1  ^aA false balance is an abomination to the Lord,

^bbut a just weight is his delight.

2  ^cWhen pride comes, then comes disgrace,

but with ^dthe humble is wisdom.

3  ^eThe integrity of the upright guides them,

^fbut the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

4  ^gRiches do not profit in the day of wrath,

^hbut righteousness delivers from death.

5  The righteousness of the blameless ⁱkeeps his way straight,

but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.

6  ^hThe righteousness of the upright delivers them,

but the treacherous ^jare taken captive by their lust.

7  When the wicked dies, his ^khope will perish,

and ^lthe expectation of wealth¹ perishes too.

8  ^mThe 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  ⁿWhen 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 exalted,

but ^oby the mouth of the wicked ^pit is overthrown.

12  Whoever ^qbelittles his neighbor lacks sense,

but a man of understanding remains silent.

13  Whoever ^rgoes about slandering reveals secrets,

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

14  Where there is ^sno guidance, a people falls,

^sbut in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

15  ^tWhoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm,

but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure.

16  ^uA gracious woman gets honor,

and ^vviolent men get riches.

17  ^wA man who is kind benefits himself,

but a cruel man hurts himself.

18  The wicked earns deceptive wages,

but one who ^xsows righteousness gets a sure reward.

19  Whoever is steadfast in righteousness ^ywill live,

but ^zhe who pursues evil will die.

20  Those of ^acrooked heart are ^ban abomination to the Lord,

but those of ^cblameless ways are ^dhis delight.

21  ^eBe assured, ^fan evil person will not go unpunished,

but ^gthe offspring of the righteous will be delivered.

22  Like ^ha gold ring in a pig’s snout

is a beautiful woman without discretion.

23  The desire of the righteous ends only in good,

ⁱthe expectation of the wicked in wrath.

24  ^jOne gives ^kfreely, yet grows all the richer;

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

25  ^lWhoever brings blessing ^mwill be enriched,

and ⁿone who waters will himself be watered.

26  ^oThe people curse him who holds back grain,

but ^pa blessing is on the head of him who ^qsells it.

27  Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,²

but evil comes to ^rhim who searches for it.

28  Whoever ^strusts in his riches will fall,

but the righteous will ^tflourish like a green leaf.

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

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

30  The fruit of the righteous is ^wa tree of life,

and whoever ^xcaptures souls is wise.

31  If ^ythe righteous is repaid on earth,

how much more the wicked and the sinner!

1  Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

but he who ^zhates reproof is ^astupid.

2  A good man ^bobtains favor from the Lord,

but a man of evil devices he condemns.

3  No one is established by wickedness,

but the root of ^cthe righteous will never be moved.

4  ^dAn excellent wife is ^ethe crown of her husband,

but she who ^fbrings shame is like ^grottenness in his bones.

5  ^hThe thoughts of the righteous are just;

the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.

6  The words of the wicked ⁱlie in wait for blood,

but ^jthe mouth of the upright delivers them.

7  ^kThe wicked are ^loverthrown and are no more,

^mbut the house of the righteous will stand.

8  A man is commended according to his good sense,

but one of twisted mind is ⁿdespised.

9  Better to be lowly and have a servant

than to play the great man and lack bread.

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

but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.

11  ^pWhoever works his land ^qwill have plenty of bread,

^rbut he who follows ^sworthless pursuits lacks sense.

12  Whoever is wicked covets ^tthe spoil of evildoers,

but the root of the righteous bears fruit.

13  An evil man is ensnared ^uby the transgression of his lips,³

^vbut the righteous escapes from trouble.

14  From the fruit of his mouth ^wa man is satisfied with good,

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

15  ^yThe way of a fool is right in his own eyes,

but a wise man listens to advice.

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

but the prudent ignores an insult.

17  ^aWhoever speaks⁴ the truth gives honest evidence,

but ^ba false witness utters deceit.

18  ^cThere is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,

but the tongue of the wise brings ^dhealing.

19  Truthful lips endure forever,

but ^ea lying tongue is but for a moment.

20  Deceit is in the heart of ^fthose who devise evil,

but those who plan peace have joy.

21  ^gNo ill befalls the righteous,

but the wicked are filled with trouble.

22  ^hLying lips are ⁱan abomination to the Lord,

^jbut those who act faithfully are his delight.

23  ^kA prudent man conceals knowledge,

^kbut the heart of fools proclaims folly.

24  ^lThe hand of the diligent will rule,

while the slothful will be ^mput to forced labor.

25  ⁿAnxiety 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,⁵

but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

27  ^oWhoever is slothful will not roast his game,

but the diligent man will get precious wealth.⁶

28  ^pIn the path of righteousness is life,

and in its pathway there is no death.

1  A wise son hears his father’s instruction,

but ^qa scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

2  From the fruit of his mouth a man ^reats what is good,

but the desire of the treacherous ^sis for violence.

3  ^tWhoever guards his mouth preserves his life;

^uhe who opens wide his lips ^vcomes to ruin.

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

while the soul of the diligent ^xis richly supplied.

5  The righteous hates falsehood,

but the wicked brings shame⁷ and disgrace.

6  ^yRighteousness guards him whose ^zway is blameless,

but sin overthrows the wicked.

7  ^aOne pretends to be rich,⁸ yet has nothing;

^banother pretends to be poor,⁹ yet has great wealth.

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

but a poor man ^chears no threat.

9  ^dThe light of the righteous rejoices,

but ^ethe lamp of the wicked will be put out.

10  ^fBy insolence comes nothing but strife,

but with those who take advice is wisdom.

11  ^gWealth gained hastily¹⁰ will dwindle,

but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

12  Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

^hbut a desire fulfilled is ⁱa tree of life.

13  Whoever ^jdespises ^kthe word¹¹ brings destruction on himself,

but he who reveres the commandment¹² will be ^lrewarded.

14  The teaching of the wise is ^ma fountain of life,

that one may ⁿturn away from the snares of death.

15  ^oGood sense wins ^pfavor,

but the way of the treacherous is their ruin.¹³

16  ^qEvery prudent man acts with knowledge,

^rbut a fool flaunts his folly.

17  A wicked messenger falls into trouble,

but ^sa faithful envoy brings healing.

18  Poverty and disgrace come to him who ^tignores instruction,

^ubut whoever ^vheeds reproof is honored.

19  ^wA desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,

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

20  Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,

but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

21  ^xDisaster¹⁴ pursues sinners,

^ybut the righteous are rewarded with good.

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

but ^athe 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 ^binjustice.

24  ^cWhoever spares the rod hates his son,

but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.¹⁵

25  ^dThe righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,

but the belly of the wicked suffers want.

1  ^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,¹⁶

^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.¹⁷

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.¹⁸

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 cautious¹⁹ 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 meet^{20 j}steadfast 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 tranquil²¹ heart gives ^tlife to the flesh,

but ^uenvy²² 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.²³

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.