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1The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

²For learning about wisdom and instruction,
for understanding words of insight,
³for gaining instruction in wise dealing,
righteousness, justice, and equity;
⁴to teach shrewdness to the simple,
knowledge and prudence to the young—
⁵let the wise also hear and gain in learning,
and the discerning acquire skill,
⁶to understand a proverb and a figure,
the words of the wise and their riddles. ⁷The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction. ⁸Hear, my child, your father’s instruction,
and do not reject your mother’s teaching;
⁹for they are a fair garland for your head,
and pendants for your neck.
¹⁰My child, if sinners entice you,
do not consent.
¹¹If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;
let us wantonly ambush the innocent;
¹²like Sheol let us swallow them alive
and whole, like those who go down to the Pit.
¹³We shall find all kinds of costly things;
we shall fill our houses with booty.
¹⁴Throw in your lot among us;
we will all have one purse”—
¹⁵my child, do not walk in their way,
keep your foot from their paths;
¹⁶for their feet run to evil,
and they hurry to shed blood.
¹⁷For in vain is the net baited
while the bird is looking on;
¹⁸yet they lie in wait—to kill themselves!
and set an ambush—for their own lives!
¹⁹Such is the end of all who are greedy for gain;
it takes away the life of its possessors. ²⁰Wisdom cries out in the street;
in the squares she raises her voice.
²¹At the busiest corner she cries out;
at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
²²“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools hate knowledge?
²³Give heed to my reproof;
I will pour out my thoughts to you;
I will make my words known to you.
²⁴Because I have called and you refused,
have stretched out my hand and no one heeded,
²⁵and because you have ignored all my counsel
and would have none of my reproof,
²⁶I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when panic strikes you,
²⁷when panic strikes you like a storm,
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
²⁸Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently, but will not find me.
²⁹Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
³⁰would have none of my counsel,
and despised all my reproof,
³¹therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way
and be sated with their own devices.
³²For waywardness kills the simple,
and the complacency of fools destroys them;
³³but those who listen to me will be secure
and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.” 2My child, if you accept my words
and treasure up my commandments within you,
²making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
³if you indeed cry out for insight,
and raise your voice for understanding;
⁴if you seek it like silver,
and search for it as for hidden treasures—
⁵then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
⁶For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
⁷he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk blamelessly,
⁸guarding the paths of justice
and preserving the way of his faithful ones.
⁹Then you will understand righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path;
¹⁰for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
¹¹prudence will watch over you;
and understanding will guard you.
¹²It will save you from the way of evil,
from those who speak perversely,
¹³who forsake the paths of uprightness
to walk in the ways of darkness,
¹⁴who rejoice in doing evil
and delight in the perverseness of evil;
¹⁵those whose paths are crooked,
and who are devious in their ways. ¹⁶You will be saved from the loose woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words,
¹⁷who forsakes the partner of her youth
and forgets her sacred covenant;
¹⁸for her way leads down to death,
and her paths to the shades;
¹⁹those who go to her never come back,
nor do they regain the paths of life. ²⁰Therefore walk in the way of the good,
and keep to the paths of the just.
²¹For the upright will abide in the land,
and the innocent will remain in it;
²²but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.
3My child, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments;
²for length of days and years of life
and abundant welfare they will give you. ³Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴So you will find favor and good repute
in the sight of God and of people. ⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.
⁶In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
⁷Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
⁸It will be a healing for your flesh
and a refreshment for your body. ⁹Honor the Lord with your substance
and with the first fruits of all your produce;
¹⁰then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine. ¹¹My child, do not despise the Lord’s discipline
or be weary of his reproof,
¹²for the Lord reproves the one he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights. ¹³Happy are those who find wisdom,
and those who get understanding,
¹⁴for her income is better than silver,
and her revenue better than gold.
¹⁵She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
¹⁶Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
¹⁷Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace.
¹⁸She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called happy. ¹⁹The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding he established the heavens;
²⁰by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
and the clouds drop down the dew.

²¹My child, do not let these escape from your sight:
keep sound wisdom and prudence,
²²and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
²³Then you will walk on your way securely
and your foot will not stumble.
²⁴If you sit down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
²⁵Do not be afraid of sudden panic,
or of the storm that strikes the wicked;
²⁶for the Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught. ²⁷Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to do it.
²⁸Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
²⁹Do not plan harm against your neighbor
who lives trustingly beside you.
³⁰Do not quarrel with anyone without cause,
when no harm has been done to you.
