19  ^aBetter is a poor person who ^bwalks in his integrity

than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.

2  Desire¹ without knowledge is not good,

and whoever ^cmakes haste with his feet misses his way.

3  When a man’s folly ^dbrings his way to ruin,

his heart ^erages against the Lord.

4  ^fWealth brings many new friends,

^fbut a poor man is deserted by his friend.

5  ^gA false witness will not go unpunished,

and he who ^hbreathes out lies will not escape.

6  Many seek the favor of a generous man,²

and everyone is a friend to a man who gives ⁱgifts.

7  ^jAll a poor man’s brothers hate him;

^khow much more do his friends go far from him!

He pursues them with words, but does not have them.³

8  ^lWhoever gets sense loves his own soul;

he who keeps understanding will ^mdiscover good.

9  ^gA false witness will not go unpunished,

and he who ^hbreathes out lies will perish.

10  ⁿIt is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury,

much less for ^oa slave to rule over princes.

11  ^pGood sense makes one slow to anger,

and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

12  A king’s wrath is like ^qthe growling of a lion,

but his ^rfavor is like ^sdew on the grass.

13  ^tA foolish son is ruin to his father,

and ^ua wife’s quarreling is ^va continual dripping of rain.

14  ^wHouse and wealth are inherited from fathers,

but a prudent wife is ^xfrom the Lord.

15  ^ySlothfulness casts into ^za deep sleep,

and ^aan idle person will suffer hunger.

16  Whoever ^bkeeps the commandment keeps his life;

he who despises his ways will die.

17  ^cWhoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,

and he ^dwill repay him for his ^edeed.

18  ^fDiscipline your son, for there is hope;

do not set your heart on ^gputting 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 instruction,

that you may gain wisdom in ^hthe future.

21  ⁱMany are the plans in the mind of a man,

but ^jit is the purpose of the Lord ^kthat will stand.

22  What is desired in a man is steadfast love,

and a poor man is better than a liar.

23  The fear of the Lord ^lleads to life,

and whoever has it rests ^msatisfied;

he will ⁿnot be visited by harm.

24  ^oThe sluggard buries his hand in ^pthe dish

and will not even bring it back to his mouth.

25  ^qStrike ^ra scoffer, and the simple will ^slearn prudence;

^treprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.

26  He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother

is ^ua son who brings shame and reproach.

27  Cease to hear instruction, my son,

^vand you will stray from the words of knowledge.

28  A worthless witness mocks at justice,

and the mouth of the wicked ^wdevours iniquity.

29  Condemnation is ready for ^rscoffers,

and ^xbeating for the backs of fools.

20  ^yWine is a mocker, ^zstrong drink a brawler,

and whoever ^ais led astray by it is not wise.¹

2  The terror of a king is like ^bthe growling of a lion;

whoever provokes him to anger ^cforfeits his life.

3  It is an honor for a man to ^dkeep aloof from strife,

but every fool will be quarreling.

4  ^eThe sluggard does not plow in the autumn;

^fhe will seek at harvest and have nothing.

5  The purpose in a man’s heart is like ^gdeep water,

but a man of understanding will draw it out.

6  Many a man ^hproclaims his own steadfast love,

but ⁱa faithful man who can find?

7  The righteous who ^jwalks in his integrity—

^kblessed are his children after him!

8  ^lA king who sits on the throne of judgment

^mwinnows all evil with his eyes.

9  ⁿWho can say, “I have made my heart pure;

I am clean from my sin”?

10  ^oUnequal² weights and unequal measures

are both alike an abomination to the Lord.

11  Even a child ^pmakes himself known by his acts,

by whether his conduct is pure and upright.³

12  ^qThe hearing ear and the seeing eye,

^rthe Lord has made them both.

13  ^sLove not sleep, lest you ^tcome to poverty;

open your eyes, and you will have ^uplenty of bread.

