1  Whoever ^yisolates himself seeks his own desire;

he breaks out against all sound judgment.

2  A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,

but only ^zin expressing his opinion.

3  When wickedness comes, contempt comes also,

and with dishonor comes disgrace.

4  The words of a man’s mouth are ^adeep waters;

the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

5  It is not good to ^bbe partial to¹ the wicked

or to ^cdeprive the righteous of justice.

6  A fool’s lips walk into a fight,

and his mouth invites ^da beating.

7  ^eA fool’s mouth is his ruin,

and his lips are a snare to his soul.

8  ^fThe words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;

they go down into ^gthe inner parts of the body.

9  Whoever is slack in his work

is a ^hbrother to him who destroys.

10  ⁱThe name of the Lord is ^ja strong tower;

the righteous man runs into it and ^kis safe.

11  ^lA rich man’s wealth is his strong city,

and like a high wall in his imagination.

12  ^mBefore destruction a man’s heart is haughty,

but ⁿhumility comes before honor.

13  If one gives an answer ^obefore he hears,

it is his folly and shame.

14  A man’s spirit will endure sickness,

but ^pa crushed spirit who can bear?

15  An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,

and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

16  A man’s ^qgift makes room for him

and brings him before the great.

17  The one who states his case first seems right,

until the other comes and examines him.

18  ^rThe lot puts an end to quarrels

and decides between powerful contenders.

19  A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city,

and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.

20  ^sFrom the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied;

he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.

21  ^tDeath and life are in the power of the tongue,

and those who love it will eat its fruits.

22  He who finds ^ua wife finds ^va good thing

and ^wobtains favor ^xfrom the Lord.

23  The poor use entreaties,

but ^ythe rich answer roughly.

24  A man of many companions may come to ruin,

but ^zthere is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

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

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

2  Desire² 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,³

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.⁴

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.

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

and whoever ^ais led astray by it is not wise.⁵

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  ^oUnequal⁶ 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.⁷

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.⁸

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.⁹

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 spirit¹⁰ 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.