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¹ My sonne, forget not thou my lawe, but see that thine heart kepe my commaundementes:² For they shal prolong the dayes and yeres of thy lyfe, and bryng thee peace.³ Let mercie and faithfulnesse neuer go from thee: binde them about thy necke, and write them in the tables of thyne heart:⁴ So shalt thou finde fauour and good vnderstandyng in the sight of God and men.⁵ Put thy trust in God with all thine heart: & leane not vnto thine owne wit:⁶ In all thy wayes acknowledge him, and he shall order thy goynges.

⁷ Be not wise in thine owne conceipt: but feare the Lorde, and depart from euyll:⁸ So shall thy nauell be whole, and thy bones strong.⁹ Honour the Lorde with thy substaunce, and with the firstlynges of all thyne encrease:¹⁰ So shall thy barnes be filled with plenteousnesse, and thy presses shall flowe ouer with sweete wine.¹¹ My sonne refuse not the chastening of the Lorde, neither faynt when thou art corrected of hym:¹² For whom the Lorde loueth, him he chasteneth, and yet deliteth in him, euen as a father in his owne sonne.

¹³ Well is hym that findeth wysdome, and getteth vnderstandyng:¹⁴ For the marchaundise of it, is better then the marchaundise of siluer, and the gayne therof [is better] then golde.¹⁵ She is more worth then pretious stones: and all the thinges that thou canst desire, are not to be compared vnto her.¹⁶ In her right hande is long life, and in her left hande riches and honour.¹⁷ Her wayes are pleasaunt wayes, and all her pathes are peaceable.¹⁸ She is a tree of lyfe to them that lay holde vpon her: and blessed is he that kepeth her fast.¹⁹ With wysdome hath the Lorde layde the foundation of the earth, and thorow vnderstanding hath he stablished the heauens.²⁰ Thorow his knowledge the deapthes are broken vp, and the cloudes droppe downe the deawe.

²¹ My sonne, let not these thinges depart from thyne eyes, but kepe wysdome and vnderstanding:²² So they shall be lyfe vnto thy soule, and grace vnto thy mouth.²³ Then shalt thou walke safely in thy way, and thy foote shall not stumble.²⁴ If thou sleepest, thou shalt not be afraide: but shalt take thy rest, and sleepe sweetely.²⁵ Thou shalt not be afraide of any sodayne feare, neither for the violent rushing in of the vngodly when it commeth.²⁶ For the Lorde shall stande by thy side, & kepe thy foote that thou be not taken.

²⁷ Withdraw no good thyng from them that haue nede, so long as thyne hande is able to do it.²⁸ Say not vnto thy neyghbour, go thy way and come agayne, and to morowe wyll I geue thee: where as thou hast nowe to geue hym.²⁹ Intende no hurt against thy neyghbour, seing he hopeth to dwell in rest by thee.³⁰ Striue not with any man without a cause, where as he hath done thee no harme.³¹ Folowe not a wicked man, and chose none of his wayes:³² For the Lord abhorreth the froward: but his counsayle is among the righteous.³³ The curse of the Lord is in the house of the vngodly: but he blesseth the dwellinges of the righteous.³⁴ As for the scornfull, doth he not laugh them to scorne? but he geueth grace vnto the lowly.³⁵ The wyse shall haue honour in possession: but shame is the promotion that fooles shall haue.