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.”
24 Be not yenvious of evil men,
nor desire to be with them,
2 for their hearts devise violence,
and their lips talk of trouble.
3 By wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established;
4 by knowledge the rooms are filled
with all precious and pleasant riches.
5 A wise man is full of strength,
and a man of knowledge enhances his might,
6 for zby wise guidance you can wage your war,
and ain abundance of counselors there is victory.
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool;
in the gate he does not open his mouth.
8 Whoever bplans to do evil
will be called a schemer.
9 The devising1 of folly is sin,
and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.
10 If you faint in the day of adversity,
your strength is small.
11 cRescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
does not he who dweighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will he not repay man eaccording to his work?
13 My son, eat honey, for it is good,
and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
14 Know that wisdom is such to your soul;
if you find it, fthere will be a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
15 Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous;
do no violence to his home;
16 for the righteous gfalls seven times and rises again,
but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.
17 hDo not rejoice when your enemy falls,
and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,
18 lest the Lord see it and be displeased,
and turn away his anger from him.
19 iFret not yourself because of evildoers,
and be not envious of the wicked,
20 for the evil man has no future;
the jlamp of the wicked will be put out.
21 My son, kfear the Lord and the king,
and do not join with those who do otherwise,
22 for disaster will arise suddenly from them,
and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?
More Sayings of the Wise
23 lThese also are sayings of the wise.
mPartiality in judging is not good.
24 Whoever nsays to the wicked, “You are in the right,”
will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations,
25 but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,
and a good blessing will come upon them.
26 Whoever gives an honest answer
kisses the lips.
27 oPrepare your work outside;
get everything ready for yourself in the field,
and after that build your house.
28 Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause,
and do not deceive with your lips.
29 pDo not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will pay the man back for what he has done.”
30 qI passed by the field of a sluggard,
by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,
31 and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
the ground was covered with nettles,
and its stone wall was broken down.
32 Then I saw and considered it;
I looked and received instruction.
33 rA little sleep, a little slumber,
a little sfolding of the hands to rest,
34 and tpoverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.
