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Don’t Assume You Know It All

1-2 Good friend, don’t forget all I’ve taught you;

take to heart my commands.

They’ll help you live a long, long time,

a long life lived full and well.

3-4 Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.

Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.

Earn a reputation for living well

in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people.

5-12 TrustGodfrom the bottom of your heart;

don’t try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen forGod’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

he’s the one who will keep you on track.

Don’t assume that you know it all.

Run toGod! Run from evil!

Your body will glow with health,

your very bones will vibrate with life!

HonorGodwith everything you own;

give him the first and the best.

Your barns will burst,

your wine vats will brim over.

But don’t, dear friend, resentGod’s discipline;

don’t sulk under his loving correction.

It’s the child he loves thatGodcorrects;

a father’s delight is behind all this.

The Very Tree of Life

13-18 You’re blessed when you meet Lady Wisdom,

when you make friends with Madame Insight.

She’s worth far more than money in the bank;

her friendship is better than a big salary.

Her value exceeds all the trappings of wealth;

nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.

With one hand she gives long life,

with the other she confers recognition.

Her manner is beautiful,

her life wonderfully complete.

She’s the very Tree of Life to those who embrace her.

Hold her tight—and be blessed!

19-20 With Lady Wisdom,Godformed Earth;

with Madame Insight, he raised Heaven.

They knew when to signal rivers and springs to the surface,

and dew to descend from the night skies.

Never Walk Away

21-26 Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life;

don’t for a minute lose sight of them.

They’ll keep your soul alive and well,

they’ll keep you fit and attractive.

You’ll travel safely,

you’ll neither tire nor trip.

You’ll take afternoon naps without a worry,

you’ll enjoy a good night’s sleep.

No need to panic over alarms or surprises,

or predictions that doomsday’s just around the corner,

BecauseGodwill be right there with you;

he’ll keep you safe and sound.

27-29 Never walk away from someone who deserves help;

your hand isGod’shand for that person.

Don’t tell your neighbor “Maybe some other time”

or “Try me tomorrow”

when the money’s right there in your pocket.

Don’t figure ways of taking advantage of your neighbor

when he’s sitting there trusting and unsuspecting.

30-32 Don’t walk around with a chip on your shoulder,

always spoiling for a fight.

Don’t try to be like those who shoulder their way through life.

Why be a bully?

“Why not?” you say. BecauseGodcan’t stand twisted souls.

It’s the straightforward who get his respect.

33-35 God’s curse blights the house of the wicked,

but he blesses the home of the righteous.

He gives proud skeptics a cold shoulder,

but if you’re down on your luck, he’s right there to help.

Wise living gets rewarded with honor;

stupid living gets the booby prize.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/PRO/3-f26061a66cbd42af585ab903a39a6f17.mp3?version_id=97—

Your Life Is at Stake

1-2 Listen, friends, to some fatherly advice;

sit up and take notice so you’ll know how to live.

I’m giving you good counsel;

don’t let it go in one ear and out the other.

3-9 When I was a boy at my father’s knee,

the pride and joy of my mother,

He would sit me down and drill me:

“Take this to heart. Do what I tell you—live!

Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding!

Don’t forget one word! Don’t deviate an inch!

Never walk away from Wisdom—she guards your life;

love her—she keeps her eye on you.

Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!

Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding!

Throw your arms around her—believe me, you won’t regret it;

never let her go—she’ll make your life glorious.

She’ll garland your life with grace,

she’ll festoon your days with beauty.”

10-15 Dear friend, take my advice;

it will add years to your life.

I’m writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way,

I’m drawing a map to Righteous Road.

I don’t want you ending up in blind alleys,

or wasting time making wrong turns.

Hold tight to good advice; don’t relax your grip.

Guard it well—your life is at stake!

Don’t take Wicked Bypass;

don’t so much as set foot on that road.

Stay clear of it; give it a wide berth.

Make a detour and be on your way.