³¹Do not envy the violent
and do not choose any of their ways;
³²for the perverse are an abomination to the Lord,
but the upright are in his confidence.
³³The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the abode of the righteous.
³⁴Toward the scorners he is scornful,
but to the humble he shows favor.
³⁵The wise will inherit honor,
but stubborn fools, disgrace. 4Listen, children, to a father’s instruction,
and be attentive, that you may gain insight;
²for I give you good precepts:
do not forsake my teaching.
³When I was a son with my father,
tender, and my mother’s favorite,
⁴he taught me, and said to me,
“Let your heart hold fast my words;
keep my commandments, and live.
⁵Get wisdom; get insight: do not forget, nor turn away
from the words of my mouth.
⁶Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
love her, and she will guard you.
⁷The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever else you get, get insight.
⁸Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
she will honor you if you embrace her.
⁹She will place on your head a fair garland;
she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.” ¹⁰Hear, my child, and accept my words,
that the years of your life may be many.
¹¹I have taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
¹²When you walk, your step will not be hampered;
and if you run, you will not stumble.
¹³Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
guard her, for she is your life.
¹⁴Do not enter the path of the wicked,
and do not walk in the way of evildoers.
¹⁵Avoid it; do not go on it;
turn away from it and pass on.
¹⁶For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
¹⁸But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
¹⁹The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what they stumble over.
²⁰My child, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
²¹Do not let them escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
²²For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their flesh.
²³Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
²⁴Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.
²⁵Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
²⁶Keep straight the path of your feet,
and all your ways will be sure.
²⁷Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil. 5My child, be attentive to my wisdom;
incline your ear to my understanding,
²so that you may hold on to prudence,
and your lips may guard knowledge.
³For the lips of a loose woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;
⁴but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a two-edged sword.
⁵Her feet go down to death;
her steps follow the path to Sheol.
⁶She does not keep straight to the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it. ⁷And now, my child, listen to me,
and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
⁸Keep your way far from her,
and do not go near the door of her house;
⁹or you will give your honor to others,
and your years to the merciless,
¹⁰and strangers will take their fill of your wealth,
and your labors will go to the house of an alien;
¹¹and at the end of your life you will groan,
when your flesh and body are consumed,
¹²and you say, “Oh, how I hated discipline,
and my heart despised reproof !
¹³I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
or incline my ear to my instructors.
¹⁴Now I am at the point of utter ruin
in the public assembly.” ¹⁵Drink water from your own cistern,
flowing water from your own well.
¹⁶Should your springs be scattered abroad,
streams of water in the streets?
¹⁷Let them be for yourself alone,
and not for sharing with strangers.
¹⁸Let your fountain be blessed,
and rejoice in the wife of your youth,
¹⁹a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
May her breasts satisfy you at all times;
may you be intoxicated always by her love.
²⁰Why should you be intoxicated, my son, by another woman
and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?
²¹For human ways are under the eyes of the Lord,
and he examines all their paths.
²²The iniquities of the wicked ensnare them,
and they are caught in the toils of their sin.
²³They die for lack of discipline,
and because of their great folly they are lost.
6My child, if you have given your pledge to your neighbor,
if you have bound yourself to another,
²you are snared by the utterance of your lips,
caught by the words of your mouth.
³So do this, my child, and save yourself,
for you have come into your neighbor’s power:
go, hurry, and plead with your neighbor.
⁴Give your eyes no sleep
and your eyelids no slumber;
⁵save yourself like a gazelle from the hunter,
like a bird from the hand of the fowler. ⁶Go to the ant, you lazybones;
consider its ways, and be wise.
⁷Without having any chief
or officer or ruler,
⁸it prepares its food in summer,
and gathers its sustenance in harvest.
⁹How long will you lie there, O lazybones?
When will you rise from your sleep?
¹⁰A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
¹¹and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want, like an armed warrior. ¹²A scoundrel and a villain
goes around with crooked speech,
¹³winking the eyes, shuffling the feet,
pointing the fingers,
¹⁴with perverted mind devising evil,
continually sowing discord;
¹⁵on such a one calamity will descend suddenly;
in a moment, damage beyond repair. ¹⁶There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
¹⁷haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
¹⁸a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that hurry to run to evil,
¹⁹a lying witness who testifies falsely,
and one who sows discord in a family. ²⁰My child, keep your father’s commandment,
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
²¹Bind them upon your heart always;
tie them around your neck.
²²When you walk, they will lead you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you.
²³For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
²⁴to preserve you from the wife of another,
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
²⁵Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;
²⁶for a prostitute’s fee is only a loaf of bread,
but the wife of another stalks a man’s very life.
