14 eThe wisest of women fbuilds her house,
but folly with her own hands gtears it down.
2 Whoever hwalks in uprightness fears the Lord,
but he who is idevious in his ways despises him.
3 By the mouth of a fool comes ja rod for his back,1
kbut the lips of the wise will preserve them.
4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.
5 lA faithful witness does not lie,
but ma false witness breathes out lies.
6 nA scoffer seeks wisdom oin vain,
but pknowledge is easy for a man of understanding.
7 Leave the presence of a fool,
for there you do not meet words of knowledge.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,
but the folly of fools is deceiving.
9 qFools mock at the guilt offering,
but the upright enjoy acceptance.2
10 The heart knows its own rbitterness,
and no stranger shares its joy.
11 sThe house of the wicked will be destroyed,
but the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 tThere is a way that seems right to a man,
but uits end is the way to death.3
13 Even in laughter the heart may ache,
and vthe end of joy may be wgrief.
14 The backslider in heart will be xfilled with the fruit of his ways,
and ya good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.
15 zThe simple believes everything,
but the prudent gives thought to his steps.
16 aOne who is wise is cautious4 and bturns away from evil,
but a fool is reckless and careless.
17 A man of cquick temper acts foolishly,
and a man of evil devices is hated.
18 The simple inherit folly,
but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19 dThe evil bow down before the good,
the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 eThe poor is disliked even by his neighbor,
fbut the rich has many friends.
21 Whoever gdespises his neighbor is a sinner,
but hblessed is he who is generous to the poor.
22 Do they not go astray who idevise evil?
Those who devise good meet5 jsteadfast love and faithfulness.
23 In all toil there is profit,
but mere talk ktends only to poverty.
24 The crown of the wise is their wealth,
but the folly of fools brings folly.
25 A truthful witness saves lives,
but one who lbreathes out lies is deceitful.
26 In the fear of the Lord one has mstrong confidence,
and nhis children will have oa refuge.
27 The fear of the Lord is pa fountain of life,
that one may qturn away from the snares of death.
28 In ra multitude of people is the glory of a king,
but without people a prince is ruined.
29 Whoever is sslow to anger has great understanding,
but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
30 A tranquil6 heart gives tlife to the flesh,
but uenvy7 makes vthe bones rot.
31 Whoever oppresses a poor man winsults his xMaker,
ybut he who is generous to the needy honors him.
32 zThe wicked is overthrown through his evildoing,
but athe righteous finds refuge in his death.
33 Wisdom brests in the heart of a man of understanding,
but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools.8
34 Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a reproach to any people.
35 A servant who deals wisely has cthe king’s favor,
but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.
15 dA soft answer turns away wrath,
but ea harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but fthe mouths of fools pour out folly.
3 gThe eyes of the Lord are in every place,
keeping watch on the evil and the good.
4 hA gentle1 tongue is ia tree of life,
but jperverseness in it breaks the spirit.
5 kA fool ldespises his father’s instruction,
but mwhoever heeds reproof is prudent.
6 In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
but trouble befalls the income of the wicked.
7 nThe lips of the wise spread knowledge;
8 oThe sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
but pthe prayer of the upright is acceptable to him.
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
but he loves him qwho pursues righteousness.
10 There is rsevere discipline for him who forsakes the way;
swhoever hates reproof will die.
11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord;
how much more tthe hearts of the children of man!
12 uA scoffer vdoes not like to be reproved;
he will not go to the wise.
13 wA glad heart makes a cheerful face,
but by xsorrow of heart the spirit is ycrushed.
14 zThe heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
but the mouths of fools feed on folly.
15 All the days of the afflicted are evil,
but athe cheerful of heart has a continual feast.
16 bBetter is a little with the fear of the Lord
than great treasure and trouble with it.
17 cBetter is a dinner of herbs where love is
than da fattened ox and hatred with it.
18 eA hot-tempered man fstirs up strife,
but he who is gslow to anger quiets contention.
19 The way of ha sluggard is like a hedge of ithorns,
but the path of the upright is ja level highway.
20 kA wise son makes a glad father,
but a foolish man despises his mother.
21 lFolly is a joy to him who lacks sense,
but a man of understanding mwalks straight ahead.
22 nWithout counsel plans fail,
but with many advisers they succeed.
23 To make an apt answer is a joy to a man,
and oa word in season, how good it is!
24 The path of life leads upward pfor the prudent,
that he may turn away from Sheol beneath.
25 The Lord tears down the house of qthe proud
but rmaintains sthe widow’s boundaries.
26 tThe thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
but ugracious words are pure.
27 Whoever is vgreedy for unjust gain wtroubles his own household,
but he who hates xbribes will live.
28 The heart of the righteous yponders how to answer,
but zthe mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
29 The Lord is afar from the wicked,
but he bhears the prayer of the righteous.
30 cThe light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
and dgood news refreshes3 the bones.
31 eThe ear that listens to flife-giving reproof
will dwell among the wise.
32 Whoever gignores instruction hdespises himself,
but he who listens to reproof igains intelligence.
33 jThe fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
and khumility comes before honor.
16 The plans of the heart belong to man,
but lthe answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
2 mAll the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
but the Lord nweighs the spirit.1
3 oCommit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established.
4 pThe Lord has made everything for its purpose,
even qthe wicked for the day of trouble.
5 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is ran abomination to the Lord;
sbe assured, he will not go unpunished.