16-17 Evil people are restless

unless they’re making trouble;

They can’t get a good night’s sleep

unless they’ve made life miserable for somebody.

Perversity is their food and drink,

violence their drug of choice.

18-19 The ways of right-living people glow with light;

the longer they live, the brighter they shine.

But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker—

travelers can’t see a thing; they fall flat on their faces.

Learn It by Heart

20-22 Dear friend, listen well to my words;

tune your ears to my voice.

Keep my message in plain view at all times.

Concentrate! Learn it by heart!

Those who discover these words live, really live;

body and soul, they’re bursting with health.

23-27 Keep vigilant watch over your heart;

that’swhere life starts.

Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth;

avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.

Keep your eyes straight ahead;

ignore all sideshow distractions.

Watch your step,

and the road will stretch out smooth before you.

Look neither right nor left;

leave evil in the dust.

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Nothing but Sin and Bones

1-2 Dear friend, pay close attention to this, my wisdom;

listen very closely to the way I see it.

Then you’ll acquire a taste for good sense;

what I tell you will keep you out of trouble.

3-6 The lips of a seductive woman are oh so sweet,

her soft words are oh so smooth.

But it won’t be long before she’s gravel in your mouth,

a pain in your gut, a wound in your heart.

She’s dancing down the primrose path to Death;

she’s headed straight for Hell and taking you with her.

She hasn’t a clue about Real Life,

about who she is or where she’s going.

7-14 So, my friend, listen closely;

don’t treat my words casually.

Keep your distance from such a woman;

absolutely stay out of her neighborhood.

You don’t want to squander your wonderful life,

to waste your precious life among the hardhearted.

Why should you allow strangers to take advantage of you?

Why be exploited by those who care nothing for you?

You don’t want to end your life full of regrets,

nothing but sin and bones,

Saying, “Oh, why didn’t I do what they told me?

Why did I reject a disciplined life?

Why didn’t I listen to my mentors,

or take my teachers seriously?

My life is ruined!

I haven’t one blessed thing to show for my life!”

Never Take Love for Granted

15-16 Do you know the saying, “Drink from your own rain barrel,

draw water from your own spring-fed well”?

It’s true. Otherwise, you may one day come home

and find your barrel empty and your well polluted.

17-20 Your spring water is for you and you only,

not to be passed around among strangers.

Bless your fresh-flowing fountain!

Enjoy the wife you married as a young man!

Lovely as an angel, beautiful as a rose—

don’t ever quit taking delight in her body.

Never take her love for granted!

Why would you trade enduring intimacies for cheap thrills with a whore?

for dalliance with a promiscuous stranger?

21-23 Mark well thatGoddoesn’t miss a move you make;

he’s aware of every step you take.

The shadow of your sin will overtake you;

you’ll find yourself stumbling all over yourself in the dark.

Death is the reward of an undisciplined life;

your foolish decisions trap you in a dead end.

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Like a Deer from the Hunter

1-5 Dear friend, if you’ve gone into hock with your neighbor

or locked yourself into a deal with a stranger,

If you’ve impulsively promised the shirt off your back

and now find yourself shivering out in the cold,

Friend, don’t waste a minute, get yourself out of that mess.

You’re in that man’s clutches!

Go, put on a long face; act desperate.

Don’t procrastinate—

there’s no time to lose.

Run like a deer from the hunter,

fly like a bird from the trapper!

A Lesson from the Ant

6-11 You lazy fool, look at an ant.

Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two.

Nobody has to tell it what to do.

All summer it stores up food;

at harvest it stockpiles provisions.

So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing?

How long before you get out of bed?

A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there,

sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next?

Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life,

poverty your permanent houseguest!

Always Cooking Up Something Nasty

12-15 Riffraff and rascals

talk out of both sides of their mouths.

They wink at each other, they shuffle their feet,

they cross their fingers behind their backs.

Their perverse minds are always cooking up something nasty,

always stirring up trouble.

Catastrophe is just around the corner for them,

a total smashup, their lives ruined beyond repair.

