1988 verses about Wisdom

Speak not against the truth; And be abashed for your ignorance.

Lay not yourself down for a fool to tread upon; And accept not the person of one that is mighty.

Be not hasty in your tongue, And in your deeds slack and remiss.

Be stedfast in your understanding; And let your word be one.

Be swift to hear; And with patience make your answer.

If you have understanding, answer your neighbor; And if not, let your hand be upon your mouth.

Glory and dishonor is in talk: And the tongue of a man is his fall.

In a great matter and in a small, be not ignorant;

Exalt not yourself in the counsel of your soul; That your soul be not torn in pieces as a bull:

You will eat up your leaves, and destroy your fruits, And leave yourself as a dry tree.

Let those that are at peace with you be many; But your counselors one of a thousand.

Separate yourself from your enemies; And beware of your friends.

My son, gather instruction from your youth up: And even to hoar hairs you will find wisdom.

Come to her as one that plows and sows, And wait for her good fruits; For your toil will be little in the tillage of her, And you will eat of her fruits right soon.

How exceeding harsh is she to the unlearned! And he that is without understanding will not abide in her.

As a mighty stone of trial will she rest upon him; And he will not delay to cast her from him.

For wisdom is according to her name; and she is not manifest to many.

Give ear, my son, and accept my judgement, And refuse not my counsel,

And bring your feet into her fetters, And your neck into her chain.

Put your shoulder under her, and bear her, And be not grieved with her bonds.

Come to her with all your soul, And keep her ways with your whole power.

Search, and seek, and she will be made known to you; And when you have got hold of her, let her not go.

For at the last you will find her rest; And she will be turned for you into gladness.

And her fetters will be to you for a covering of strength, And her chains for a robe of glory.

For there is a golden ornament upon her, And her bands are a riband of blue.

You shall put her on as a robe of glory, And shall array you with her as a crown of rejoicing.

My son, if you will, you shall be instructed; And if you will yield your soul, you will be prudent.

If you love to hear, you will receive; And if you incline your ear, you will be wise.

Stand you in the multitude of the elders; And whoso is wise, cleave you to him.

Be willing to listen to every godly discourse; And don’t let the proverbs of understanding escape you.

If you see a man of understanding, get you betimes to him, And let your foot wear out the steps of his doors.

Let your mind dwell upon the ordinances of the Lord, And meditate continually in his commandments: He will establish your heart, And your desire of wisdom will be given to you.

Justify not yourself in the presence of the Lord; And display not your wisdom before the king.

Prate not in the multitude of elders; And repeat not your words in your prayer.

Forgo not a wise and good wife; For her grace is above gold.

Let your soul love a wise servant; Defraud him not of liberty.

Give your daughter in marriage, and you will have accomplished a great matter: And give her to a man of understanding.

Hast you a wife after your mind? cast her not out: But trust not yourself to one that is hateful.

Strive not with a rich man, lest haply he overweigh you: For gold has destroyed many, And turned away the hearts of kings.

Contend not with a man that is full of tongue, And heap not wood upon his fire.

Jest not with a rude man, Lest your ancestors be dishonored.

Neglect not the discourse of the wise, And be conversant with their proverbs; For of them you will learn instruction, And how to minister to great men.

Miss not the discourse of the aged; For they also learned of their fathers: Because from them you will learn understanding, And to give answer in time of need.

Kindle not the coals of a sinner, Lest you be burned with the flame of his fire.

Rise not up from the presence of an insolent man, Lest he lie in wait as an ambush for your mouth.

Be not surety above your power: And if you be surety, take thought as one that will have to pay.

Go not to law with a judge; For according to his honor will they give judgement for him.

Go not in the way with a rash man, Lest he be aggrieved with you; For he will do according to his own will, And you will perish with his folly.

Fight not with a wrathful man, And travel not with him through the desert: For blood is as nothing in his sight; And where there is no help, he will overthrow you.

Take not counsel with a fool; For he will not be able to conceal the matter.

Do no secret thing before a stranger; For you know not what he will bring forth.

