them. ³³ But he who listens to me will live free from danger, and he will rest easy from the fear of what is sinful.”

Wisdom Brings Safety

2 My son, if you receive my sayings and store up my teachings within you, ² make your ear open to wisdom. Turn your heart to understanding. ³ If you cry out to know right from wrong, and lift your voice for understanding; ⁴ if you look for her as silver, and look for her as hidden riches; ⁵ then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find what is known of God. ⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom. Much learning and understanding come from His mouth. ⁷ He stores up perfect wisdom for those who are right with Him. He is a safe-covering to those who are right in their walk. ⁸ He watches over the right way, and He keeps safe the way of those who belong to Him. ⁹ Then you will understand what is right and good, and right from wrong, and you will know what you should do. ¹⁰ For wisdom will come into your heart. And much learning will be pleasing to your soul. ¹¹ Good thinking will keep you safe. Understanding will watch over you. ¹² You will be kept from the sinful man, and from the man who causes much trouble by what he says. ¹³ You will be kept from the man who leaves the right way to walk in the ways of darkness, ¹⁴ from the one who is happy doing wrong, and who finds joy in the way of sin. ¹⁵ His ways are not straight and are not good.

¹⁶ You will be saved from the strange woman, from the sinful woman with her smooth words. ¹⁷ She leaves the husband she had when she was young, and forgets the agreement with her God. ¹⁸ For her house goes down to death, and her steps lead to the dead. ¹⁹ None who go to her return again, and they do not find the paths of life.

²⁰ So may you walk in the way of good men, and keep to the paths of those who are right and good. ²¹ For those who are right with God will live in the land. The men without blame will stay in it, ²² but the sinful will be destroyed from the land, and those who are not faithful will be taken away from it.

The Reward That Comes from Following Wisdom

3 My son, do not forget my teaching. Let your heart keep my words. ² For they will add to you many days and years of life and peace. ³ Do not let kindness and truth leave you. Tie them around your neck. Write them upon your heart. ⁴ So you will find favor and good understanding in the eyes of God and man. ⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not trust in your own understanding. ⁶ Agree with Him in all your ways, and He will make your paths straight. ⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and turn away from what is sinful. ⁸ It will be healing to your body and medicine to your bones. ⁹ Honor the Lord with your riches, and with the first of all you grow. ¹⁰ Then your store-houses will be filled with many good things and your barrels will flow over with new wine. ¹¹ My son, listen when the Lord punishes you. Do not give up when He tells you what you must do. ¹² The Lord punishes everyone He loves. He whips every son He receives.

¹³ Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gets understanding. ¹⁴ For it is better than getting silver and fine gold. ¹⁵ She is worth more than stones of great worth. Nothing you can wish for compares with her. ¹⁶ Long life is in her right hand. Riches and honor are in her left hand. ¹⁷ Her ways are pleasing, and all her paths are peace. ¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her. Happy are all who hold her near. ¹⁹ The Lord built the earth by wisdom. He built the heavens by understanding. ²⁰ By what He knows, the seas were broken up and water falls from the sky.

²¹ My son, do not allow them to leave your eyes. Keep perfect wisdom and careful thinking. ²² And they will be life to your soul and a chain of beauty to your neck. ²³ Then you will be safe as you walk on your way, and your foot will not trip. ²⁴ You will not be afraid when you lie down. When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. ²⁵ Do not be afraid of fear that comes all at once. And do not be afraid of the storm of the sinful when it comes. ²⁶ For the Lord will be your trust. He will keep your foot from being caught.

²⁷ Do not keep good from those who should have it, when it is in your power to do it. ²⁸ Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and return tomorrow, and I will give it,” when you have it with you. ²⁹ Do not plan for your neighbor to be hurt, while he trusts you enough to live beside you. ³⁰ Do not fight with a man for no reason, when he has done you no wrong. ³¹ Do not be jealous of a man who hurts others, and do not choose any of his ways. ³² For the bad man is hated by the Lord, but He is near to those who are right with Him. ³³ The punishment of the Lord is on the house of the sinful, but He makes good come to the house of those who are right with Him. ³⁴ God makes fun of those who make fun of the truth but gives loving-favor to those who have no pride. ³⁵ Honor will be given to the wise, but shame will be given to fools.

A Father’s Teaching

4 O sons, hear the teaching of a father. Listen so you may get understanding. ² For I give you good teaching. Do not turn away from it. ³ When I was a much loved and only son of my mother and father, ⁴ he taught me, saying, “Hold my words close to your heart. Keep my teachings and live. ⁵ Get wisdom and understanding. Do not forget or turn away from the words of my mouth. ⁶ Do not leave her alone, and she will keep you safe. Love her, and she will watch over you. ⁷ The beginning of wisdom is: Get wisdom! And with all you have gotten, get understanding. ⁸ Honor her and she will honor you. She will honor you if you hold her to your heart. ⁹ She will put on your head a crown of loving-favor and beauty.”

¹⁰ Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many. ¹¹ I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you on the right paths. ¹² When you walk, your steps will not be stopped. If you run, you will not trip. ¹³ Take hold of teaching. Do not let go. Watch over her, for she is your life. ¹⁴ Do not go on the path of the sinful. Do not walk in the way of bad men. ¹⁵ Stay away from it. Do not pass by it. Turn from it, and pass on. ¹⁶ For they cannot sleep unless they do wrong. They are robbed of sleep unless they make someone fall. ¹⁷ For they eat the bread of sin, and drink the wine of wrong-doing. ¹⁸ But the way of those who are right is like the early morning light. It shines brighter and brighter until the perfect day. ¹⁹ The way of the sinful is like darkness. They do not know what they trip over.

