19 dBetter is a poor person who walks in his integrity
than eone who is fcrooked in speech and is a fool.
2 Desire1 without knowledge is not good,
and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.
3 When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin,
his heart rages against the Lord.
4 gWealth brings many new friends,
hbut a poor man is deserted by his friend.
5 iA jfalse witness will not go unpunished,
and he who kbreathes out lies will not escape.
6 Many seek the favor of a generous man,2
and leveryone is a friend to a man who gives gifts.
7 All a poor man’s brothers hate him;
how much more do his friends go far from him!
He pursues them with words, but does not have them.3
8 Whoever mgets sense loves his own soul;
he who keeps understanding will discover good.
9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who breathes out lies will perish.
10 It is nnot fitting for a fool to live in luxury,
much less for a slave to rule over princes.
11 Good sense makes one oslow to anger,
and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
12 pA king’s wrath is qlike the growling of a lion,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.
13 rA foolish son is ruin to his father,
and sa wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.
14 House and wealth are inherited from fathers,
but a prudent wife is from the Lord.
15 tSlothfulness casts into a deep sleep,
and an idle person will suffer hunger.
16 Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life;
he who despises his ways will die.
17 uWhoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,
and he will vrepay him for his deed.
18 wDiscipline your son, for there is hope;
xdo not set your heart on putting him to death.
19 A man of great wrath will pay the penalty,
for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.
20 Listen to advice and accept yinstruction,
that you may gain wisdom in the future.
21 zMany are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
22 What is desired in a man is steadfast love,
and aa poor man is better than a liar.
23 The fear of the Lord leads to life,
and whoever has it rests satisfied;
he will not be visited by harm.
24 bThe sluggard buries his hand in the dish
and will not even bring it back to his mouth.
25 Strike a scoffer, and the csimple will learn prudence;
dreprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.
26 He who does violence to his efather and chases away his mother
is a son who brings shame and reproach.
27 Cease to hear finstruction, my son,
and you will stray from the words of knowledge.
28 A worthless witness mocks at justice,
and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
29 Condemnation is ready for scoffers,
and gbeating for the backs of fools.
20 hWine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,
and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.1
2 iThe terror of a king is like the growling of a lion;
whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life.
3 jIt is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife,
but every fool will be quarreling.
4 kThe sluggard does not plow in the autumn;
he will seek at harvest and have nothing.
5 The purpose in a man’s heart is like ldeep water,
but a man of munderstanding will draw it out.
6 Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love,
but a faithful man nwho can find?
7 The righteous who walks in his integrity—
blessed are his children after him!
8 A king who sits on the throne of judgment
winnows all evil with his eyes.
9 oWho can say, p“I have made my heart pure;
I am clean from my sin”?
10 qUnequal2 weights and unequal measures
are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
11 Even a child makes himself known by his acts,
by whether his conduct is pure and upright.3
12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye,
the Lord has made them both.
13 rLove not sleep, lest you come to poverty;
open your eyes, and you will have splenty of bread.
14 “Bad, bad,” says the buyer,
but when he goes away, then he boasts.
15 There is gold and abundance of costly stones,
but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.
16 Take a man’s garment when he has tput up security for a stranger,
and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners.4
17 Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,
but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel.
18 Plans are established by counsel;
uby wise guidance wage war.
19 vWhoever goes about wslandering reveals secrets;
therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.5
20 xIf one curses his yfather or his mother,
his lamp will be put out in utter darkness.
21 An inheritance gained zhastily in the beginning
will not be blessed in the end.
22 aDo not say, “I will brepay evil”;
cwait for the Lord, dand he will deliver you.
23 Unequal weights are an abomination to the Lord,
and false scales are not good.
24 A man’s steps are from the Lord;
how then can man understand his way?
25 It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,”
and to reflect only after making evows.
26 A wise king winnows the wicked
and drives the wheel over them.
27 The spirit6 of man is the lamp of the Lord,
searching all his innermost parts.
28 fSteadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king,
and by steadfast love his throne is upheld.
29 The glory of young men is their strength,
gbut the splendor of old men is their gray hair.
30 Blows that wound cleanse away evil;
strokes make clean the innermost parts.
21 The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
he turns it wherever he will.
2 Every way of a man is hright in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the heart.
3 iTo do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
the lamp1 of the wicked, are sin.
5 jThe plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
but keveryone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
6 The getting of treasures lby a lying tongue
is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.2
7 mThe violence of the wicked will sweep them away,
because they refuse to do what is just.
8 The way of the guilty is ncrooked,
but the conduct of the pure is upright.
9 oIt is better to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
10 The soul of the wicked desires evil;
his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.
11 When a scoffer is punished, the psimple becomes wise;
when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.
12 The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked;
he throws the wicked down to ruin.
13 qWhoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor
will himself call out and not be answered.
14 rA gift in secret averts anger,
and a concealed bribe,3 strong wrath.
15 When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous
sbut terror to evildoers.
16 One who wanders from the way of good sense
will rest in the assembly of the dead.