14  “Bad, bad,” says the buyer,

but when he goes away, then he boasts.

15  There is gold and abundance of ^vcostly stones,

^wbut the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

16  ^xTake a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger,

and ^yhold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners.⁴

17  ^zBread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,

but afterward his mouth will be full of ^agravel.

18  ^bPlans are established by counsel;

by ^cwise guidance ^dwage war.

19  Whoever ^egoes about slandering reveals secrets;

therefore do not associate with ^fa simple babbler.⁵

20  ^gIf one curses his father or his mother,

^hhis lamp will be put out in utter darkness.

21  ⁱAn inheritance gained hastily in the beginning

will not be blessed in the end.

22  Do not say, ^j“I will repay evil”;

^kwait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.

23  ^lUnequal weights are an abomination to the Lord,

and ^mfalse scales are not good.

24  A man’s ⁿsteps 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 ^oafter making vows.

26  A wise king ^pwinnows the wicked

and drives ^qthe wheel over them.

27  ^rThe spirit⁶ of man is the lamp of the Lord,

^ssearching all ^this innermost parts.

28  ^uSteadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king,

and by steadfast love his ^vthrone is upheld.

29  The glory of young men is their strength,

but ^wthe splendor of old men is their gray hair.

30  ^xBlows that wound cleanse away evil;

strokes make clean ^tthe innermost parts.

21  The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;

he ^yturns it wherever he will.

2  ^zEvery way of a man is right in his own eyes,

but the Lord ^aweighs the heart.

3  ^bTo do righteousness and justice

is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

4  ^cHaughty eyes and a proud heart,

^dthe lamp¹ of the wicked, are sin.

5  The plans of ^ethe diligent lead surely to abundance,

but everyone who is ^fhasty comes ^gonly to poverty.

6  ^hThe getting of treasures by a lying tongue

is a ⁱfleeting ^jvapor and a ^ksnare of death.²

7  The violence of the wicked will ^lsweep them away,

because they refuse to do what is just.

8  The way of the guilty ^mis crooked,

but the conduct of the pure is upright.

9  It is ⁿbetter 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 ^oa scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise;

when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.

12  The Righteous One ^pobserves 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

^twill rest in the assembly of the dead.

17  Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man;

he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

18  ^uThe wicked is a ^vransom for the righteous,

and the traitor for the upright.

19  It is ^wbetter to live in a desert land

than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.

20  ^xPrecious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling,

but a foolish man ^ydevours it.

21  Whoever ^zpursues righteousness and kindness

will find ^alife, righteousness, and honor.

22  ^bA wise man scales the city of the mighty

and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.

23  ^cWhoever keeps his mouth and his tongue

^dkeeps himself out of ^etrouble.

24  ^f“Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man

who acts with arrogant pride.

25  The desire of ^gthe sluggard kills him,

for his hands refuse to labor.

26  All day long he craves and craves,

but the righteous ^hgives and does not hold back.

27  ⁱThe sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;

how much more ^jwhen he brings it with evil intent.

28  ^kA false 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 ^lgives thought to⁴ his ways.

30  ^mNo wisdom, no understanding, no counsel

can avail against the Lord.

31  ⁿThe horse is made ready for the day of battle,

but ^othe victory belongs to the Lord.

22  ^pA good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,

and favor is better than silver or gold.

2  ^qThe rich and the poor meet together;

the Lord is ^rthe Maker of them all.

3  ^sThe 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 ^triches and honor and life.¹

5  ^uThorns and snares are in the way of the crooked;

whoever ^vguards his soul will keep far from them.

6  ^wTrain up a child in the way he should go;

even when he is old he will not depart from it.

7  ^xThe rich rules over the poor,

and the borrower is the slave of the lender.

8  Whoever ^ysows injustice will reap calamity,

and ^zthe rod of his fury will fail.

9  ^aWhoever has a bountiful² eye will be blessed,

for he ^bshares his bread with the poor.

