9  Wisdom has built her house;

she has hewn her seven pillars.

2  She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;

she has also set her table.

3  She has sent out her young women to ^pcall

from the highest places in the town,

4  ^q“Whoever is ^rsimple, let him turn in here!”

To him who lacks sense she says,

5  “Come, eat of my bread

and drink of the wine I have mixed.

6  Leave your simple ways,¹ and live,

and walk in the way of ^sinsight.”

7  ^tWhoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,

and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.

8  Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;

^ureprove a wise man, and he will love you.

9  Give instruction² to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;

teach a righteous man, and he will ^vincrease in learning.

10  ^wThe fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and the ^xknowledge of the Holy One is ^yinsight.

11  For by me your days will be ^zmultiplied,

and years will be added to your life.

12  If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;

if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

13  The woman Folly is ^aloud;

she is seductive³ and knows nothing.

14  She sits at the door of ^bher house;

she takes a seat ^con the highest places of the town,

15  calling to those who pass by,

who are going straight on their way,

16  ^d“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”

And to him who lacks sense she says,

17  “Stolen ^ewater is sweet,

and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”

18  ^fBut he does not know that the dead⁴ are there,

that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

^hA wise son makes a glad ⁱfather,

but ^ja foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.

2  ^kTreasures gained ^lby wickedness do not profit,

but righteousness delivers from death.

3  ^mThe Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,

but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

4  ⁿA slack hand causes poverty,

^obut the hand of the diligent makes rich.

5  He who gathers ^pin summer is a prudent son,

but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.

6  Blessings are on the head of the righteous,

^qbut the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.¹

7  ^rThe memory of the righteous is a blessing,

but the name of the wicked will rot.

8  The wise of heart will receive commandments,

but ^sa babbling fool will come to ruin.

9  Whoever ^twalks in integrity ^uwalks securely,

but he who makes his ways ^vcrooked will be found out.

10  Whoever ^wwinks the eye causes trouble,

and a babbling fool will come to ruin.

11  The mouth of the righteous ^xis a fountain of life,

but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

12  Hatred stirs up ^ystrife,

but love ^zcovers all offenses.

13  On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,

but ^aa rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.

14  The wise lay up knowledge,

^bbut the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.

15  ^cA rich man’s wealth is his strong city;

the poverty of the poor is their ruin.

16  ^dThe wage of the righteous leads to ^elife,

the gain of the wicked to sin.

17  Whoever heeds ^finstruction is on the path to life,

but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.

18  The one who ^gconceals hatred has ^hlying lips,

and whoever utters slander is a fool.

19  ⁱWhen words are many, transgression is not lacking,

but ^jwhoever restrains his lips is prudent.

20  The tongue of the righteous is ^kchoice silver;

the heart of the wicked is of little worth.

21  The lips of the righteous feed many,

but fools die for lack of sense.

22  The blessing of the Lord makes rich,

and he adds no sorrow with it.²

23  Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool,

but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.

24  What the wicked dreads will come upon him,

but ^lthe desire of the righteous will be granted.

25  ^mWhen the tempest passes, the wicked is no more,

but the righteous is established forever.

26  Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,

so is the sluggard to those who send him.

27  The fear of the Lord ⁿprolongs life,

but the years of the wicked will be short.

28  ^oThe hope of the righteous brings joy,

but ^pthe expectation of the wicked will perish.

29  The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless,

^qbut destruction to evildoers.

30  ^rThe righteous will never be removed,

but the wicked will not dwell in the land.

31  ^sThe mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,

but the ^tperverse tongue will be cut off.

32  The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,

but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.

11  ^uA false balance is an abomination to the Lord,

but a just weight is his delight.

2  ^vWhen pride comes, then comes disgrace,

but with the humble is wisdom.

3  ^wThe integrity of the upright guides them,

but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

4  ^xRiches do not profit ^yin the day of wrath,

but righteousness delivers from death.

5  The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,

but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.

6  The righteousness of the upright delivers them,

but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.

7  When the wicked dies, ^zhis hope will perish,

and the expectation of wealth¹ perishes too.

8  ^aThe righteous is delivered from trouble,

and the wicked walks into it instead.

9  With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,

but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

10  ^bWhen it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,

and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.

11  By the blessing of the upright a city is ^cexalted,

but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown.

12  ^dWhoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense,

but ^ea man of understanding remains silent.

13  ^fWhoever goes about ^gslandering reveals secrets,

but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.

14  ^hWhere there is no guidance, a people falls,

but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

15  Whoever ⁱputs up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm,

but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure.

16  A gracious woman gets honor,

and violent men get riches.

17  A man who is kind benefits himself,

but a cruel man hurts himself.

18  ^jThe wicked earns deceptive wages,

but ^kone who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.

19  ^lWhoever is steadfast in righteousness will live,

but he who pursues evil will ^mdie.