17 tWhoever loves pleasure will be a poor man;
he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
18 The wicked is a ransom for the righteous,
and the traitor for the upright.
19 uIt is better to live in a desert land
than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.
20 Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling,
but a foolish man devours it.
21 Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
will find vlife, righteousness, and honor.
22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty
and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.
23 Whoever wkeeps his mouth and his tongue
keeps himself out of trouble.
24 “Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man
who acts with arrogant pride.
25 xThe desire of the sluggard kills him,
for his hands refuse to labor.
26 All day long he craves and craves,
but the righteous ygives and does not hold back.
27 zThe sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
how much more when he brings it with evil intent.
28 A afalse witness will perish,
but the word of a man who hears will endure.
29 A wicked man puts on a bold face,
but the upright bgives thought to4 his ways.
30 No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel
can avail against the Lord.
31 cThe horse is made ready for the day of battle,
dbut the victory belongs to the Lord.
22 eA good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
and favor is better than silver or gold.
2 fThe rich and the poor meet together;
the Lord is gthe Maker of them all.
3 hThe prudent sees danger and hides himself,
but the simple go on and suffer for it.
4 The reward for humility and fear of the Lord
is riches and honor and life.1
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked;
whoever guards his soul will keep far from them.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not idepart from it.
7 The rich rules over the poor,
and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
8 jWhoever sows injustice will reap calamity,
and the rod of his fury will fail.
9 Whoever has a bountiful2 eye will be blessed,
for khe shares his bread with the poor.
10 Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out,
and lquarreling and abuse will cease.
11 He who loves purity of heart,
and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.
12 The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,
but he overthrows the words of the traitor.
13 mThe sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!
I shall be killed in the streets!”
14 The mouth of forbidden3 women is na deep pit;
ohe with whom the Lord is angry will fall into it.
15 pFolly is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of qdiscipline drives it far from him.
16 Whoever roppresses the poor to increase his own wealth,
or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
Words of the Wise
17 sIncline your ear, and hear tthe words of the wise,
and apply your heart to my knowledge,
18 for it will be upleasant if you keep them within you,
if all of them are ready on your lips.
19 That your trust may be in the Lord,
I have made them known to you today, even to you.
20 Have I not written for you thirty sayings
of counsel and knowledge,
21 to make you know what is right and true,
that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?
22 vDo not rob the poor, because he is poor,
or wcrush the afflicted at the gate,
23 for the Lord will xplead their cause
and rob of life those who rob them.
24 Make no friendship with a man given to anger,
nor go with a wrathful man,
25 ylest you learn his ways
and entangle yourself in a snare.
26 Be not one of those who zgive pledges,
who put up security for debts.
27 If you have nothing with which to pay,
why should your bed be taken from under you?
28 aDo not move the ancient landmark
that your fathers have set.
29 Do you see a man skillful in his work?
He will stand before kings;
he will not stand before obscure men.
23 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
observe carefully what1 is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to appetite.
3 Do not desire his delicacies,
for they are deceptive food.
4 bDo not toil to acquire wealth;
be discerning enough to desist.
5 When your eyes light on it, it is gone,
for csuddenly it sprouts wings,
flying like an eagle toward heaven.
6 Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy;2
do not desire his delicacies,
7 for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.3
“Eat and drink!” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten,
and waste your pleasant words.
9 dDo not speak in the hearing of a fool,
for he will despise the good sense of your words.
10 eDo not move an ancient landmark
or enter the fields of the fatherless,
11 for ftheir Redeemer is strong;
he will gplead their cause against you.
12 Apply your heart to hinstruction
and your ear to words of knowledge.
13 iDo not withhold discipline from a child;
if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
14 If you strike him with the rod,
you will save his soul from Sheol.
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
my heart too will be glad.
16 My inmost being4 will exult
when your lips speak what is right.
17 Let not your heart jenvy sinners,
but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.
18 kSurely there is a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
19 Hear, my son, and be wise,
and direct your heart in the way.
or among mgluttonous eaters of meat,
21 for the drunkard and the glutton nwill come to poverty,
and oslumber will clothe them with rags.
22 Listen to your pfather who gave you life,
and do not despise your mother qwhen she is old.
23 rBuy truth, and do not sell it;
buy wisdom, sinstruction, and understanding.
24 tThe father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;
he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.
25 Let your father and mother be glad;
let her who bore you rejoice.
26 My son, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observe6 my ways.
27 For a prostitute is ua deep pit;
an adulteress7 is a narrow well.
28 vShe lies in wait like a robber
and increases the traitors among mankind.
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes?
30 Those who tarry long over wwine;
those who go to try mixed wine.
31 Do not look at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup
and goes down smoothly.
32 In the end it bites like a serpent
and stings like an adder.
33 Your eyes will see strange things,
and your heart utter xperverse things.
34 You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,
like one who lies on the top of a mast.8
35 “They struck me,” you will say,9 “but I was not hurt;
they beat me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake?
I must have another drink.”