Open not your heart to every man; And let him not return you a favor.

Give not your soul to a woman, That she should set her foot upon your strength.

Use not the company of a woman that is a singer, Lest haply you be caught by her attempts.

As well as you can, guess at your neighbors; And take counsel with the wise.

Let your converse be with men of understanding; And let all your discourse be in the law of the Most High.

For the hand of the artificers a work will be commended: And he that rules the people will be counted wise for his speech.

A man full of tongue is dangerous in his city; And he that is headlong in his speech will be hated.

A wise judge will instruct his people; And the government of a man of understanding will be well ordered.

An uninstructed king will destroy his people; And a city will be established through the understanding of the powerful.

In the hand of the Lord is the prosperity of a man; And upon the person of the scribe will he lay his honor.

In the midst of kindred he that rules them has honor; And in the eyes of the Lord those who fear him.

The great man, and the judge, and the mighty man, will be glorified; And there is not one of them greater than he that fears the Lord.

Free men will minister to a wise servant; And a man that has knowledge will not murmur thereat.

Be not over wise in doing your work; And glorify not yourself in the time of your distress.

A poor man is glorified for his knowledge; And a rich man is glorified for his riches.

The wisdom of the lowly will lift up his head, And make him to sit in the midst of great men.

The bee is little among such as fly; And her fruit is the chief of sweetmeats.

Answer not before you have heard; And interrupt not in the midst of speech.

Strive not in a matter that concerns you not; And where sinners judge, sit not you with them.

My son, be not busy about many matters: For if you meddle much, you will not be unpunished; And if you pursue, you will not overtake; And you will not escape by fleeing.

Bring not every man into your house; For many are the plots of the deceitful man.

Give to the good man, And help not the sinner.

Set him not by you, Lest he overthrow you and stand in your place; Let him not sit on your right hand, Lest he seek to take your seat, And at the last you acknowledge my words, And be pricked with my sayings.

Take not up a burden above your strength; And have no fellowship with one that is mightier and richer than yourself. What fellowship shall the earthen pot have with the kettle? This will strike, and that will be dashed in pieces.

If a mighty man invite you, be retiring, And so much the more will he invite you.

Affect not to speak with him as an equal, And believe not his many words: For with much talk will he try you, And in a smiling manner will search you out.

When a rich man is fallen, there are many helpers; He speaks things not to be spoken, and men justify him: A man of low degree falls, and men rebuke him withal; He utters wisdom, and no place is allowed him.

A cheerful countenance is a token of a heart that is in prosperity; And the finding out of parables is a weariness of thinking.

Blessed is the man that has not slipped with his mouth, And is not pricked with sorrow for sins.

Blessed is the man that shall meditate in wisdom, And that shall discourse by his understanding.

He that considers her ways in his heart Shall also have knowledge in her secrets.

Go forth after her as one that tracketh, And lie in wait in her ways.

He that lodges close to her house Shall also fasten a nail in her walls.

He shall pitch his tent near at hand to her, And will lodge in a lodging where good things are.

By her he will be covered from heat, And will lodge in her glory.

He that fears the Lord will do this; And he that has possession of the law will obtain her.

And as a mother shall she meet him, And receive him as a wife married in her virginity.

With bread of understanding will she feed him, And give him water of wisdom to drink.

He will be stayed upon her, and will not be moved; And will rely upon her, and will not be confounded.

And she will exalt him above his neighbors; And in the midst of the congregation will she open his mouth.

Foolish men will not obtain her; And sinners will not see her.

For praise will be spoken in wisdom; And the Lord will prosper it.

He himself made man from the beginning, And left him in the hand of his own counsel.

For great is the wisdom of the Lord: He is mighty in power, and sees all things;

For from one that has understanding will a city be peopled; But a race of wicked men will be made desolate.

Many such things I have seen with my eyes; And my ear has heard mightier things than these.

And no heart will think upon these things: And who shall conceive his ways?

He that is lacking in understanding thinks upon these things; And an unwise and erring man thinks follies.

My son, hearken to me, and learn knowledge, And give heed to my words with your heart.