²⁰ My son, listen to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings. ²¹ Do not let them leave your eyes. Keep them in the center of your heart. ²² For they are life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. ²³ Keep your heart pure for out of it are the important things of life. ²⁴ Put false speaking away from you. Put bad talk far from you. ²⁵ Let your eyes look straight in front of you, and keep looking at what is in front of you. ²⁶ Watch the path of your feet, and all your ways will be sure. ²⁷ Do not turn to the right or to the left. Turn your foot away from sin.

Being Led into Sex Sins

5 My son, listen to my wisdom. Turn your ear to my understanding. ² So you may know what is good thinking, and your lips may keep much learning. ³ For the lips of a strange woman are as sweet as honey. Her talk is as smooth as oil. ⁴ But in the end she is as bitter tasting as wormwood, and as sharp as a sword that cuts both ways. ⁵ Her feet go down to death. Her steps take hold of hell. ⁶ She does not think about the path of life. Her ways go this way and that, and she does not know it.

⁷ Now then, my sons, listen to me. Do not turn away from the words of my mouth. ⁸ Keep far away from her. Do not go near the door of her house. ⁹ If you do, you would give your strength to others, and your years to those without loving-kindness. ¹⁰ Strangers would be filled with your strength, and the fruits of your work would go to a strange house. ¹¹ You would cry inside yourself when your end comes, when your flesh and body are wasted away. ¹² You would say, “How I have hated teaching! My heart hated strong words! ¹³ I have not listened to the voice of my teachers. I have not turned my ear to those who would teach me. ¹⁴ Now I have a bad name in the meeting place of the people.”

¹⁵ Drink water from your own pool, flowing water from your own well. ¹⁶ Should the waters from your well flow away, rivers of water in the streets? ¹⁷ Let them be yours alone, and not for strangers with you. ¹⁸ Let your well be honored, and be happy with the wife you married when you were young. ¹⁹ Let her be like a loving, female deer. Let her breasts please you at all times. Be filled with great joy always because of her love. ²⁰ My son, why should you be carried away with a sinful woman and fall into the arms of a strange woman? ²¹ For the ways of a man are seen by the eyes of the Lord, and He watches all his paths. ²² His own sins will trap the sinful. He will be held with the ropes of his sin. ²³ He will die for want of teaching, and will go the wrong way because of the greatness of his foolish ways.

A Father Talks to His Son

6 My son, if you have put yourself as a trust for what your neighbor owes to another, or if you have made a promise for a stranger, ² you have been trapped with the words of your lips. You have been caught with the words of your mouth. ³ Do this now, my son, and get yourself out of trouble, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go without pride and beg your neighbor to let you go. ⁴ Do not let your eyes sleep. Do not let your eyes close. ⁵ Take yourself away like a deer from the man who kills animals, and like a bird from the hand of the man who catches birds.

⁶ Go to the ant, O lazy person. Watch and think about her ways, and be wise. ⁷ She has no leader, head or ruler, ⁸ but she gets her food ready in the summer, and gathers her food at the right time. ⁹ How long will you lie down, O lazy person? When will you rise up from your sleep? ¹⁰ A little sleep, a little rest, a little folding of the hands to rest, ¹¹ and being poor will come upon you like a robber, and your need like a man ready to fight.

¹² A person of no worth, a sinful man, is he who goes about telling lies. ¹³ He winks with his eyes, makes signs with his feet, and makes certain moves with his fingers. ¹⁴ He always plans to do sinful things because of his sinful heart. He causes arguing among people. ¹⁵ So trouble will come upon him all at once. Right then he will be broken, and there will be no healing.

¹⁶ There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven that are hated by Him: ¹⁷ A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that kill those who are without guilt, ¹⁸ a heart that makes sinful plans, feet that run fast to sin, ¹⁹ a person who tells lies about someone else, and one who starts fights among brothers.

²⁰ My son, keep the teaching of your father, and do not turn away from the teaching of your mother. ²¹ Hold them always to your heart. Tie them around your neck. ²² They will lead you when you walk. They will watch over you when you sleep, and they will talk with you when you wake up. ²³ For the word is a lamp. The teaching is a light, and strong words that punish are the way of life. ²⁴ They keep you from the sinful woman, from the smooth tongue of a sinful woman. ²⁵ Do not desire her beauty in your heart. Do not let her catch you with her eyes. ²⁶ For because of a woman who sells the use of her body, one is brought down to a loaf of bread. A sinful woman hunts to take a man’s very life. ²⁷ Can a man carry fire in his arms, and his clothes not be burned? ²⁸ Can a man walk on hot coals, and his feet not be burned? ²⁹ So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife. Whoever touches her will be punished. ³⁰ Men do not hate a robber who steals food for himself when he is hungry. ³¹ But if he is caught, he must pay seven times what he took. He must give up all the things in his house. ³² He who does sex sins with a woman does not think well. He who does it is destroying himself. ³³ He will be hurt and ashamed, and his shame will not be taken away. ³⁴ Jealousy makes a man angry. He will show no pity for the wrong that was done to him. ³⁵ He will not take pay, and he will not be happy even if you give him many gifts.