1  My son, if you have put up ^esecurity for your neighbor,

have ^egiven your pledge for a stranger,

2  if you are ^fsnared in the words of your mouth,

caught in the words of your mouth,

3  then do this, my son, and save yourself,

for you have come into the hand of your neighbor:

go, hasten,¹ and ^gplead urgently with your neighbor.

4  ^hGive your eyes no sleep

and your eyelids no slumber;

5  save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,²

ⁱlike a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6  ^jGo to ^kthe ant, O ^lsluggard;

consider her ways, and ^mbe wise.

7  ⁿWithout having any chief,

^oofficer, or ruler,

8  she prepares her bread ^pin summer

and ^qgathers her food in harvest.

9  ^rHow long will you lie there, ^lO sluggard?

When will you arise from your sleep?

10  ^sA little sleep, a little slumber,

^ta little ^sfolding of the hands to rest,

11  ^uand poverty will come upon you like a robber,

and want like an armed man.

12  ^vA worthless person, a wicked man,

goes about with ^wcrooked speech,

13  ^xwinks with his eyes, signals³ with his feet,

points with his finger,

14  with ^yperverted heart ^zdevises evil,

continually ^asowing discord;

15  therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;

^bin a moment he will be broken ^cbeyond healing.

16  There are ^dsix things that the Lord hates,

^dseven that are an abomination to him:

17  ^ehaughty eyes, ^fa lying tongue,

and ^ghands that shed innocent blood,

18  ^ha heart that devises wicked plans,

ⁱfeet that make haste to run to evil,

19  ^ja false witness who ^kbreathes out lies,

and one who ^asows discord among brothers.

20  ^lMy son, keep your father’s commandment,

^land forsake not your mother’s teaching.

21  ^mBind them on your heart always;

ⁿtie them around your neck.

22  ^oWhen you walk, they⁴ will lead you;

^owhen you lie down, they will ^pwatch over you;

and when you awake, they will talk with you.

23  For the commandment is ^qa lamp and the teaching a light,

and the ^rreproofs of discipline are the way of life,

24  to preserve you from the evil woman,⁵

from the smooth tongue of ^sthe adulteress.⁶

25  ^tDo not desire her beauty in your heart,

and do not let her capture you with her ^ueyelashes;

26  for ^vthe price of a prostitute is only ^wa loaf of bread,⁷

but a married woman^{8 x}hunts down a precious life.

27  Can a man carry ^yfire next to his ^zchest

and his clothes not be burned?

28  Or can one ^awalk on hot coals

and his feet not be scorched?

29  So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;

none who touches her ^bwill go unpunished.

30  People do not despise a thief if he steals

to ^csatisfy his appetite when he is hungry,

31  but ^dif he is caught, he will pay ^esevenfold;

he will give all the goods of his house.

32  He who commits adultery lacks sense;

he who does it destroys himself.

33  He will get wounds and dishonor,

and his disgrace will not be wiped away.

34  For ^fjealousy makes a man furious,

and he will not spare when ^ghe takes revenge.

35  He will accept no compensation;

he will refuse though you multiply gifts.

^dA wise son makes a glad father,

^ebut a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.

2  ^fTreasures gained by wickedness do not profit,

^gbut righteousness delivers from death.

3  ^hThe Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,

ⁱbut he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

4  A slack hand ^jcauses poverty,

^kbut the hand of the diligent makes rich.

5  He who ^lgathers in summer is a prudent son,

but he who sleeps in harvest is ^ma son who brings shame.

6  Blessings are on the head of the righteous,

but ⁿthe mouth of the wicked conceals violence.¹

7  ^oThe memory of the righteous is a blessing,

but ^pthe name of the wicked will rot.

8  ^qThe wise of heart will receive commandments,

but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

9  ^rWhoever walks in integrity walks securely,

but he who makes his ways crooked ^swill be found out.

10  Whoever ^twinks the eye causes trouble,

and a babbling fool will come to ruin.