6 By tsteadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
and by uthe fear of the Lord one vturns away from evil.
7 When a man’s ways please the Lord,
whe makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
8 xBetter is a little with righteousness
than great revenues with injustice.
9 yThe heart of man plans his way,
but zthe Lord establishes his steps.
10 aAn oracle is on the lips of a king;
his mouth does not sin in judgment.
11 bA just balance and scales are the Lord’s;
all the weights in the bag are his work.
12 It is an abomination to kings to do evil,
for cthe throne is established by righteousness.
13 dRighteous lips are the delight of a king,
and he loves him who speaks what is right.
14 eA king’s wrath is a messenger of death,
and a wise man will fappease it.
15 gIn the light of a king’s face there is life,
and his dfavor is like hthe clouds that bring the spring rain.
16 iHow much better to get wisdom than jgold!
To get understanding is to be chosen rather than ksilver.
17 The highway of the upright lturns aside from evil;
whoever guards his way preserves his life.
18 mPride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 nIt is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor
than to odivide the spoil with the proud.
20 Whoever gives thought to the word2 pwill discover good,
and blessed is he qwho trusts in the Lord.
21 The wise of heart is called discerning,
and sweetness of speech rincreases persuasiveness.
22 Good sense is sa fountain of life to him who has it,
but the instruction of fools is folly.
23 tThe heart of the wise makes his speech judicious
and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
24 uGracious words are like va honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and whealth to the body.
25 There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.3
26 A worker’s appetite works for him;
his xmouth urges him on.
27 yA worthless man plots evil,
and his speech4 is like za scorching fire.
28 aA dishonest man spreads strife,
and ba whisperer cseparates close friends.
29 A man of violence dentices his neighbor
and leads him in a way that is not good.
30 Whoever winks his eyes plans5 edishonest things;
he who fpurses his lips brings evil to pass.
31 gGray hair is ha crown of glory;
it iis gained in a righteous life.
32 jWhoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
33 kThe lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is lfrom the Lord.
17 mBetter is a dry morsel with quiet
than a house full of feasting1 with strife.
2 A servant who deals wisely will rule over na son who acts shamefully
and owill share the inheritance as one of the brothers.
3 pThe crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
qand the Lord tests hearts.
4 An evildoer listens to wicked lips,
and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.
5 Whoever mocks the poor rinsults his Maker;
he who is sglad at calamity will not go tunpunished.
6 uGrandchildren are vthe crown of the aged,
and the glory of children is their fathers.
7 Fine speech is not wbecoming to a fool;
still less is xfalse speech to a prince.
8 yA bribe is like a magic2 stone in the eyes of the one who gives it;
wherever he turns he prospers.
9 Whoever zcovers an offense seeks love,
but he who repeats a matter aseparates close friends.
10 A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding
than a hundred blows into a fool.
11 An evil man seeks only rebellion,
and ba cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 Let a man meet ca she-bear robbed of her cubs
drather than a fool in his folly.
13 If anyone ereturns evil for good,
fevil will not depart from his house.
14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
so gquit before the quarrel breaks out.
15 He who hjustifies the wicked and he who icondemns the righteous
are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
16 Why should a fool have money in his hand jto buy wisdom
when he has no sense?
17 kA friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
18 One who lacks sense gives a pledge
and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.
19 Whoever loves transgression loves strife;
he who lmakes his door high seeks destruction.
20 mA man of crooked heart does not discover good,
and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.
21 He who nsires a fool gets himself sorrow,
and the father of a fool has no joy.
22 oA joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit pdries up the bones.
23 The wicked accepts qa bribe in secret3
to rpervert the ways of justice.
24 sThe discerning sets his face toward wisdom,
but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25 nA foolish son is a grief to his father
tand bitterness to uher who bore him.
26 vTo impose a fine on a righteous man is not good,
nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
27 Whoever wrestrains his words has knowledge,
and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
28 Even a fool xwho keeps silent is considered wise;
when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
18 Whoever yisolates himself seeks his own desire;
he breaks out against all sound judgment.
2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only zin expressing his opinion.
3 When wickedness comes, contempt comes also,
and with dishonor comes disgrace.
4 The words of a man’s mouth are adeep waters;
the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
5 It is not good to bbe partial to1 the wicked
or to cdeprive the righteous of justice.
6 A fool’s lips walk into a fight,
and his mouth invites da beating.
7 eA fool’s mouth is his ruin,
and his lips are a snare to his soul.
8 fThe words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into gthe inner parts of the body.
9 Whoever is slack in his work
is a hbrother to him who destroys.
10 iThe name of the Lord is ja strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and kis safe.
11 lA rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
and like a high wall in his imagination.
12 mBefore destruction a man’s heart is haughty,
but nhumility comes before honor.
13 If one gives an answer obefore he hears,
it is his folly and shame.
14 A man’s spirit will endure sickness,
but pa crushed spirit who can bear?
15 An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,
and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16 A man’s qgift makes room for him
and brings him before the great.
17 The one who states his case first seems right,
until the other comes and examines him.
18 rThe lot puts an end to quarrels
and decides between powerful contenders.
19 A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city,
and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
20 sFrom the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied;
he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.
21 tDeath and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.
22 He who finds ua wife finds va good thing
and wobtains favor xfrom the Lord.
23 The poor use entreaties,
but ythe rich answer roughly.
24 A man of many companions may come to ruin,
but zthere is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