10  ^cDrive out a scoffer, ^dand strife will go out,

and ^equarreling and abuse will cease.

11  He who ^floves purity of heart,

and whose ^gspeech is gracious, ^hwill have the king as his friend.

12  The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,

but he ⁱoverthrows the words of the traitor.

13  ^jThe sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!

I shall be killed in the streets!”

14  The mouth of ^kforbidden³ women is ^la deep pit;

^mhe with whom the Lord is angry will fall into it.

15  Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,

but ⁿthe rod of discipline drives it far from him.

16  Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth,

or gives to the rich, ^owill only come to poverty.

17  ^pIncline your ear, and hear ^qthe words of the wise,

^rand apply your heart to my knowledge,

18  for it will be pleasant 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 ^sthirty sayings

of counsel and knowledge,

21  to ^tmake you know what is right and true,

that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?

22  ^uDo not rob the poor, because he is poor,

or ^vcrush the afflicted at ^wthe gate,

23  for ^xthe Lord will plead 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  lest you learn his ways

and entangle yourself in a snare.

26  Be not one of those who ^ygive pledges,

who put up security for debts.

27  If you have nothing with which to pay,

why should ^zyour bed be taken from under you?

28  Do not move the ancient ^alandmark

that your fathers have set.

29  Do you see a man skillful in his work?

He will ^bstand 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  ^cDo not desire his delicacies,

for they are deceptive food.

4  ^dDo not toil to acquire wealth;

^ebe discerning enough to desist.

5  When your eyes light on it, it is gone,

^ffor suddenly it sprouts wings,

flying like an eagle toward heaven.

6  ^gDo not eat the bread of a man who is ^hstingy;²

ⁱdo not desire his delicacies,

7  for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.³

“Eat and drink!” he says to you,

but his ^jheart is not with you.

8  You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten,

and waste your pleasant words.

9  Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,

for he will despise the good sense of your words.

10  ^kDo not move an ancient landmark

or enter the fields of the fatherless,

11  for their ^lRedeemer is strong;

he will ^mplead their cause against you.

12  Apply your heart to instruction

and your ear to words of knowledge.

13  Do not withhold ⁿdiscipline from a child;

^oif you strike him with a rod, he will not die.

14  If you strike him with the rod,

you will ^psave his soul from Sheol.

15  ^qMy son, if your heart is wise,

my heart too will be glad.

16  My ^rinmost being⁴ will exult

when your lips speak ^swhat is right.

17  Let not your heart ^tenvy sinners,

but continue in ^uthe fear of the Lord all the day.

18  Surely ^vthere is a future,

and your ^whope will not be cut off.

19  Hear, my son, and ^xbe wise,

and ^ydirect your heart in the way.

20  Be not among ^zdrunkards⁵

or among ^agluttonous eaters of meat,

21  for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,

and ^bslumber will clothe them with rags.

22  ^cListen to your father who gave you life,

^dand do not despise your mother when she is old.

23  ^eBuy truth, and do not sell it;

buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

24  ^fThe father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;

he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.

25  ^fLet your father and mother be glad;

let ^gher who bore you rejoice.

26  My son, give me your heart,

and let your eyes observe⁶ my ways.

27  For a prostitute is ^ha deep pit;

ⁱan adulteress⁷ is a narrow ^jwell.

28  ^kShe lies in wait like a robber

and increases the traitors among mankind.

29  ^lWho has woe? Who has sorrow?

Who has strife? Who has complaining?

Who has ^mwounds without cause?

Who has ⁿredness of eyes?

30  Those who ^otarry long over wine;

those who go to try ^pmixed 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 ^qbites like a serpent

and stings like an adder.

33  Your eyes will see strange things,

and your heart utter ^rperverse 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 ^sstruck me,” you will say,⁹ “but I was not hurt;

they beat me, but I did not feel it.

When shall I awake?

I ^tmust have another drink.”