Seven Things God Hates

16-19 Here are six thingsGodhates,

and one more that he loathes with a passion:

eyes that are arrogant,

a tongue that lies,

hands that murder the innocent,

a heart that hatches evil plots,

feet that race down a wicked track,

a mouth that lies under oath,

a troublemaker in the family.

Warning on Adultery

20-23 Good friend, follow your father’s good advice;

don’t wander off from your mother’s teachings.

Wrap yourself in them from head to foot;

wear them like a scarf around your neck.

Wherever you walk, they’ll guide you;

whenever you rest, they’ll guard you;

when you wake up, they’ll tell you what’s next.

For sound advice is a beacon,

good teaching is a light,

moral discipline is a life path.

24-35 They’ll protect you from wanton women,

from the seductive talk of some temptress.

Don’t lustfully fantasize on her beauty,

nor be taken in by her bedroom eyes.

You can buy an hour with a whore for a loaf of bread,

but a wanton woman may well eatyoualive.

Can you build a fire in your lap

and not burn your pants?

Can you walk barefoot on hot coals

and not get blisters?

It’s the same when you have sex with your neighbor’s wife:

Touch her and you’ll pay for it. No excuses.

Hunger is no excuse

for a thief to steal;

When he’s caught he has to pay it back,

even if he has to put his whole house in hock.

Adultery is a brainless act,

soul-destroying, self-destructive;

Expect a bloody nose, a black eye,

and a reputation ruined for good.

For jealousy detonates rage in a cheated husband;

wild for revenge, he won’t make allowances.

Nothing you say or pay will make it all right;

neither bribes nor reason will satisfy him.

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Dressed to Seduce

1-5 Dear friend, do what I tell you;

treasure my careful instructions.

Do what I say and you’ll live well.

My teaching is as precious as your eyesight—guard it!

Write it out on the back of your hands;

etch it on the chambers of your heart.

Talk to Wisdom as to a sister.

Treat Insight as your companion.

They’ll be with you to fend off the Temptress—

that smooth-talking, honey-tongued Seductress.

6-12 As I stood at the window of my house

looking out through the shutters,

Watching the mindless crowd stroll by,

I spotted a young man without any sense

Arriving at the corner of the street where she lived,

then turning up the path to her house.

It was dusk, the evening coming on,

the darkness thickening into night.

Just then, a woman met him—

she’d been lying in wait for him, dressed to seduce him.

Brazen and brash she was,

restless and roaming, never at home,

Walking the streets, loitering in the mall,

hanging out at every corner in town.

13-20 She threw her arms around him and kissed him,

boldly took his arm and said,

“I’ve got all the makings for a feast—

today I made my offerings, my vows are all paid,

So now I’ve come to find you,

hoping to catch sight of your face—and here you are!

I’ve spread fresh, clean sheets on my bed,

colorful imported linens.

My bed is aromatic with spices

and exotic fragrances.

Come, let’s make love all night,

spend the night in ecstatic lovemaking!

My husband’s not home; he’s away on business,

and he won’t be back for a month.”

21-23 Soon she has him eating out of her hand,

bewitched by her honeyed speech.

Before you know it, he’s trotting behind her,

like a calf led to the butcher shop,

Like a stag lured into ambush

and then shot with an arrow,

Like a bird flying into a net

not knowing that its flying life is over.

24-27 So, friends, listen to me,

take these words of mine most seriously.

Don’t fool around with a woman like that;

don’t even stroll through her neighborhood.

Countless victims come under her spell;

she’s the death of many a poor man.

She runs a halfway house to hell,

fits you out with a shroud and a coffin.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/PRO/7-9cf7af1887c6f0c08357e2253cc9f63d.mp3?version_id=97—

Lady Wisdom Calls Out

1-11 Do you hear Lady Wisdom calling?

Can you hear Madame Insight raising her voice?

She’s taken her stand at First and Main,

at the busiest intersection.