²⁷Can fire be carried in the bosom
without burning one’s clothes?
²⁸Or can one walk on hot coals
without scorching the feet?
²⁹So is he who sleeps with his neighbor’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished.
³⁰Thieves are not despised who steal only
to satisfy their appetite when they are hungry.
³¹Yet if they are caught, they will pay sevenfold;
they will forfeit all the goods of their house.
³²But he who commits adultery has no sense;
he who does it destroys himself.
³³He will get wounds and dishonor,
and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
³⁴For jealousy arouses a husband’s fury,
and he shows no restraint when he takes revenge.
³⁵He will accept no compensation,
and refuses a bribe no matter how great. 7My child, keep my words
and store up my commandments with you;
²keep my commandments and live,
keep my teachings as the apple of your eye;
³bind them on your fingers,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
⁵that they may keep you from the loose woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words. ⁶For at the window of my house
I looked out through my lattice,
⁷and I saw among the simple ones,
I observed among the youths,
a young man without sense,
⁸passing along the street near her corner,
taking the road to her house
⁹in the twilight, in the evening,
at the time of night and darkness. ¹⁰Then a woman comes toward him,
decked out like a prostitute, wily of heart.
¹¹She is loud and wayward;
her feet do not stay at home;
¹²now in the street, now in the squares,
and at every corner she lies in wait.
¹³She seizes him and kisses him,
and with impudent face she says to him:
¹⁴“I had to offer sacrifices,
and today I have paid my vows;
¹⁵so now I have come out to meet you,
to seek you eagerly, and I have found you!
¹⁶I have decked my couch with coverings,
colored spreads of Egyptian linen;
¹⁷I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,
aloes, and cinnamon.
¹⁸Come, let us take our fill of love until morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
¹⁹For my husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey.
²⁰He took a bag of money with him;
he will not come home until full moon.” ²¹With much seductive speech she persuades him;
with her smooth talk she compels him.
²²Right away he follows her,
and goes like an ox to the slaughter,
or bounds like a stag toward the trap
²³until an arrow pierces its entrails.
He is like a bird rushing into a snare,
not knowing that it will cost him his life. ²⁴And now, my children, listen to me,
and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
²⁵Do not let your hearts turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths.
²⁶for many are those she has laid low,
and numerous are her victims.
²⁷Her house is the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death. 8Does not wisdom call,
and does not understanding raise her voice?
²On the heights, beside the way,
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
³beside the gates in front of the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries out:
⁴“To you, O people, I call,
and my cry is to all that live.
⁵O simple ones, learn prudence;
acquire intelligence, you who lack it.
⁶Hear, for I will speak noble things,
and from my lips will come what is right;
⁷for my mouth will utter truth;
wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
⁸All the words of my mouth are righteous;
there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
⁹They are all straight to one who understands
and right to those who find knowledge.
¹⁰Take my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold;
¹¹for wisdom is better than jewels,
and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.
¹²I, wisdom, live with prudence,
and I attain knowledge and discretion.
¹³The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
and perverted speech I hate.
¹⁴I have good advice and sound wisdom;
I have insight, I have strength.
¹⁵By me kings reign,
and rulers decree what is just;
¹⁶by me rulers rule,
and nobles, all who govern rightly.
¹⁷I love those who love me,
and those who seek me diligently find me.
¹⁸Riches and honor are with me,
enduring wealth and prosperity.
¹⁹My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,
and my yield than choice silver.
²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness,
along the paths of justice,
²¹endowing with wealth those who love me,
and filling their treasuries.

²²The Lord created me at the beginning of his work,
the first of his acts of long ago.
²³Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
²⁴When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
²⁵Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth—
²⁶when he had not yet made earth and fields,
or the world’s first bits of soil.
²⁷When he established the heavens, I was there,
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
²⁸when he made firm the skies above,
when he established the fountains of the deep,
²⁹when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth, ³⁰then I was beside him, like a master worker;
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always,
³¹rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the human race. ³²“And now, my children, listen to me:
happy are those who keep my ways.
³³Hear instruction and be wise,
and do not neglect it.
³⁴Happy is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors.
³⁵For whoever finds me finds life
and obtains favor from the Lord;
³⁶but those who miss me injure themselves;
all who hate me love death.” 9Wisdom has built her house,
she has hewn her seven pillars.
²She has slaughtered her animals, she has mixed her wine,
she has also set her table.
³She has sent out her servant-girls, she calls
from the highest places in the town,
⁴“You that are simple, turn in here!”