11  ^uThe mouth of the righteous is ^va fountain of life,

but the mouth of the wicked ⁿconceals violence.

12  Hatred stirs up strife,

but ^wlove covers all offenses.

13  On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,

but ^xa rod is for the back of him who ^ylacks sense.

14  The wise ^zlay up knowledge,

but ^athe mouth of a fool brings ruin near.

15  ^bA rich man’s wealth is his strong city;

the poverty of the poor is their ruin.

16  The wage of the righteous leads ^cto life,

the gain of the wicked to sin.

17  Whoever heeds instruction is on ^dthe path to life,

but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.

18  The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,

and whoever utters slander is a fool.

19  ^eWhen words are many, transgression is not lacking,

^fbut whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

20  The tongue of the righteous is ^gchoice silver;

the heart of the wicked is of little worth.

21  The lips of the righteous feed many,

but fools die for ^hlack of sense.

22  ⁱThe blessing of the Lord makes rich,

and he adds no sorrow with it.²

23  Doing wrong is ^jlike a joke to a fool,

but ^kwisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.

24  ^lWhat the wicked dreads ^mwill come upon him,

but ⁿthe desire of the righteous will be granted.

25  When ^othe tempest passes, the wicked is no more,

but ^pthe righteous is established forever.

26  Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,

so is the sluggard to those who send him.

27  ^qThe fear of the Lord prolongs life,

^rbut the years of the wicked will be short.

28  ^sThe hope of the righteous brings joy,

^tbut the expectation of the wicked will perish.

29  ^uThe way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless,

but destruction to evildoers.

30  ^vThe righteous will never be removed,

but ^wthe wicked will not dwell in the land.

31  ^xThe mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,

but the perverse tongue will be cut off.

32  The lips of the righteous ^yknow what is acceptable,

but the mouth of the wicked, ^zwhat is perverse.

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,¹

^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 speaks² 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,³

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.⁴

28  ^pIn the path of righteousness is life,

and in its pathway there is no death.

1  Like snow in summer or ^urain in harvest,

so ^vhonor is ^wnot fitting for a fool.

2  Like ^xa sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,

^ya curse that is causeless does not alight.

3  ^zA whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,

and ^aa rod for the back of fools.

4  ^bAnswer not a fool according to his folly,

lest you be like him yourself.

5  ^cAnswer a fool according to his folly,

lest he be ^dwise in his own eyes.

6  Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool

cuts off his own feet and ^edrinks violence.

7  Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless,

is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

8  Like one who binds the stone in the sling

is ^fone who gives honor to a fool.

9  Like ^ga thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard

is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

10  Like an archer who wounds everyone

is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.¹

11  Like ^ha dog that returns to his vomit

is ⁱa fool who repeats his folly.

12  Do you see a man who is ^jwise in his own eyes?

^kThere is more hope for a fool than for him.

13  ^lThe sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!

There is a lion in the streets!”

14  As a door turns on its hinges,

so does a sluggard on his bed.

15  ^mThe sluggard buries his hand in the dish;

it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.

16  The sluggard is ^jwiser in his own eyes

ⁿthan seven men who can answer sensibly.

17  Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own

is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.

18  Like a madman who throws ^ofirebrands, arrows, and death

19  is the man who deceives his neighbor

and says, “I am only joking!”

20  For lack of wood the fire goes out,

and where there is no ^pwhisperer, ^qquarreling ceases.

21  As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,

so is ^ra quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

22  ^sThe words of ^pa whisperer are like delicious morsels;

they go down into the inner parts of the body.

23  ^tLike the ^uglaze² covering an earthen vessel

are fervent lips with an evil heart.

24  Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips

and harbors deceit in his heart;

25  ^vwhen he speaks graciously, believe him not,

for there are ^wseven abominations in his heart;

26  though his hatred be covered with deception,

his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

27  ^xWhoever digs a pit will fall into it,

and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.

28  A lying tongue hates its victims,

and a flattering mouth works ruin.