And turn away concupiscence from me.
Let not greediness and chambering overtake me,
And give me not over to a shameless mind.

vi

Wisdom and the Fear of the Lord

All wisdom cometh from the Lord,
And is with him for ever.
The sand of the seas,
And the drops of rain,
And the days of eternity, who shall number?
The height of the heaven,
And the breadth of the earth, and the deep,
And wisdom, who shall search them out?
Wisdom hath been created before all things,
And the understanding of prudence from everlasting.

To whom hath the root of wisdom been revealed?
And who hath known her shrewd counsels?
There is one wise,
Greatly to be feared,
The Lord sitting upon his throne:
He created her,
And saw, and numbered her,
And poured her out upon all his works.
She is with all flesh according to his gift;
And he gave her freely to them that love him.

The fear of the Lord
Is glory and exultation,
And gladness, and a crown of rejoicing.

The fear of the Lord
Shall delight the heart,
And shall give gladness, and joy, and length of days.

Whoso feareth the Lord,
It shall go well with him at the last,
And in the day of his death he shall be blessed.

To fear the Lord
Is the beginning of wisdom;
And it was created together with the faithful in the womb.
With men she laid an eternal foundation;
And with their seed shall she be had in trust.

To fear the Lord
Is the fulness of wisdom;
And she satiateth men with her fruits.
She shall fill all her house with desirable things,
And her garners with her produce.

The fear of the Lord
Is the crown of wisdom,
Making peace and perfect health to flourish.
He both saw and numbered her;
He rained down skill and knowledge of understanding,
And exalted the honour of them that hold her fast.

To fear the Lord
Is the root of wisdom;
And her branches are length of days.

vii

Wisdom and the Strange Woman

1

My son, keep my words,
And lay up my commandments with thee.
Keep my commandments, and live;
And my law, as the apple of thine eye.
Bind them upon thy fingers;
Write them upon the table of thine heart.
Say unto Wisdom, Thou art my sister;
And call Understanding thy kinswoman:
That they may keep thee from the Strange