Axial Commons
Hebrew / JewishChristianity
Doe this nowe, my sonne, and deliuer thy selfe: seeing thou art come into the hande of thy neighbour, goe, and humble thy selfe, and sollicite thy friends.
Giue no sleepe to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
Deliuer thy selfe as a doe from the hande of the hunter, and as a birde from the hande of the fouler.
Goe to the pismire, O sluggarde: beholde her waies, and be wise.
For shee hauing no guide, gouernour, nor ruler,
Prepareth her meat in the sommer, and gathereth her foode in haruest.
Howe long wilt thou sleepe, O sluggarde? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleepe?
Yet a litle sleepe, a litle slumber, a litle folding of the hands to sleepe.
Therefore thy pouertie commeth as one that trauaileth by the way, and thy necessitie like an armed man.
The vnthriftie man and the wicked man walketh with a froward mouth.
He maketh a signe with his eyes: he signifieth with his feete: he instructeth with his fingers.
Lewde things are in his heart: he imagineth euill at all times, and raiseth vp contentions.
Therefore shall his destruction come speedily: hee shall be destroyed suddenly without recouerie.
These sixe things doeth the Lord hate: yea, his soule abhorreth seuen:
The hautie eyes, a lying tongue, and the hands that shed innocent blood,
An heart that imagineth wicked enterprises, feete that be swift in running to mischiefe,
A false witnesse that speaketh lyes, and him that rayseth vp contentions among brethren.
My sonne, keepe thy fathers commandement, and forsake not thy mothers instruction.
Binde them alway vpon thine heart, and tye them about thy necke.
It shall leade thee, when thou walkest: it shall watch for thee, when thou sleepest, and when thou wakest, it shall talke with thee.
For the commandement is a lanterne, and instruction a light: and corrections for instruction are the way of life,
To keepe thee from the wicked woman, and from ye flatterie of ye tongue of a strange woman.
Desire not her beautie in thine heart, neither let her take thee with her eye lids.
For because of the whorish woman a man is brought to a morsell of bread, and a woman wil hunt for the precious life of a man.
Can a man take fire in his bosome, and his clothes not be burnt?
Or can a man go vpon coales, and his feete not be burnt?
So he that goeth in to his neighbours wife, shall not be innocent, whosoeuer toucheth her.
Men do not despise a thiefe, when he stealeth, to satisfie his soule, because he is hungrie.
But if he be founde, he shall restore seuen folde, or he shall giue all the substance of his house.
But he that committeth adulterie with a woman, he is destitute of vnderstanding: he that doeth it, destroyeth his owne soule.
He shall finde a wounde and dishonour, and his reproch shall neuer be put away.
For ielousie is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
He cannot beare the sight of any raunsome: neither will he consent, though thou augment the giftes.
My sonne, keepe my wordes, and hide my commandements with thee.
Keepe my commandements, and thou shalt liue, and mine instruction as the apple of thine eyes.
Binde them vpon thy fingers, and write them vpon the table of thine heart.
Say vnto wisedome, Thou art my sister: and call vnderstanding thy kinswoman,
That they may keepe thee from the strange woman, euen from the stranger that is smoothe in her wordes.
As I was in the window of mine house, I looked through my windowe,
And I sawe among the fooles, and considered among the children a yong man destitute of vnderstanding,
Who passed through the streete by her corner, and went toward her house,
In the twilight in the euening, when the night began to be blacke and darke.
And beholde, there met him a woman with an harlots behauiour, and subtill in heart.
(She is babling and loud: whose feete can not abide in her house.
Nowe she is without, nowe in the streetes, and lyeth in waite at euery corner)
So she caught him and kissed him and with an impudent face said vnto him,
I haue peace offerings: this day haue I payed my vowes.
Therefore came I forth to meete thee, that I might seeke thy face: and I haue found thee.
I haue deckt my bed with ornaments, carpets and laces of Egypt.
I haue perfumed my bedde with myrrhe, aloes, and cynamom.