Right in the city square

where the traffic is thickest, she shouts,

“You—I’m talking to all of you,

everyone out here on the streets!

Listen, you idiots—learn good sense!

You blockheads—shape up!

Don’t miss a word of this—I’m telling you how to live well,

I’m telling you how to live at your best.

My mouth chews and savors and relishes truth—

I can’t stand the taste of evil!

You’ll only hear true and right words from my mouth;

not one syllable will be twisted or skewed.

You’ll recognize this as true—you with open minds;

truth-ready minds will see it at once.

Prefer my life-disciplines over chasing after money,

and God-knowledge over a lucrative career.

For Wisdom is better than all the trappings of wealth;

nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.

12-21 “I am Lady Wisdom, and I live next to Sanity;

Knowledge and Discretion live just down the street.

The Fear-of-Godmeans hating Evil,

whose ways I hate with a passion—

pride and arrogance and crooked talk.

Good counsel and common sense are my characteristics;

I am both Insight and the Virtue to live it out.

With my help, leaders rule,

and lawmakers legislate fairly;

With my help, governors govern,

along with all in legitimate authority.

I love those who love me;

those who look for me find me.

Wealth and Glory accompany me—

also substantial Honor and a Good Name.

My benefits are worth more than a big salary, even averybig salary;

the returns on me exceed any imaginable bonus.

You can find me on Righteous Road—that’s where I walk—

at the intersection of Justice Avenue,

Handing out life to those who love me,

filling their arms with life—armloads of life!

22-31 “Godsovereignly made me—the first, the basic—

before he did anything else.

I was brought into being a long time ago,

well before Earth got its start.

I arrived on the scene before Ocean,

yes, even before Springs and Rivers and Lakes.

Before Mountains were sculpted and Hills took shape,

I was already there, newborn;

Long beforeGodstretched out Earth’s Horizons,

and tended to the minute details of Soil and Weather,

And set Sky firmly in place,

I was there.

When he mapped and gave borders to wild Ocean,

built the vast vault of Heaven,

and installed the fountains that fed Ocean,

When he drew a boundary for Sea,

posted a sign that saidno trespassing,

And then staked out Earth’s Foundations,

I was right there with him, making sure everything fit.

Day after day I was there, with my joyful applause,

always enjoying his company,

Delighted with the world of things and creatures,

happily celebrating the human family.

32-36 “So, my dear friends, listen carefully;

those who embrace these my ways are most blessed.

Mark a life of discipline and live wisely;

don’t squander your precious life.

Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me,

awake and ready for me each morning,

alert and responsive as I start my day’s work.

When you find me, you find life, real life,

to say nothing ofGod’s good pleasure.

But if you wrong me, you damage your very soul;

when you reject me, you’re flirting with death.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/PRO/8-0124c2b7eabe650229e81c37d2c2c622.mp3?version_id=97—

Lady Wisdom Gives a Dinner Party

1-6 Lady Wisdom has built and furnished her home;

it’s supported by seven hewn timbers.

The banquet meal is ready to be served: lamb roasted,

wine poured out, table set with silver and flowers.

Having dismissed her serving maids,

Lady Wisdom goes to town, stands in a prominent place,

and invites everyone within sound of her voice:

“Are you confused about life, don’t know what’s going on?

Come with me, oh come, have dinner with me!

I’ve prepared a wonderful spread—fresh-baked bread,

roast lamb, carefully selected wines.

Leave your impoverished confusion andlive!

Walk up the street to a life with meaning.”

7-12 If you reason with an arrogant cynic, you’ll get slapped in the face;

confront bad behavior and get a kick in the shins.

So don’t waste your time on a scoffer;

all you’ll get for your pains is abuse.

But if you correct those who care about life,

that’s different—they’ll love you for it!

Save your breath for the wise—they’ll be wiser for it;

tell good people what you know—they’ll profit from it.

Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-God,

insight into life from knowing a Holy God.

It’s through me, Lady Wisdom, that your life deepens,

and the years of your life ripen.

