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16The plans of the mind belong to mortals,
but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
²All one’s ways may be pure in one’s own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the spirit.
³Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established.
⁴The Lord has made everything for its purpose,
even the wicked for the day of trouble.
⁵All those who are arrogant are an abomination to the Lord;
be assured, they will not go unpunished.
⁶By loyalty and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
and by the fear of the Lord one avoids evil.
⁷When the ways of people please the Lord,
he causes even their enemies to be at peace with them.
⁸Better is a little with righteousness
than large income with injustice.
⁹The human mind plans the way,
but the Lord directs the steps.
¹⁰Inspired decisions are on the lips of a king;
his mouth does not sin in judgment.
¹¹Honest balances and scales are the Lord’s;
all the weights in the bag are his work.
¹²It is an abomination to kings to do evil,
for the throne is established by righteousness.
¹³Righteous lips are the delight of a king,
and he loves those who speak what is right.
¹⁴A king’s wrath is a messenger of death,
and whoever is wise will appease it.
¹⁵In the light of a king’s face there is life,
and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain.
¹⁶How much better to get wisdom than gold!
To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
¹⁷The highway of the upright avoids evil;
those who guard their way preserve their lives.
¹⁸Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
¹⁹It is better to be of a lowly spirit among the poor
than to divide the spoil with the proud.
²⁰Those who are attentive to a matter will prosper,
and happy are those who trust in the Lord.
²¹The wise of heart is called perceptive,
and pleasant speech increases persuasiveness.
²²Wisdom is a fountain of life to one who has it,
but folly is the punishment of fools.
²³The mind of the wise makes their speech judicious,
and adds persuasiveness to their lips.
²⁴Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
²⁵Sometimes there is a way that seems to be right,
but in the end it is the way to death.
²⁶The appetite of workers works for them;
their hunger urges them on.
²⁷Scoundrels concoct evil,
and their speech is like a scorching fire.
²⁸A perverse person spreads strife,
and a whisperer separates close friends.
²⁹The violent entice their neighbors,
and lead them in a way that is not good.
³⁰One who winks the eyes plans perverse things;
one who compresses the lips brings evil to pass.
³¹Gray hair is a crown of glory;
it is gained in a righteous life.
³²One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city.
³³The lot is cast into the lap,
but the decision is the Lord’s alone.
17Better is a dry morsel with quiet
than a house full of feasting with strife.
²A slave who deals wisely will rule over a child who acts shamefully,
and will share the inheritance as one of the family.
³The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
but the Lord tests the heart.
⁴An evildoer listens to wicked lips;
and a liar gives heed to a mischievous tongue.
⁵Those who mock the poor insult their Maker;
those who are glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
⁶Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
and the glory of children is their parents.
⁷Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;
still less is false speech to a ruler.
⁸A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of those who give it;
wherever they turn they prosper.
⁹One who forgives an affront fosters friendship,
but one who dwells on disputes will alienate a friend.
¹⁰A rebuke strikes deeper into a discerning person
than a hundred blows into a fool.
¹¹Evil people seek only rebellion,
but a cruel messenger will be sent against them.
¹²Better to meet a she-bear robbed of its cubs
than to confront a fool immersed in folly.
¹³Evil will not depart from the house
of one who returns evil for good.
¹⁴The beginning of strife is like letting out water;
so stop before the quarrel breaks out.
¹⁵One who justifies the wicked and one who condemns the righteous
are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
¹⁶Why should fools have a price in hand
to buy wisdom, when they have no mind to learn?
¹⁷A friend loves at all times,
and kinsfolk are born to share adversity.
¹⁸It is senseless to give a pledge,
to become surety for a neighbor.
¹⁹One who loves transgression loves strife;
one who builds a high threshold invites broken bones.
²⁰The crooked of mind do not prosper,
and the perverse of tongue fall into calamity.
²¹The one who begets a fool gets trouble;
the parent of a fool has no joy.
²²A cheerful heart is a good medicine,
but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.
²³The wicked accept a concealed bribe
to pervert the ways of justice.
²⁴The discerning person looks to wisdom,
but the eyes of a fool to the ends of the earth.
²⁵Foolish children are a grief to their father
and bitterness to her who bore them.
²⁶To impose a fine on the innocent is not right,
or to flog the noble for their integrity.
²⁷One who spares words is knowledgeable;
one who is cool in spirit has understanding.
²⁸Even fools who keep silent are considered wise;
when they close their lips, they are deemed intelligent.
18The one who lives alone is self-indulgent,
showing contempt for all who have sound judgment.
²A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing personal opinion.
³When wickedness comes, contempt comes also;
and with dishonor comes disgrace.
⁴The words of the mouth are deep waters;
the fountain of wisdom is a gushing stream.
⁵It is not right to be partial to the guilty,
or to subvert the innocent in judgment.
⁶A fool’s lips bring strife,
and a fool’s mouth invites a flogging.
⁷The mouths of fools are their ruin,
and their lips a snare to themselves.
⁸The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.
⁹One who is slack in work
is close kin to a vandal.
¹⁰The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous run into it and are safe.
¹¹The wealth of the rich is their strong city;
in their imagination it is like a high wall.
¹²Before destruction one’s heart is haughty,
but humility goes before honor.
¹³If one gives answer before hearing,
it is folly and shame.
¹⁴The human spirit will endure sickness;
but a broken spirit—who can bear?
¹⁵An intelligent mind acquires knowledge,
and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
¹⁶A gift opens doors;
it gives access to the great.
¹⁷The one who first states a case seems right,
until the other comes and cross-examines.
¹⁸Casting the lot puts an end to disputes
and decides between powerful contenders.
¹⁹An ally offended is stronger than a city;
such quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
²⁰From the fruit of the mouth one’s stomach is satisfied;
the yield of the lips brings satisfaction.
²¹Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.
²²He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
and obtains favor from the Lord.
²³The poor use entreaties,
but the rich answer roughly.
²⁴Some friends play at friendship
but a true friend sticks closer than one’s nearest kin.