Come, let vs take our fill of loue vntill the morning: let vs take our pleasure in daliance.
For mine husband is not at home: he is gone a iourney farre off.
He hath taken with him a bagge of siluer, and will come home at the day appointed.
Thus with her great craft she caused him to yeelde, and with her flattering lips she entised him.
And he followed her straight wayes, as an oxe that goeth to the slaughter, and as a foole to the stockes for correction,
Till a dart strike through his liuer, as a bird hasteth to the snare, not knowing that he is in danger.
Heare me now therefore, O children, and hearken to the wordes of my mouth.
Let not thine heart decline to her wayes: wander thou not in her paths.
For shee hath caused many to fall downe wounded, and the strong men are all slaine by her.
Her house is the way vnto ye graue, which goeth downe to the chambers of death.
Doth not wisedome crie? and vnderstanding vtter her voyce?
She standeth in the top of the high places by the way in the place of the paths.
She cryeth besides the gates before the citie at the entrie of the doores,
O men, I call vnto you, and vtter my voyce to the children of men.
O ye foolish men, vnderstand wisedome, and ye, O fooles, be wise in heart.
Giue eare, for I will speake of excellent things, and the opening of my lippes, shall teache things that be right.
For my mouth shall speake the trueth, and my lippes abhorre wickednesse.
All the wordes of my mouth are righteous: there is no lewdenes, nor frowardnesse in them.
They are all plaine to him that will vnderstande, and streight to them that woulde finde knowledge.
Receiue mine instruction, and not siluer, and knowledge rather then fine golde.
For wisdome is better then precious stones: and all pleasures are not to be compared vnto her.
I wisdome dwell with prudence, and I find foorth knowledge and counsels.
The feare of the Lord is to hate euill as pride, and arrogancie, and the euill way: and a mouth that speaketh lewde things, I doe hate.
I haue counsell and wisedome: I am vnderstanding, and I haue strength.
By me, Kings reigne, and princes decree iustice.
By me princes rule and the nobles, and all the iudges of the earth.
I loue them that loue me: and they that seeke me earely, shall finde me.
Riches and honour are with me: euen durable riches and righteousnesse.
My fruite is better then golde, euen then fine golde, and my reuenues better then fine siluer.
I cause to walke in the way of righteousnes, and in the middes of the paths of iudgement,
That I may cause them that loue me, to inherite substance, and I will fill their treasures.
The Lord hath possessed me in the beginning of his way: I was before his workes of olde.
I was set vp from euerlasting, from the beginning and before the earth.
When there were no depths, was I begotten, when there were no fountaines abounding with water.
Before the mountaines were setled: and before the hilles, was I begotten.
He had not yet made the earth, nor the open places, nor the height of the dust in the worlde.
When hee prepared the heauens, I was there, when he set the compasse vpon the deepe.
When he established the cloudes aboue, when he confirmed the fountaines of the deepe,
When he gaue his decree to the Sea, that the waters shoulde not passe his commandement: when he appointed the foundations of the earth,
Then was I with him as a nourisher, and I was dayly his delight reioycing alway before him,
And tooke my solace in the compasse of his earth: and my delite is with the children of men.
Therefore nowe hearken, O children, vnto me: for blessed are they that keepe my wayes.
Heare instruction, and be ye wise, and refuse it not: blessed is the man that heareth mee, watching dayly at my gates, and giuing attendance at the postes of my doores.
For he that findeth me, findeth life, and shall obteine fauour of the Lord.
But he that sinneth against me, hurteth his owne soule: and all that hate me, loue death.
Wisedome hath built her house, and hewen out her seuen pillars.
She hath killed her vitailes, drawen her wine, and prepared her table.
She hath sent forth her maydens and cryeth vpon the highest places of the citie, saying,
Who so is simple, let him come hither, and to him that is destitute of wisedome, she sayth,
Come, and eate of my meate, and drinke of the wine that I haue drawen.