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 shame¹ and disgrace.

6  ^yRighteousness guards him whose ^zway is blameless,

but sin overthrows the wicked.

7  ^aOne pretends to be rich,² yet has nothing;

^banother pretends to be poor,³ 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 hastily⁴ 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 word⁵ brings destruction on himself,

but he who reveres the commandment⁶ 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.⁷

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  ^xDisaster⁸ 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.⁹

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,¹⁰

^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.¹¹

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.¹²

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 cautious¹³ 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^{14 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 tranquil¹⁵ heart gives ^tlife to the flesh,

but ^uenvy¹⁶ 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.¹⁷

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.

1  ^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 gentle¹⁸ 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;

ⁿnot so the hearts of fools.¹⁹

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 refreshes²⁰ 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.