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If they say, “Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for innocent blood, let’s ambush some harmless soul;
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we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder;
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cast lots with us; we will all share the loot”—
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my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths;
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they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
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but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”
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Moral Benefits of Wisdom
My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,
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Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
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Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
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Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;
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then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
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She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.
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Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.
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Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— when you already have it with you.
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Then he taught me, and he said to me, “Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live.
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She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown.”
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Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;
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Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.
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A loving doe, a graceful deer— may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
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Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife? Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
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A troublemaker and a villain, who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
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who winks maliciously with his eye, signals with his feet and motions with his fingers,
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who plots evil with deceit in his heart— he always stirs up conflict.
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Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant; he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.
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Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.