To those without sense she says,
⁵“Come, eat of my bread
and drink of the wine I have mixed.
⁶Lay aside immaturity, and live,
and walk in the way of insight.” ⁷Whoever corrects a scoffer wins abuse;
whoever rebukes the wicked gets hurt.
⁸A scoffer who is rebuked will only hate you;
the wise, when rebuked, will love you.
⁹Give instruction to the wise, and they will become wiser still;
teach the righteous and they will gain in learning.
¹⁰The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
¹¹For by me your days will be multiplied,
and years will be added to your life.
¹²If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
if you scoff, you alone will bear it. ¹³The foolish woman is loud;
she is ignorant and knows nothing.
¹⁴She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat at the high places of the town,
¹⁵calling to those who pass by,
who are going straight on their way,
¹⁶“You who are simple, turn in here!”
And to those without sense she says,
¹⁷“Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
¹⁸But they do not know that the dead are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol. 10The proverbs of Solomon.

A wise child makes a glad father,
but a foolish child is a mother’s grief.
²Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
but righteousness delivers from death.
³The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
⁴A slack hand causes poverty,
but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
⁵A child who gathers in summer is prudent,
but a child who sleeps in harvest brings shame.
⁶Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
⁷The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.
⁸The wise of heart will heed commandments,
but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
⁹Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but whoever follows perverse ways will be found out.
¹⁰Whoever winks the eye causes trouble,
but the one who rebukes boldly makes peace.
¹¹The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
¹²Hatred stirs up strife,
but love covers all offenses.
¹³On the lips of one who has understanding wisdom is found,
but a rod is for the back of one who lacks sense.
¹⁴The wise lay up knowledge,
but the babbling of a fool brings ruin near.
¹⁵The wealth of the rich is their fortress;
the poverty of the poor is their ruin.
¹⁶The wage of the righteous leads to life,
the gain of the wicked to sin.
¹⁷Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,
but one who rejects a rebuke goes astray.
¹⁸Lying lips conceal hatred,
and whoever utters slander is a fool.
¹⁹When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
but the prudent are restrained in speech.
²⁰The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
the mind of the wicked is of little worth.
²¹The lips of the righteous feed many,
but fools die for lack of sense.
²²The blessing of the Lord makes rich,
and he adds no sorrow with it.
²³Doing wrong is like sport to a fool,
but wise conduct is pleasure to a person of understanding.
²⁴What the wicked dread will come upon them,
but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
²⁵When the tempest passes, the wicked are no more,
but the righteous are established forever.
²⁶Like vinegar to the teeth, and smoke to the eyes,
so are the lazy to their employers.
²⁷The fear of the Lord prolongs life,
but the years of the wicked will be short.
²⁸The hope of the righteous ends in gladness,
but the expectation of the wicked comes to nothing.
²⁹The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the upright,
but destruction for evildoers.
³⁰The righteous will never be removed,
but the wicked will not remain in the land.
³¹The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
³²The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,
but the mouth of the wicked what is perverse.
11A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
but an accurate weight is his delight.
²When pride comes, then comes disgrace;
but wisdom is with the humble.
³The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
⁴Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.
⁵The righteousness of the blameless keeps their ways straight,
but the wicked fall by their own wickedness.
⁶The righteousness of the upright saves them,
but the treacherous are taken captive by their schemes.
⁷When the wicked die, their hope perishes,
and the expectation of the godless comes to nothing.
⁸The righteous are delivered from trouble,
and the wicked get into it instead.
⁹With their mouths the godless would destroy their neighbors,
but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
¹⁰When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices;
and when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.
¹¹By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
¹²Whoever belittles another lacks sense,
but an intelligent person remains silent.
¹³A gossip goes about telling secrets,
but one who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a confidence.
¹⁴Where there is no guidance, a nation falls,
but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.
¹⁵To guarantee loans for a stranger brings trouble,
but there is safety in refusing to do so.
¹⁶A gracious woman gets honor,
but she who hates virtue is covered with shame.
The timid become destitute,
but the aggressive gain riches.
¹⁷Those who are kind reward themselves,
but the cruel do themselves harm.
¹⁸The wicked earn no real gain,
but those who sow righteousness get a true reward.
¹⁹Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live,
but whoever pursues evil will die.
²⁰Crooked minds are an abomination to the Lord,
but those of blameless ways are his delight.
²¹Be assured, the wicked will not go unpunished,
but those who are righteous will escape.
²²Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman without good sense.
²³The desire of the righteous ends only in good;
the expectation of the wicked in wrath.