Live wisely and wisdom will permeate your life;

mock life and life will mock you.

Madame Whore Calls Out, Too

13-18 Then there’s this other woman, Madame Whore—

brazen, empty-headed, frivolous.

She sits on the front porch

of her house on Main Street,

And as people walk by minding

their own business, calls out,

“Are you confused about life, don’t know what’s going on?

Steal off with me, I’ll show you a good time!

No one will ever know—I’ll give you the time of your life.”

But they don’t know about all the skeletons in her closet,

that all her guests end up in hell.

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An Honest Life Is Immortal

1 Wise son, glad father;

stupid son, sad mother.

2 Ill-gotten gain gets you nowhere;

an honest life is immortal.

3 Godwon’t starve an honest soul,

but he frustrates the appetites of the wicked.

4 Sloth makes you poor;

diligence brings wealth.

5 Make hay while the sun shines—that’s smart;

go fishing during harvest—that’s stupid.

6 Blessings accrue on a good and honest life,

but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.

7 A good and honest life is a blessed memorial;

a wicked life leaves a rotten stench.

8 A wise heart takes orders;

an empty head will come unglued.

9 Honesty lives confident and carefree,

but Shifty is sure to be exposed.

10 An evasive eye is a sign of trouble ahead,

but an open, face-to-face meeting results in peace.

11 The mouth of a good person is a deep, life-giving well,

but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.

12 Hatred starts fights,

but love pulls a quilt over the bickering.

13 You’ll find wisdom on the lips of a person of insight,

but the shortsighted needs a slap in the face.

14 The wise accumulate knowledge—a true treasure;

know-it-alls talk too much—a sheer waste.

The Road to Life Is a Disciplined Life

15 The wealth of the rich is their bastion;

the poverty of the indigent is their ruin.

16 The wage of a good person is exuberant life;

an evil person ends up with nothing but sin.

17 The road to life is a disciplined life;

ignore correction and you’re lost for good.

18 Liars secretly hoard hatred;

fools openly spread slander.

19 The more talk, the less truth;

the wise measure their words.

20 The speech of a good person is worth waiting for;

the blabber of the wicked is worthless.

21 The talk of a good person is rich fare for many,

but chatterboxes die of an empty heart.

Fear-of-God Expands Your Life

22 God’s blessing makes life rich;

nothing we do can improve on God.

23 An empty-head thinks mischief is fun,

but a mindful person relishes wisdom.

24 The nightmares of the wicked come true;

what the good people desire, they get.

25 When the storm is over, there’s nothing left of the wicked;

good people, firm on their rock foundation, aren’t even fazed.

26 A lazy employee will give you nothing but trouble;

it’s vinegar in the mouth, smoke in the eyes.

27 The Fear-of-Godexpands your life;

a wicked life is a puny life.

28 The aspirations of good people end in celebration;

the ambitions of bad people crash.

29 Godis solid backing to a well-lived life,

but he calls into question a shabby performance.

30 Good peoplelast—they can’t be moved;

the wicked are here today, gone tomorrow.

31 A good person’s mouth is a clear fountain of wisdom;

a foul mouth is a stagnant swamp.

32 The speech of a good person clears the air;

the words of the wicked pollute it.

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Without Good Direction, People Lose Their Way

1 Godhates cheating in the marketplace;

he loves it when business is aboveboard.

2 The stuck-up fall flat on their faces,

but down-to-earth people stand firm.

3 The integrity of the honest keeps them on track;

the deviousness of crooks brings them to ruin.

4 A thick bankroll is no help when life falls apart,

but a principled life can stand up to the worst.

5 Moral character makes for smooth traveling;

an evil life is a hard life.

6 Good character is the best insurance;

crooks get trapped in their sinful lust.

7 When the wicked die, that’s it—

the story’s over, end of hope.

8 A good person is saved from much trouble;

a bad person runs straight into it.

9 The loose tongue of the godless spreads destruction;

the common sense of the godly preserves them.

