¶ The Pursuit and Promise of Wisdom
A reading from the book of Proverbs. My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you. making your ear attentive to wisdom, and inclining your heart to understand. Yes, if you call out for insight, and raise your voice for understanding, If you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom. From his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path. For wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you.
Delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, who forsake the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness. Who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words, who forsakes the companion of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God.
For her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the departed. None who go to her come back, nor do they regain the paths of life. So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it, but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.
¶ Living by God's Commandments
My son, do not forget my teaching. But let your heart keep my commandments. For length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart, so you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your path.
Be not wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth, and with the first fruits of all your produce, then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline, or be weary of his reproof. For the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father, the Son in whom he delights.
Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding. For the gain from her is better than gain from silver, and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand, in her left hand are riches and honor, her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her. Those who hold her fast are called blessed.
The Lord by wisdom founded the earth. By understanding he established the heavens. By his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds dropped down the dew. My son, do not lose sight of these. Keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble.
If you lie down, you will not be afraid. When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked when it comes. For the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught. Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, Go and come again, tomorrow I will give it.
When you have it with you. Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you. Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm. Do not envy a man of violence, and do not choose any of his ways, for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence. The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor. The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgraced.
¶ Father's Instruction: Guarding Wisdom and Your Heart
Hear, O sons, of Father's instruction, and be attentive that you may gain insight, for I give you good precepts, do not forsake my teaching. When I was a son with my father, Tinder, the only one in the sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me Let your heart hold fast my words, keep my commandments and live. Get wisdom, get insight, do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her and she will keep you. Love her and she will guard you. The beginning of wisdom is this. Get wisdom. And whatever you get, Get insight. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you. She will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a graceful garland, she will bestow on you a beautiful crown. Hear my son and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom, I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. Keep hold of instruction, do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it, do not go on it. Turn away from it, and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong. They are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness. They do not know over what they stumble. My son, be attentive to my words. Incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight. Keep them within your heart, for they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet. Then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left. Turn your foot away from evil.