One Year Bible.

Warnings about the Adulteress

¹My son, keep my words

and treasure my commandments within you.

²Keep my commandments and live;

guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.

³Tie them to your fingers;

write them on the tablet of your heart.

⁴Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”

and call understanding your kinsman,

⁵that they may keep you from the adulteress,

from the stranger with seductive words.

⁶For at the window of my house

I looked through the lattice.

⁷I saw among the simple,

I noticed among the youths,

a young man lacking judgment,

⁸crossing the street near her corner,

strolling down the road to her house,

⁹at twilight, as the day was fading

into the dark of the night.

¹⁰Then a woman came out to meet him,

with the attire of a harlot and cunning of heart.

¹¹She is loud and defiant;

her feet do not remain at home.

¹²Now in the street, now in the squares,

she lurks at every corner.

¹³She seizes him and kisses him;

she brazenly says to him:

¹⁴“I have made my peace offerings;

today I have paid my vows.

¹⁵So I came out to meet you;

I sought you, and I have found you.

¹⁶I have decked my bed with coverings,

with colored linen from Egypt.

¹⁷I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,

with aloes, and with cinnamon.

¹⁸Come, let us take our fill of love till morning.

Let us delight in loving caresses!

¹⁹For my husband is not at home;

he has gone on a long journey.

²⁰He took with him a bag of money

and will not return till the moon is full.”

²¹With her great persuasion she entices him;

with her flattering lips she lures him.

²²He follows her on impulse,

like an ox going to the slaughter,

like a deer bounding into a trap,

²³until an arrow pierces his liver,

like a bird darting into a snare—

not knowing it will cost him his life.

²⁴Now, my sons, listen to me,

and attend to the words of my mouth.

²⁵Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways;

do not stray into her paths.

²⁶For she has brought many down to death;

her slain are many in number.

²⁷Her house is the road to Sheol,

descending to the chambers of death.

The Excellence of Wisdom

¹Does not wisdom call out,

and understanding raise her voice?

²On the heights overlooking the road,

at the crossroads she takes her stand.

³Beside the gates to the city,

at the entrances she cries out:

⁴“To you, O men, I call out,

and my cry is to the sons of men.

⁵O simple ones, learn to be shrewd;

O fools, gain understanding.

⁶Listen, for I speak of noble things,

and the opening of my lips will reveal right.

⁷For my mouth will speak the truth,

and wickedness is detestable to my lips.

⁸All the words of my mouth are righteous;

none are crooked or perverse.

⁹They are all plain to the discerning,

and upright to those who find knowledge.

¹⁰Receive my instruction instead of silver,

and knowledge rather than pure gold.

¹¹For wisdom is more precious than rubies,

and nothing you desire compares with her.

¹²I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence,

and I find knowledge and discretion.

¹³To fear the LORD is to hate evil;

I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.

¹⁴Counsel and sound judgment are mine;

I have insight and strength.

¹⁵By me kings reign,

and rulers enact just laws;

¹⁶By me princes rule,

and all nobles who govern justly.

¹⁷I love those who love me,

and those who seek me early shall find me.

¹⁸With me are riches and honor,

enduring wealth and righteousness.

¹⁹My fruit is better than gold, pure gold,

and my harvest surpasses choice silver.

²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness,

along the paths of justice,

²¹bestowing wealth on those who love me

and making their treasuries full.

²²The LORD created me as His first course,

before His works of old.

²³From everlasting I was established,

from the beginning, before the earth began.

²⁴When there were no watery depths, I was brought forth,

when no springs were overflowing with water.

²⁵Before the mountains were settled,

before the hills, I was brought forth,

²⁶before He made the land or fields,

or any of the dust of the earth.

²⁷I was there when He established the heavens,

when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,

²⁸when He established the clouds above,

when the fountains of the deep gushed forth,

²⁹when He set a boundary for the sea,

so that the waters would not surpass His command,

when He marked out the foundations of the earth.

³⁰Then I was a skilled craftsman at His side,

and His delight day by day,

rejoicing always in His presence.

³¹I was rejoicing in His whole world,

delighting together in the sons of men.

³²Now therefore, my sons, listen to me,

for blessed are those who keep my ways.

³³Listen to instruction and be wise;

do not ignore it.

³⁴Blessed is the man who listens to me,

watching daily at my doors,

waiting at the posts of my doorway.

³⁵For whoever finds me finds life

and obtains the favor of the LORD.

³⁶But he who fails to find me harms himself;

all who hate me love death.”

Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet

¹Blessed are those whose way is blameless,

who walk in the Law of the LORD.

²Blessed are those who keep His testimonies

and seek Him with all their heart.

³They do no iniquity;

they walk in His ways.

⁴You have ordained Your precepts,

that we should keep them diligently.

⁵Oh, that my ways were committed

to keeping Your statutes!

⁶Then I would not be ashamed

when I consider all Your commandments.

⁷I will praise You with an upright heart

when I learn Your righteous judgments.

⁸I will keep Your statutes;

do not utterly forsake me.

ב

BETH

⁹How can a young man keep his way pure?

By guarding it according to Your word.

¹⁰With all my heart I have sought You;

do not let me stray from Your commandments.

¹¹I have hidden Your word in my heart

that I might not sin against You.

