שִׁמְעוּ בָנִים מוּסַר אָב וְהַקְשִׁיבוּ לָדַעַת בִּינָה

Hear, children, a father’s admonition, and listen to know understanding.

כִּי לֶקַח טוֹב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם תּוֹרָתִי אַל־תַּעֲזֹבוּ

For a good lesson I have given you: My Torah, do not forsake it.

כִּי־בֵן הָיִיתִי לְאָבִי רַךְ וְיָחִיד לִפְנֵי אִמִּי

For I was a son to my father, the tender, pampered, and only one before my mother.

וַיֹּרֵנִי וַיֹּאמֶר לִי יִתְמָךְ דְּבָרַי לִבֶּךָ שְׁמֹר מִצְוֹתַי וחְיֵה

As his young, only son, my father gave me a gift; he instructed me and said to me: Let your heart grasp my words: Observe my commandments and thereby live. This is what will be useful to you in life.

קְנֵה חָכְמָה קְנֵה בִינָה אַל־תִּשְׁכַּח וְאַל־תֵּט מֵאִמְרֵי־פִי

Acquire wisdom as best you can; acquire understanding and reflection. After you have received instruction, do not forget and do not deviate from the sayings of my mouth.

אַל־תַּעַזְבֶהָ וְתִשְׁמְרֶךָּ אֱהָבֶהָ וְתִצְּרֶךָּ

Do not forsake it, wisdom, and it will protect you; love it, and then it will safeguard you.

רֵאשִׁית חָכְמָה קְנֵה חָכְמָה וּבְכָל קִנְיָנְךָ קְנֵה בִינָה

The beginning of wisdom: Acquire wisdom. The first step toward wisdom is the desire and passion to acquire more and more wisdom. And of all your potential acquisitions, the first one you should pursue is to acquire understanding. alternatively, if you have acquired wisdom first, then anything you achieve later will come with additional insight.

סַלְסְלֶהָ ותְרוֹמְמֶךָּ; תְּכַבֵּדְךָ כִּי תְחַבְּקֶנָּה

Prize it, pay attention to, cultivate, and glorify wisdom, and then it will elevate you; it will honor you when you embrace it.

תִּתֵּן לְרֹאשְׁךָ לִוְיַת־חֵן עֲטֶרֶת תִּפְאֶרֶת תְּמַגְּנֶךָּ

It will give your head an adornment of grace. A wise person is accompanied by a certain grace, even if he is not physically attractive. It will bestow upon you [temaggeneka] a crown of glory, a splendid garland, or, alternatively, it will give you a shield [magen].

שְׁמַע בְּנִי וְקַח אֲמָרָי ויִרְבּוּ לְךָ שְׁנוֹת חַיִּים

Hear, my son, and accept my sayings, and they will add for you years of life.

בְּדֶרֶךְ חָכְמָה הֹרֵיתִיךָ הִדְרַכְתִּיךָ בְּמַעְגְּלֵי יֹשֶׁר

I have instructed you to walk in a way of wisdom; I have directed you in tracks of uprightness, or in the straight path.

בְּלֶכְתְּךָ לֹא־יֵצַר צַעֲדֶךָ וְאִם־תָּרוּץ לֹא תִכָּשֵׁל

If you follow this path, then when you walk, your steps will not be restricted. You will not have to shorten your steps, since one who walks along a straight, paved road can march with broad, confident steps. And if you run, you will not stumble.

הַחֲזֵק בַּמּוּסָר אַל־תֶּרֶף נִצְּרֶהָ כִּי־הִיא חַיֶּיךָ

Hold fast to admonition, do not let go; safeguard it, the way of wisdom you have learned, as it is your life.

בְּאֹרַח רְשָׁעִים אַל־תָּבֹא וְאַל־תְּאַשֵּׁר בְּדֶרֶךְ רָעִים

Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not proceed on the way of evildoers, or, alternatively, do not encourage, or give sanction to, the path of evildoers. Do not think that theirs is the correct path. This advice is not given to one who has an evil heart, but to one who is merely inexperienced. He feels that walking along the good, upright path is boring, and that the other roads, those that are not paved and signposted, are more attractive and offer greater freedom.

