Keep them in the midst of thine heart.
For they are life unto those that find them,
And health to all their flesh.

Keep thy heart with all diligence;
For out of it are the issues of life.
Put away from thee a froward mouth,
And perverse lips put far from thee.
Let thine eyes look right on,

And let thine eyelids look straight before thee.

Make level the path of thy feet,

And let all thy ways be established.

Turn not to the right hand nor to the left:

Remove thy foot from evil.

XLI.

WISDOM BRINGS THRIFT.

PROVERBS 6:1-19.

My son, if thou art become surety for thy neighbour,
If thou hast stricken thy hands for a stranger,
Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth,
Thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself,

Seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbour; Go, humble thyself, and importune thy neighbour. Give not sleep to thine eyes,

Nor slumber to thine eyelids.

Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter,

And as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

Go to the ant, thou sluggard;

Consider her ways, and be wise:

Which having no chief,

Overseer, or ruler,

Provideth her meat in the summer,
And gathereth her food in the harvest.
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard?
When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep:
So shalt thy poverty come as a robber,
And thy want as an armed man.

A worthless person, a man of iniquity;

He walketh with a froward mouth;

He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet,
He maketh signs with his fingers;

Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth evil continually;
He soweth discord.

Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly;

On a sudden shall he be broken, and that without remedy.

There be six things which the Lord hateth;

Yea, seven which are an abomination unto him:
Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,

And hands that shed innocent blood;

An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations,

Feet that be swift in running to mischief;

A false witness that uttereth lies,

And he that soweth discord among brethren.

PROVERBS 8:1-36.

XLII. WISDOM'S CALL.

Doth not wisdom cry,

And understanding put forth her voice?
In the top of high places by the way,
Where the paths meet, she standeth;

Beside the gates, at the entry of the city,

At the coming in at the doors, she crieth aloud:

Unto you, O men, I call;

And my voice is to the sons of men.

O ye simple, understand subtilty;

And, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.

Hear, for I will speak excellent things;

And the opening of my lips shall be right things.
For my mouth shall utter truth;

And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
All the words of my mouth are in righteousness;
There is nothing crooked or perverse in them.
They are all plain to him that understandeth,
And right to them that find knowledge.
Receive my instruction, and not silver;
And knowlege rather than choice gold.

For wisdom is better than rubies;

And all the things that may be desired are not to be compared unto

her.

I wisdom have made subtilty my dwelling,

And find out knowledge and discretion.

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil:

Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way,
And the froward mouth, do I hate.
Counsel is mine, and sound knowledge:
I am understanding; I have might.
By me kings reign,

And princes decree justice.

By me princes rule,

And nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

I love them that love me;

And those that seek me diligently shall find me.

Riches and honour are with me;

Yea, durable riches and righteousness.

My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold;

And my revenue than choice silver.

I walk in the way of righteousness,

In the midst of the paths of judgement:

That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance,

And that I may fill their treasuries.

The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way,
Before his works of old.

I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning,

Or ever the earth was.

When there were no depths, I was brought forth;

When there were no fountains abounding with water

Before the mountains were settled,

Before the hills was I brought forth:

While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields,
Nor the beginning of the dust of the world.
When he established the heavens, I was there:
When he set a circle upon the face of the deep:

When he made firm the skies above:

When the fountains of the deep became strong:

When he gave to the sea its bound,

That the waters should not transgress his commandment:

When he marked out the foundations of the earth:

Then I was by him, as a master workman:

And I was daily his delight,

Rejoicing always before him;

Rejoicing in his habitable earth;

And my delight was with the sons of men.

Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me:
For blessed are they that keep my ways.
Hear instruction, and be wise,

And refuse it not.

Blessed is the man that heareth me,

Watching daily at my gates,

Waiting at the posts of my doors.

For whoso findeth me findeth life,

And shall obtain favour of the Lord.

But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul:
All they that hate me love death.

PROVERBS 10:4-27.

XLIII. GEMS OF WISDOM.

He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand:

But the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

He that gathereth in summer is a wise son:

But he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame. Blessings are upon the head of the righteous:

But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
The memory of the just is blessed:

But the name of the wicked shall rot.

The wise in heart will receive commandments:

But a prating fool shall fall.

He that walketh uprightly walketh surely:

But he that perverteth his ways shall be known.
He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow:

But a prating fool shall fall.

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life:
But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.

Hatred stirreth up strifes:

But love covereth all transgressions.

In the lips of him that hath discernment wisdom is found:
But a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.

Wise men lay up knowledge:

But the mouth of the foolish is a present destruction.

The rich man's wealth is his strong city:

The destruction of the poor is their poverty.

The labour of the righteous tendeth to life;

The increase of the wicked to sin.

He is in the way of life that heedeth correction:
But he that forsaketh reproof erreth.

He that hideth hatred is of lying lips;

And he that uttereth a slander is a fool.

In the multitude of words there wanteth not transgression:

But he that refraineth his lips doeth wisely.

The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver:

The heart of the wicked is little worth.

The lips of the righteous feed many:

But the foolish die for lack of understanding.
The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich,
And he addeth no sorrow therewith.

It is as sport to a fool to do wickedness:
And so is wisdom to a man of understanding.
The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him:
And the desire of the righteous shall be granted.