20  Those of ⁿcrooked heart are an abomination to the Lord,

but those of blameless ways are his delight.

21  ^oBe assured, an evil person will not go unpunished,

but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered.

22  Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout

is a beautiful woman without discretion.

23  ^pThe desire of the righteous ends only in good,

the expectation of the wicked in wrath.

24  ^qOne gives freely, ^ryet grows all the richer;

another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.

25  Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,

and one who waters will himself be watered.

26  The people curse him who holds back grain,

but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it.

27  Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,²

but evil comes to him who searches for it.

28  Whoever ^strusts in his riches will fall,

but ^tthe righteous will flourish like a green leaf.

29  Whoever ^utroubles his own household will inherit the wind,

and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

30  The fruit of the righteous is a ^vtree of life,

and whoever captures souls is wise.

31  ^wIf the righteous is repaid on earth,

how much more the wicked and the sinner!

12  Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

but he who ^xhates reproof is stupid.

2  A good man obtains favor from the Lord,

but ^ya man of evil devices he condemns.

3  No one is established by wickedness,

but the root of the righteous will never be moved.

4  ^zAn excellent wife is the crown of her husband,

but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

5  The thoughts of the righteous are just;

the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.

6  The words of the wicked ^alie in wait for blood,

but the mouth of the upright delivers them.

7  The wicked are overthrown and are no more,

but ^bthe house of the righteous will stand.

8  A man is commended according to his good sense,

but one of twisted mind is despised.

9  ^cBetter to be lowly and have a servant

than to play the great man and lack bread.

10  Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,

but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.

11  ^dWhoever works his land will have plenty of bread,

but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.

12  Whoever is wicked ^ecovets the spoil of evildoers,

but the root of the righteous bears fruit.

13  ^fAn evil man is ^gensnared by the transgression of his lips,¹

but the righteous escapes from trouble.

14  ^hFrom the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good,

and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.

15  The way of a fool is ⁱright in his own eyes,

but a wise man listens to advice.

16  ^jThe vexation of a fool is known at once,

but the prudent ignores an insult.

17  ^kWhoever speaks² the truth gives honest evidence,

but a false witness utters deceit.

18  There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,

but the tongue of the wise ^lbrings healing.

19  Truthful lips endure forever,

but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

20  Deceit is in the heart of those who ^mdevise evil,

but those who plan peace have joy.

21  ⁿNo ill befalls the righteous,

but the wicked are filled with trouble.

22  Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,

but those who act faithfully are his delight.

23  A prudent man conceals knowledge,

but the heart of fools proclaims folly.

24  ^oThe hand of the diligent will rule,

while the slothful will be put to forced labor.

25  ^pAnxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down,

but a good word makes him glad.

26  One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor,³

but the ^qway of the wicked leads them astray.

27  ^rWhoever is slothful will not roast his game,

but the diligent man will get precious wealth.⁴

28  In the ^spath of righteousness is ^tlife,

and in its pathway there is no death.

13  A wise son hears his father’s ^uinstruction,

but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

2  ^vFrom the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good,

but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.

3  Whoever ^wguards his mouth preserves his life;

he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

4  ^xThe soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,

^ywhile the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

5  The righteous ^zhates falsehood,

but the wicked brings shame¹ and disgrace.

6  ^aRighteousness ^bguards him whose way is blameless,

but sin overthrows the wicked.

7  ^cOne ^dpretends to be rich,² yet has nothing;

another pretends to be poor,³ yet has great wealth.

8  The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,

but a poor man hears no threat.

9  The light of the righteous rejoices,

but the ^elamp of the wicked will be put out.

10  By insolence comes nothing but strife,

but with those who take advice is wisdom.

11  Wealth gained ^fhastily⁴ will dwindle,

but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

12  Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but ^ga desire fulfilled is a ^htree of life.

13  Whoever ⁱdespises the word⁵ brings destruction on himself,

but he who reveres the commandment⁶ will be rewarded.

14  The teaching of the wise ^jis a fountain of life,

that one may turn away from the snares of death.

15  ^kGood sense wins favor,

but the way of the ^ltreacherous is their ruin.⁷

16  ^mEvery prudent man acts with knowledge,

ⁿbut a fool flaunts his folly.

17  A wicked messenger falls into trouble,

but a faithful envoy brings healing.

18  Poverty and ^odisgrace come to him who ^pignores instruction,

but whoever ^qheeds reproof is honored.

19  A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,

but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.

20  ^rWhoever walks with the wise becomes wise,

^sbut the ^tcompanion of fools will suffer harm.

21  Disaster⁸ pursues sinners,

but the righteous are rewarded with good.

22  A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,

^ubut the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.

23  The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food,

but it is swept away through injustice.

24  ^vWhoever spares the rod hates his son,

^wbut he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.⁹

25  ^xThe righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,

but the belly of the wicked suffers want.