פְּרָעֵהוּ אַל־תַּעֲבָר־בּוֹ שְׂטֵה מֵעָלָיו וַעֲבֹר

Avoid it, the path of evildoers, or, alternatively, ruin it, do not pass on it; turn aside from it, and pass, travel, on a different route.

כִּי לֹא יִשְׁנוּ אִם־לֹא יָרֵעוּ וְנִגְזְלָה שְׁנָתָם אִם־לֹא יַכְשִׁילוּ

For they, the wicked, do not sleep. They cannot fall asleep if they do not do harm, and their sleep is robbed if they do not make someone stumble. This path to which you are attracted is not neutral; those who follow it are compelled to harm people.

כִּי לָחֲמוּ לֶחֶם רֶשַׁע וְיֵין חֲמָסִים יִשְׁתּוּ

For they eat the bread of wickedness, food acquired through evil deeds, and drink the wine of villainies, robbery.

וְאֹרַח צַדִּיקִים כְּאוֹר נֹגַהּ הוֹלֵךְ וָאוֹר עַד־נְכוֹן הַיּוֹם

But the path of the righteous is bright and gleaming like a dawning light, growing brighter until the day is established. Even if you cannot see it at present, know that those who follow the path of righteousness are marching toward the sun, which illuminates with increasing brightness, until the light of the day reaches its zenith.

דֶּרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים כָּאֲפֵלָה לֹא יָדְעוּ בַּמֶּה יִכָּשֵׁלוּ

By contrast, the way of the wicked is like the blackness; they do not know on what they stumble.

בְּנִי לִדְבָרַי הַקְשִׁיבָה לַאֲמָרַי הַט אָזְנֶךָ

My son, listen to my words; incline your ear to my statements.

אַל־יַלִּיזוּ מֵעֵינֶיךָ שָׁמְרֵם בְּתוֹךְ לְבָבֶךָ

Let them, these sayings, not go astray from your eyes; keep them within your heart.

כִּי חַיִּים הֵם לְמֹצְאֵיהֶם וּלְכָל־בְּשָׂרוֹ מַרְפֵּא

For they are a source of life for those who find them, and they provide healing for all one’s flesh.

מִכָּל־מִשְׁמָר נְצֹר לִבֶּךָ כִּי־מִמֶּנּוּ תּוֹצְאוֹת חַיִּים

The verse now offers additional advice, more basic and comprehensive: Above all else, safeguard your heart, as from it are the sources of life. One’s heart is the source of his vitality, and therefore it must be guarded well. Deviation of the heart from the proper path is the root cause of the suffering a person brings upon himself.

הָסֵר מִמְּךָ עִקְּשׁוּת פֶּה; וּלְזוּת שְׂפָתַיִם הַרְחֵק מִמֶּךָּ

Remove from yourself crookedness of mouth, and distance from yourself corruption of lips. If one follows a crooked path, people will talk about him. Do not let yourself become the object of gossip and suspicion.

עֵינֶיךָ לְנֹכַח יַבִּיטוּ וְעַפְעַפֶּיךָ יַיְשִׁרוּ נֶגְדֶּךָ

Your eyes should look straight ahead, toward your upright path, and your eyelids should point directly opposite you. Rather than looking to the sides and seeking a corner where you can hide, or a shortcut, watch the road ahead of you.

פַּלֵּס מַעְגַּל רַגְלֶךָ וְכָל־דְּרָכֶיךָ יִכֹּנוּ

Smooth, or straighten, find the right balance, for the track of your feet, and thereby all your ways will be established.

אַל־תֵּט יָמִין וּשְׂמֹאול הָסֵר רַגְלְךָ מֵרָע

Do not turn aside from the proper path right or left; remove your foot from evil.