3
She has sent out her maidens, She cries out from the highest places of the city,
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"Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
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"Come, eat of my bread And drink of the wine I have mixed.
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Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding.
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"He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
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Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
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Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
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"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
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For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you.
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If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, And if you scoff, you will bear it alone."
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A foolish woman is clamorous; She is simple, and knows nothing.
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For she sits at the door of her house, On a seat by the highest places of the city,
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To call to those who pass by, Who go straight on their way:
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"Whoever is simple, let him turn in here"; And as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
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"Stolen water is sweet, And bread eaten in secret is pleasant."
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But he does not know that the dead are there, That her guests are in the depths of hell.