10 When it goes well for good people, the whole town cheers;

when it goes badly for bad people, the town celebrates.

11 When right-living people bless the city, it flourishes;

evil talk turns it into a ghost town in no time.

12 Mean-spirited slander is heartless;

quiet discretion accompanies good sense.

13 A gadabout gossip can’t be trusted with a secret,

but someone of integrity won’t violate a confidence.

14 Without good direction, people lose their way;

the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.

15 Whoever makes deals with strangers is sure to get burned;

if you keep a cool head, you’ll avoid rash bargains.

16 A woman of gentle grace gets respect,

but men of rough violence grab for loot.

A God-Shaped Life

17 When you’re kind to others, you help yourself;

when you’re cruel to others, you hurt yourself.

18 Bad work gets paid with a bad check;

good work gets solid pay.

19 Take your stand with God’s loyal community and live,

or chase after phantoms of evil and die.

20 Godcan’t stand deceivers,

but oh how he relishes integrity.

21 Count on this: The wicked won’t get off scot-free,

and God’s loyal people will triumph.

22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout

is a beautiful face on an empty head.

23 The desires of good people lead straight to the best,

but wicked ambition ends in angry frustration.

24 The world of the generous gets larger and larger;

the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.

25 The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed;

those who help others are helped.

26 Curses on those who drive a hard bargain!

Blessings on all who play fair and square!

27 The one who seeks good finds delight;

the student of evil becomes evil.

28 A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump;

a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree.

29 Exploit or abuse your family, and end up with a fistful of air;

common sense tells you it’s a stupid way to live.

30 A good life is a fruit-bearing tree;

a violent life destroys souls.

31 If good people barely make it,

what’s in store for the bad!

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If You Love Learning

1 If you love learning, you love the discipline that goes with it—

how shortsighted to refuse correction!

2 A good person basks in the delight ofGod,

and he wants nothing to do with devious schemers.

3 You can’t find firm footing in a swamp,

but life rooted in God stands firm.

4 A hearty wife invigorates her husband,

but a frigid woman is cancer in the bones.

5 The thinking of principled people makes for justice;

the plots of degenerates corrupt.

6 The words of the wicked kill;

the speech of the upright saves.

7 Wicked people fall to pieces—there’s nothing to them;

the homes of good people hold together.

8 A person who talks sense is honored;

airheads are held in contempt.

9 Better to be ordinary and work for a living

than act important and starve in the process.

10 Good people are good to their animals;

the “good-hearted” bad people kick and abuse them.

11 The one who stays on the job has food on the table;

the witless chase whims and fancies.

12 What the wicked construct finally falls into ruin,

while the roots of the righteous give life, and more life.

Wise People Take Advice

13 The gossip of bad people gets them in trouble;

the conversation of good people keeps them out of it.

14 Well-spoken words bring satisfaction;

well-done work has its own reward.

15 Fools are headstrong and do what they like;

wise people take advice.

16 Fools have short fuses and explode all too quickly;

the prudent quietly shrug off insults.

17 Truthful witness by a good person clears the air,

but liars lay down a smoke screen of deceit.

18 Rash language cuts and maims,

but there is healing in the words of the wise.

19 Truth lasts;

lies are here today, gone tomorrow.

20 Evil scheming distorts the schemer;

peace-planning brings joy to the planner.

21 No evil can overwhelm a good person,

but the wicked have their hands full of it.

22 God can’t stomach liars;

he loves the company of those who keep their word.

23 Prudent people don’t flaunt their knowledge;

talkative fools broadcast their silliness.

24 The diligent find freedom in their work;

the lazy are oppressed by work.

25 Worry weighs us down;

a cheerful word picks us up.

26 A good person survives misfortune,

but a wicked life invites disaster.

27 A lazy life is an empty life,

but “early to rise” gets the job done.

28 Good men and women travel right into life;

sin’s detours take you straight to hell.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/PRO/12-0eabd2335555b9ef182a727e87983139.mp3?version_id=97—