10 Truly, wisdom will enter into thy heart,

And knowledge will be delightful to thy soul. 1 Discretion will guard thee,

Understanding will preserve thee;

12 It will rescue thee from the way of the wicked-
From the men, who speak perverse things—
13 Who abandon the paths of rectitude,

To walk in the ways of darkness—

14 Who rejoice in doing evil

Who delight in the perverseness of the wicked

15 Whose paths are crooked,

And who are froward in their ways.

16 It will rescue thee from the strange woman

From the stranger, who allureth with her smooth words—

17 Who abandoneth the friend of her youth,

And hath forgotten the covenant of her God.

18 For her house leadeth down unto death,

And her paths, unto the dead.

19 None return, who go unto her,

Nor do they attain to the paths of life. 20 Wherefore walk thou in the way of good men, And keep the paths of the righteous.

21 For the upright shall dwell in the land,

And the perfect shall be left remaining in it; 22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the land,

And transgressors shall be utterly rooted out of it.

Exhortation to obedience to reliance upon God- -to the due payment of the offerings prescribed by the law-to patience under the divine chastenings.

1 O MY SON, forget not my teaching,

But let thy heart observe my commandments,

2 For length of days, and years of happiness,

And prosperity, shall they give in abundance unto thee; 3 Loving-kindness and truth shall not forsake thee.

Bind them around thy neck,

Write them upon the tablet of thy heart;

4 Then shalt thou find favour

Yea, a good understanding—
In the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in JEHOVAH with all thy heart,
And lean not upon thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make thy paths plain.
7 Be not thou wise in thine own sight;
Reverence JEHOVAH, and depart from evil.

8 It shall be soundness to thy flesh,

And moisture to thy bones.

9 Pay honour to JEHOVAH out of thy substance, And of the first-fruits of all thy produce;

10 So shall thy barns be filled to the full, And thy vats overflow with new wine.

11 O my son, despise not the correction of Jehovah, Nor be impatient under His chastisement;

12 For JEHOVAH chasteneth him, whom He loveth, Even as a father, the son in whom he delighteth.

On the inestimable value of wisdom-The wisdom of God displayed in the creation of the heavens and the earth-The benefits resulting from an observance of the precepts of wisdom and discretion.

13 HAPPY is the man who attaineth unto wisdom;

Yea, the man who receiveth understanding!

14 For she can purchase better things, than silver purchaseth, And she produceth better things, than doth fine gold.

15 More precious is she than pearls,

No objects of thy delight are to be compared with her. 16 Length of days is in her right hand,

In her left hand are riches and honour.

8 It i.e. A conduct conformable to
the precepts just delivered.
soundness-Heb. a healing. See iv.

22.

- moisture-"his bones are moistened with marrow." Job xxi. 24.

9 Pay honour &c.-i.e. Obey the directions of the law, by offering the first-fruits of the harvest and the vintage, and by giving liberally, of your abundance, to the poor, &c. (See Exodus xxiii. 19. Deut. xxvi.) "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat

in my house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Mal. iii. 10. Consult also Ecclus. vii. 29-32. 13 receiveth-Heb. draweth forth. i. e. from Jehovah.

14 For she &c.-Heb. For the mer

chandise of her (i.e. obtained by her) is better than the merchandise of silver (i. e. obtained by it), and her produce than fine gold.

17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,

And all her paths are peace.

18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold on her, And they, who retain her, are happy.

19 JEHOVAH by wisdom laid the foundations of the earth, HE framed the heavens by understanding.

20 By His knowledge, the deeps were cleft asunder, And the clouds drop dew.

21 O my son, let them not depart from thine eyes, Keep sound wisdom and discretion.

22 They shall be life unto thee,

And grace to thy neck.

23 Then shalt thou go on thy way securely,

And thy foot shall not stumble.

24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not fear;

Thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

25 Thou shalt not fear sudden alarm,

Nor the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.

26 For JEHOVAH shall be thy confidence,

And He will keep thy foot from being taken.

Exhortation to beneficence to devise no evil against others—to refrain from causeless strife.

27 DO not withhold kindness from those who are in need of it, When it is in the power of thy hand to do it.

17 are peace-i. e. lead to prosperity and

tranquil happiness.

18 tree of life- This expression is ob-
viously borrowed from Gen. ii. 9. and
iii. 22. Its meaning here is that
wisdom will assuredly give long life
and happiness to its possessors.
20 cleft asunder" And God made the
firmament, and divided the waters
which were under the firmament,
from the waters which were above the

B

firmament." Gen. i. 7. By this gracious and wise provision of the Almighty Creator, the earth is supplied with fertilizing showers.

21 them-i.e. sound wisdom and discretion.

24 See Ps. iii. 5 and Note 1.

25 Compare Ps. xxxii. 6 and Note 1.
26 taken in the snares laid for thee by
the wicked.

27 from those &c.-Heb. from its owners.

28 Say not unto thy neighbour: "Go, and come again, "And to-morrow I will give," when thou hast the means.

29 Contrive not evil against thy neighbour, While he is living near thee in security.

30 Contend not with a man, without cause. When he hath done thee no harm.

The apparent prosperity of the wicked ought not to induce men to follow their evil courses. The displeasure of God threatened against the wicked. His favour promised to the good.

31 BE not envious against the man of violence,

Nor choose any of his ways.

32 For the froward man is the abomination of JEHOVAH, But He hath communion with the upright.

33 The curse of JEHOVAH is upon the house of the wicked; But He blesseth the dwelling of the righteous.

34 The scoffers He treateth scornfully,

But He giveth grace unto the lowly.

35 The wise rightfully possess honour, But fools bear off ignominy.

Exhortation to attend to the following instructions, given by David to Solomon -upon the paramount importance of wisdom-upon the happiness resulting from obedience to its precepts, and the danger of pursuing an opposite course -upon the necessity of duly regulating the affections of the heart, and resisting its first inclinations to evil-and of guarding against the seductions of vice and profligacy.

1 HEARKEN, ye children, to the instruction of a father, And attend that ye may learn understanding.

28 when thou hast the means-. Heb. when it is with thee.

32 communion by which they are taught His will.

35 bear off-Heb. lift up (in order to carry away as their portion).

CHAPTER IV.

1 of a father-It appears from verses 3 and 4, that Solomon here calls the attention of those whom he addresses to instructions, which had been previously delivered to him by his father