1  Do not boast about tomorrow,

^yfor you do not know what a day may bring.

2  Let ^zanother praise you, and not your own mouth;

a stranger, and not your own lips.

3  A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,

but ^aa fool’s provocation is heavier than both.

4  Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,

but who can stand before ^bjealousy?

5  ^cBetter is open rebuke

than hidden love.

6  Faithful are ^dthe wounds of a friend;

profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

7  One who is full loathes ^ehoney,

but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.

8  Like ^fa bird that strays from its nest

is a man who strays from his home.

9  ^gOil and perfume make the heart glad,

and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.¹

10  Do not forsake your friend and ^hyour father’s friend,

and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity.

ⁱBetter is a neighbor who is near

than a brother who is far away.

11  ^jBe wise, ^kmy son, and ^lmake my heart glad,

that I may ^manswer him who reproaches me.

12  ⁿThe prudent sees danger and hides himself,

but ^othe simple go on and suffer for it.

13  ^pTake a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger,

and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an adulteress.²

14  Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice,

rising early in the morning,

will be counted as cursing.

15  ^qA continual dripping on a rainy day

and a quarrelsome wife are alike;

16  to restrain her is to restrain the wind

or to grasp³ oil in one’s right hand.

17  Iron sharpens iron,

and one man sharpens another.⁴

18  ^rWhoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,

and he who ^sguards his master will be honored.

19  As in water face reflects face,

so the heart of man reflects the man.

20  ^tSheol and Abaddon are ^unever satisfied,

and ^vnever satisfied are the eyes of man.

21  ^wThe crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,

and a man is tested by his praise.

22  ^xCrush a fool in a mortar with a pestle

along with crushed grain,

yet his folly will not depart from him.

23  ^yKnow well the condition of your flocks,

and ^ygive attention to your herds,

24  for ^zriches do not last forever;

and does a crown endure to all generations?

25  ^aWhen the grass is gone and the new growth appears

and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered,

26  ^bthe lambs will provide your clothing,

and the goats the price of a field.

27  ^bThere will be enough goats’ milk for your food,

for the food of your household

and maintenance for your girls.

1  ^cThe wicked flee when no one pursues,

but ^dthe righteous are bold as a lion.

2  When a land transgresses, ^eit has many rulers,

but with a man of understanding and knowledge,

its stability will long continue.

3  ^fA poor man who oppresses the poor

is a beating rain that leaves no food.

4  Those who forsake the law ^gpraise the wicked,

but those who keep the law ^hstrive against them.

5  Evil men ⁱdo not understand justice,

but those who seek the Lord ^junderstand it completely.

6  ^kBetter is a poor man who ^lwalks in his integrity

than a rich man who is ^lcrooked in his ways.

7  The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding,

but ^ma companion of gluttons shames his father.

8  Whoever multiplies his wealth ⁿby interest and profit¹

^ogathers it for him who is ^pgenerous to the poor.

9  If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,

even his ^qprayer is an abomination.

10  Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way

^rwill fall into his own pit,

but the blameless ^swill have a goodly inheritance.

11  A rich man is wise in his ^town eyes,

but a poor man who has understanding ^uwill find him out.

12  When ^vthe righteous triumph, there is great glory,

but when ^wthe wicked rise, people hide themselves.

13  Whoever ^xconceals his transgressions will not prosper,

but he who ^yconfesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

14  Blessed is the one who ^zfears the Lord² always,

but whoever ^ahardens his heart will fall into calamity.

15  Like ^ba roaring lion or ^ca charging bear

is ^da wicked ruler over a poor people.

16  A ruler who ^elacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,

but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.

17  If one is burdened with ^fthe blood of another,

he will be a fugitive until death;³

let no one help him.

18  ^gWhoever ^hwalks in integrity will be delivered,

but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.

19  ⁱWhoever works his land will have plenty of bread,

but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

20  A faithful man will abound with blessings,

but whoever hastens to be rich ^jwill not go unpunished.

21  To show ^kpartiality is not good,

but for ^la piece of bread a man will do wrong.

22  A ^mstingy man^{4 n}hastens after wealth

and does not know that ^opoverty will come upon him.

23  Whoever ^prebukes a man will afterward find more favor

than ^qhe who flatters with his tongue.

24  Whoever robs his father or his mother

and says, “That is no transgression,”

is ^ra companion to a man who destroys.

25  A greedy man ^sstirs up strife,

but the one who trusts in the Lord will ^tbe enriched.

26  Whoever ^utrusts in his own mind is a fool,

but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

27  Whoever ^vgives to the poor will not want,

but he who ^whides his eyes will get many a curse.

28  When ^xthe wicked rise, ^ypeople hide themselves,

but when they perish, the righteous increase.