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My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
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So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
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Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
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If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
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Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
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For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
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He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
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He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.
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Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.
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When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;
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Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:
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To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;
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Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;
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Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;
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Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:
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To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
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Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
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For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.
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None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.
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That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.
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For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.
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But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.
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My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
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For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
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Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
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So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
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Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
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In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
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Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
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It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
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Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
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So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
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My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
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For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
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Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
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For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
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She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
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Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
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Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
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She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
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The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
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By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
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My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
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So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
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Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
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When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
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Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
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For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
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Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
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Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
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Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
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Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
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Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
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For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.
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The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.
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Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
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The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
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Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
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For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
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For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
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He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
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Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
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Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
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Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
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Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
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She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
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Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
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I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
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When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
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Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
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Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
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Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
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For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
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For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
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But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
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The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
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My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
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Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
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For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
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Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
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Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
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Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
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Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
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Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