¹²Blessed are You, O LORD;

teach me Your statutes.

¹³With my lips I proclaim

all the judgments of Your mouth.

¹⁴I rejoice in the way of Your testimonies

as much as in all riches.

¹⁵I will meditate on Your precepts

and regard Your ways.

¹⁶I will delight in Your statutes;

I will not forget Your word.

ג

GIMEL

¹⁷Deal bountifully with Your servant,

that I may live and keep Your word.

¹⁸Open my eyes that I may see

wondrous things from Your law.

¹⁹I am a stranger on the earth;

do not hide Your commandments from me.

²⁰My soul is consumed with longing

for Your judgments at all times.

²¹You rebuke the arrogant —

the cursed who stray from Your commandments.

²²Remove my scorn and contempt,

for I have kept Your testimonies.

²³Though rulers sit and slander me,

Your servant meditates on Your statutes.

²⁴Your testimonies are indeed my delight;

they are my counselors.

ד

DALETH

²⁵My soul cleaves to the dust;

revive me according to Your word.

²⁶I recounted my ways, and You answered me;

teach me Your statutes.

²⁷Make clear to me the way of Your precepts;

then I will meditate on Your wonders.

²⁸My soul melts with sorrow;

strengthen me according to Your word.

²⁹Remove me from the path of deceit

and graciously grant me Your law.

³⁰I have chosen the way of truth;

I have set Your ordinances before me.

³¹I cling to Your testimonies, O LORD;

let me not be put to shame.

³²I run in the path of Your commandments,

for You will enlarge my heart.

ה

HE

³³Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes,

and I will keep them to the end.

³⁴Give me understanding that I may obey Your law,

and follow it with all my heart.

³⁵Direct me in the path of Your commandments,

for there I find delight.

³⁶Turn my heart to Your testimonies

and not to covetous gain.

³⁷Turn my eyes away from worthless things;

revive me with Your word.

³⁸Establish Your word to Your servant,

to produce reverence for You.

³⁹Turn away the disgrace I dread,

for Your judgments are good.

⁴⁰How I long for Your precepts!

Revive me in Your righteousness.

ו

WAW

⁴¹May Your loving devotion come to me, O LORD,

Your salvation, according to Your promise.

⁴²Then I can answer him who taunts,

for I trust in Your word.

⁴³Never take Your word of truth from my mouth,

for I hope in Your judgments.

⁴⁴I will always obey Your law,

forever and ever.

⁴⁵And I will walk in freedom,

for I have sought Your precepts.

⁴⁶I will speak of Your testimonies before kings,

and I will not be ashamed.

⁴⁷I delight in Your commandments

because I love them.

⁴⁸I lift up my hands to Your commandments, which I love,

and I meditate on Your statutes.

ז

ZAYIN

⁴⁹Remember Your word to Your servant,

upon which You have given me hope.

⁵⁰This is my comfort in affliction,

that Your promise has given me life.

⁵¹The arrogant utterly deride me,

but I do not turn from Your law.

⁵²I remember Your judgments of old, O LORD,

and in them I find comfort.

⁵³Rage has taken hold of me

because of the wicked who reject Your law.

⁵⁴Your statutes are songs to me

in the house of my pilgrimage.

⁵⁵In the night, O LORD, I remember Your name,

that I may keep Your law.

⁵⁶This is my practice,

for I obey Your precepts.

ח

HETH

⁵⁷The LORD is my portion;

I have promised to keep Your words.

⁵⁸I have sought Your face with all my heart;

be gracious to me according to Your promise.

⁵⁹I considered my ways

and turned my steps to Your testimonies.

⁶⁰I hurried without hesitating

to keep Your commandments.

⁶¹Though the ropes of the wicked bind me,

I do not forget Your law.

⁶²At midnight I rise to give You thanks

for Your righteous judgments.

⁶³I am a friend to all who fear You,

and to those who keep Your precepts.

⁶⁴The earth is filled with Your loving devotion, O LORD;

teach me Your statutes.

ט

TETH

⁶⁵You are good to Your servant, O LORD,

according to Your word.

⁶⁶Teach me good judgment and knowledge,

for I believe in Your commandments.

⁶⁷Before I was afflicted, I went astray;

but now I keep Your word.

⁶⁸You are good, and You do what is good;

teach me Your statutes.

⁶⁹Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies,

I keep Your precepts with all my heart.

⁷⁰Their hearts are callous and insensitive,

but I delight in Your law.

⁷¹It was good for me to be afflicted,

that I might learn Your statutes.

⁷²The law from Your mouth is more precious to me

than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.

י

YODH

⁷³Your hands have made me and fashioned me;

give me understanding to learn Your commandments.

⁷⁴May those who fear You see me and rejoice,

for I have hoped in Your word.

⁷⁵I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous,

and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.

⁷⁶May Your loving devotion comfort me, I pray,

according to Your promise to Your servant.

⁷⁷May Your compassion come to me, that I may live,

for Your law is my delight.

⁷⁸May the arrogant be put to shame for subverting me with a lie;

I will meditate on Your precepts.

⁷⁹May those who fear You turn to me,

those who know Your testimonies.

⁸⁰May my heart be blameless in Your statutes,

that I may not be put to shame.

כ

KAPH