Knowing the word of God.

O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised.  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.  His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.  I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.  Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.  Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.  Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the s...

How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.  Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies.  Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins.  Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath–rabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.  Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple; the king is held in the galleries.  How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!  This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes.  I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples;  And the roof of thy mouth like the...

Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.  My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.  I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.  Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.  Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.  Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.  As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.  There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.  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 blessed her;...

I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: 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.  I sleep, but my heart waketh: 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, and my locks with the drops of the night.  I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?  My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.  I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.  I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.  The watchmen that went abou...

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.  Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.  Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.  Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.  Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.  Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.  Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.  Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Senir and Hermon, from the lio...

By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.  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.  The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?  It was but a little that I passed from them, but 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.  I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.  Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?  Behold his bed, which is Solomon's; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel.  They all hold swords, being ex...

I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.  As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.  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.  He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.  Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.  His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.  I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.  The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.  My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.  My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and...

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.  Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.  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 remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.  I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.  Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.  Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?  If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy...

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;  While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:  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 be darkened,  And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;  Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:  Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or t...

Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.  Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.  If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.  He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.  As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.  In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.  Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:  But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remem...

Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.  A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.  Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.  If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.  There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:  Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.  I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.  He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.  Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.  If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, t...

For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.  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.  This is an evil among all things that are 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.  For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.  For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.  Al...

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 boldness of his face shall be changed.  I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.  Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.  Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?  Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment.  Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him.  For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?  There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.  All this ha...

A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.  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.  Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.  The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.  It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.  For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.  Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.  Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.  Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.  Say not thou, What is the cause that the f...

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:  A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.  If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.  For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.  Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other.  Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?  All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.  For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the...

Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.  Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.  For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words.  When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.  Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.  Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?  For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.  If thou seest the oppression of the poor, an...

So I returned, and considered 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.  Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive.  Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.  Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.  The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.  Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.  Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun.  There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied...

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;  A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;  A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;  A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;  A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;  A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;  A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.  What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?  I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.  He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no...

I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.  I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?  I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.  I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:  I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:  I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:  I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:  I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the ...

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.  Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.  What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?  One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.  The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.  The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.  All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.  All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.  The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.  Is th...

The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.  What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows?  Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.  It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:  Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.  Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.  Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.  Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.  Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.  Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.  The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.  She will do him good and not evil all the ...

The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,  Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.  I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.  Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?  Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.  Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.  Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:  Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:  Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord ? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain....

He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.  When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.  Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father: but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance.  The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.  A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet.  In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare: but the righteous doth sing and rejoice.  The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.  Scornful men bring a city into a snare: but wise men turn away wrath.  If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest.  The bloodthirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul.  A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in ...

The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.  For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.  A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.  They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.  Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the Lord understand all things.  Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.  Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father.  He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.  He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.  Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he sh...

Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.  Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.  A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both.  Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?  Open rebuke is better than secret love.  Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.  The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.  As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.  Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.  Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.  My son, be wise, and make my hea...

As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for a fool.  As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.  A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.  Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.  Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.  He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage.  The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools.  As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honour to a fool.  As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.  The great God that formed all things both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors.  As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.  Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is ...

These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.  It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.  The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable.  Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.  Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.  Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men:  For better it is 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.  Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.  Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another:  Lest he that heareth it put thee to s...

Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.  For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.  Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:  And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.  For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.  Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.  He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.  The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.  If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.  If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain;  If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that...

When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:  And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.  Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.  Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.  Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.  Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:  For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.  The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.  Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.  Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:  For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.  Apply thine heart unto instruction, a...

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.  The rich and poor meet together: the Lord is the maker of them all.  A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.  By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.  Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.  Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.  The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.  He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.  He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.  Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.  He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his fri...

The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord , as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.  Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts.  To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.  An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.  The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.  The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.  The robbery of the wicked shall destroy them; because they refuse to do judgment.  The way of man is froward and strange: but as for the pure, his work is right.  It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.  The soul of the wicked desireth evil: his neighbour findeth no favour in his eyes.  When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise: and when the w...

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.  The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul.  It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.  The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.  Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.  Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?  The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.  A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.  Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?  Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the Lord .  Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whethe...

Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.  Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.  The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the Lord .  Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour.  A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.  Many will entreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.  All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.  He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good.  A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.  Delight is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes....

Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.  A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.  When the wicked cometh, then cometh also contempt, and with ignominy reproach.  The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.  It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.  A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.  A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.  The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.  He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.  The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.  The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit.  Before d...

Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.  A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.  The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the Lord trieth the hearts.  A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.  Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.  Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.  Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince.  A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.  He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.  A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool.  L...

The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord .  All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.  Commit thy works unto the Lord , and thy thoughts shall be established.  The Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.  Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord : though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.  By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.  When a man's ways please the Lord , he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.  Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.  A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.  A divine sentence is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment.  A just weight and balance are the Lord's : all the weights of the bag are his work.  I...

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.  The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.  The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.  A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.  A fool despiseth his father's instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent.  In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble.  The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.  The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord : but the prayer of the upright is his delight.  The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the Lord : but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.  Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.  Hell and destruction are before the Lord ...

Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.  He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the Lord : but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.  In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.  Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.  A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies.  A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not: but knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.  Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.  The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.  Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.  The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.  The house of the wicked shall be overthrown: but the tabernacle of th...

A wise son heareth his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke.  A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence.  He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.  The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.  A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame.  Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.  There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.  The ransom of a man's life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke.  The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.  Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.  Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminish...