1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
9 Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
11 My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction:
12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
19 The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
26 For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
31 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
32 For the froward is abomination to the Lord: but his secret is with the righteous.
33 The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.
34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
35 The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
<html><b>they shall add length of days…and peace</b> The Torah and the commandments.</html>
<html><b>Trust in the Lord</b> and squander your money to seek for yourself a teacher from whom to learn, and do not rely on your understanding.</html>
<html><b>Do not be wise in your own sight</b> to despise the word of the one who reproves you.</html>
<html><b>It shall be healing for your navel</b> Heb. לשרך. The wisdom shall be healing. שרך is like (Song 7:4): שררך, which means, your navel. <b>and marrow for your bones</b> Heb. ושקוי, lit. moisture. That is the marrow, as the matter is stated (Job 21:24): “and the marrow of his bones is moistened.”</html>
<html><b>from your substance</b> From whatever He favored you [with], even from a pleasant voice. (Do not read: from your substance [מהונך] but: from your throat [מגרונך].) <b>and from the first</b> (These are the terumoth and the tithes.)</html>
<html><b>My son, despise not the discipline of the Lord</b> Should pains come upon you, they should be dear to you. <b>and do not abhor</b> Heb. תקץ, from the expression of (Gen. 27:46) “I abhor (קצתי) my life.”</html>
<html><b>as a father placates his son</b> He desires to benefit his son and he placates him after striking him with the staff. So will the benefit be pleasant to you after the smiting.</html>
<html><b>Fortunate is the man who has found wisdom and a man who gives forth discernment</b> One who learned wisdom until he is so accustomed to it that he can express it with his mouth.</html>
<html><b>for its commerce is better than the commerce of silver</b> In any exchange, when a person exchanges [something] for merchandise, this one takes this, and that one takes that; but if one says to his friend, “Teach me your chapter, and I will teach you my chapter,” [then] both chapters are found in the hand of each of them. <b>than fine gold</b> Heb. מחרוץ. That is a type of gold.</html>
<html><b>and all your desirable things</b> Heb. חפציך all that you desire. <b>cannot be compared to it</b> They are not equal to its worth, nor their price to its price.</html>
<html><b>in its right hand</b> Those who make the right use of it and engage in it for its own sake will have length of days and surely riches and honor, but those who make the wrong [lit. left] use of it, who engage in it not for its own sake, will still have riches and honor.</html>
<html><b>for those who grasp it</b> Heb. למחזיקים for those who hold onto it, as in (Ex. 4:4): “and he extended his hand and grasped (ויחזק) it.” <b>and those who draw near it are fortunate</b> Heb. ותמכיה, those who draw near it. Likewise, every expression of תמיכה in this Book means that he holds onto it.</html>
<html><b>The Lord founded the earth with wisdom</b> According to the Torah. This is the Torah, which is discernment and which is knowledge.</html>
<html><b>drip</b> Heb. ירעפו, like יטיפו. Now, since the entire world was created with them, therefore…</html>
<html><b>let them not depart from your eyes</b> Let them not be curved away from before your eyes, to remove them from before you.</html>
<html><b>and they shall be life for your soul</b> for it is a tree of life. <b>and grace for your neck</b> For this is its praise that is mentioned above (1:9): “and a necklace for your neck.”</html>
<html><b>shall not stumble</b> Heb. לא תגוף. This is an expression of stumbling, (achopper in French, straucheln in German. And so in Jeremiah 13:16 Psalms 91.12.) And so (Ps. 91:12). “Lest your foot stumble (תגף) on a stone”; and so (Jer. 13:16): “And before your feet stumble (יתנגפו)” and so (Ex. 21:22): “and they dash (ונגפו) a pregnant woman.”</html>
<html><b>and when you lie down, your sleep shall be sweet</b> Your sleep shall be sweet when you sleep, that you will not fear sudden terror.</html>
<html><b>or of the darkness</b> when it comes upon the wicked.</html>
<html><b>For the Lord shall be your trust</b> Heb. בכסלך, in your trust. Another explanation: in the things concerning which you are a fool (כסיל). This I found in Yerushalmi.</html>
<html><b>Do not withhold good from the one who needs it</b> If you see that your friend wishes to benefit the poor, do not prevent him from doing so. <b>when you have power in your hand</b> to stop him. Another explanation: <b>Do not withhold good from the one who needs it</b> Do not withhold charity from the poor man. <b>when you have the power in your hand</b> to do charity; perhaps a day will come when you will not have the power in your hand, and similarly…</html>
<html><b>Do not say to your fellow</b> To the poor man. <b>though you have it with you</b> what to give to him. But our Sages explained: “Go and return” regarding the wages of a hireling.</html>
<html><b>Devise no harm against your fellow</b> Heb. אל תחרש, do not think—but it does not deviate from the meaning of plowing (חרישה) ; just as it is customary for the plower to prepare a place for the time of sowing, so does one who devises harm prepare a place for devices in his heart, how he will get up and execute it.</html>
<html><b>Do not quarrel with anyone</b> to complain about him. <b>if he did you no harm</b> i.e., unless he transgressed a commandment written in the Torah. The Torah states (Lev. 19:18): “And you shall love your fellow as yourself,” but one who is wicked, you may hate.</html>
<html><b>Do not envy a man of violence</b> to do as his deeds if you see him prospering.</html>
<html><b>for the perverse is an abomination to the Lord</b> One who is crooked in his ways. <b>but His counsel is with the upright</b> Heb. ואת, and with, etc.</html>
<html><b>If [one goes] to the scoffers</b> If a person is attracted to them, he too will scoff with them. <b>but [if he goes] to the humble, he evokes grace</b> If he joins the humble, eventually his deeds will evoke grace in people’s eyes.</html>
<html><b>The wise shall inherit honor, but the fools take disgrace as their portion</b> For himself, he takes disgrace for his portion.</html>