²⁴Some give freely, yet grow all the richer;
others withhold what is due, and only suffer want.
²⁵A generous person will be enriched,
and one who gives water will get water.
²⁶The people curse those who hold back grain,
but a blessing is on the head of those who sell it.
²⁷Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,
but evil comes to the one who searches for it.
²⁸Those who trust in their riches will wither,
but the righteous will flourish like green leaves.
²⁹Those who trouble their households will inherit wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise.
³⁰The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
but violence takes lives away.
³¹If the righteous are repaid on earth,
how much more the wicked and the sinner!
12Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but those who hate to be rebuked are stupid.
²The good obtain favor from the Lord,
but those who devise evil he condemns.
³No one finds security by wickedness,
but the root of the righteous will never be moved.
⁴A good wife is the crown of her husband,
but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.
⁵The thoughts of the righteous are just;
the advice of the wicked is treacherous.
⁶The words of the wicked are a deadly ambush,
but the speech of the upright delivers them.
⁷The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
but the house of the righteous will stand.
⁸One is commended for good sense,
but a perverse mind is despised.
⁹Better to be despised and have a servant,
than to be self-important and lack food.
¹⁰The righteous know the needs of their animals,
but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
¹¹Those who till their land will have plenty of food,
but those who follow worthless pursuits have no sense.
¹²The wicked covet the proceeds of wickedness,
but the root of the righteous bears fruit.
¹³The evil are ensnared by the transgression of their lips,
but the righteous escape from trouble.
¹⁴From the fruit of the mouth one is filled with good things,
and manual labor has its reward.
¹⁵Fools think their own way is right,
but the wise listen to advice.
¹⁶Fools show their anger at once,
but the prudent ignore an insult.
¹⁷Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence,
but a false witness speaks deceitfully.
¹⁸Rash words are like sword thrusts,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
¹⁹Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.
²⁰Deceit is in the mind of those who plan evil,
but those who counsel peace have joy.
²¹No harm happens to the righteous,
but the wicked are filled with trouble.
²²Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
but those who act faithfully are his delight.
²³One who is clever conceals knowledge,
but the mind of a fool broadcasts folly.
²⁴The hand of the diligent will rule,
while the lazy will be put to forced labor.
²⁵Anxiety weighs down the human heart,
but a good word cheers it up.
²⁶The righteous gives good advice to friends,
but the way of the wicked leads astray.
²⁷The lazy do not roast their game,
but the diligent obtain precious wealth.
²⁸In the path of righteousness there is life,
in walking its path there is no death.
13A wise child loves discipline,
but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
²From the fruit of their words good persons eat good things,
but the desire of the treacherous is for wrongdoing.
³Those who guard their mouths preserve their lives;
those who open wide their lips come to ruin.
⁴The appetite of the lazy craves, and gets nothing,
while the appetite of the diligent is richly supplied.
⁵The righteous hate falsehood,
but the wicked act shamefully and disgracefully.
⁶Righteousness guards one whose way is upright,
but sin overthrows the wicked.
⁷Some pretend to be rich, yet have nothing;
others pretend to be poor, yet have great wealth.
⁸Wealth is a ransom for a person’s life,
but the poor get no threats.
⁹The light of the righteous rejoices,
but the lamp of the wicked goes out.
¹⁰By insolence the heedless make strife,
but wisdom is with those who take advice.
¹¹Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle,
but those who gather little by little will increase it.
¹²Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
¹³Those who despise the word bring destruction on themselves,
but those who respect the commandment will be rewarded.
¹⁴The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
so that one may avoid the snares of death.
¹⁵Good sense wins favor,
but the way of the faithless is their ruin.
¹⁶The clever do all things intelligently,
but the fool displays folly.
¹⁷A bad messenger brings trouble,
but a faithful envoy, healing.
¹⁸Poverty and disgrace are for the one who ignores instruction,
but one who heeds reproof is honored.
¹⁹A desire realized is sweet to the soul,
but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.
²⁰Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
but the companion of fools suffers harm.
²¹Misfortune pursues sinners,
but prosperity rewards the righteous.
²²The good leave an inheritance to their children’s children,
but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.
²³The field of the poor may yield much food,
but it is swept away through injustice.
²⁴Those who spare the rod hate their children,
but those who love them are diligent to discipline them.
²⁵The righteous have enough to satisfy their appetite,
but the belly of the wicked is empty.
14The wise woman builds her house,
but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.
²Those who walk uprightly fear the Lord,
but one who is devious in conduct despises him.
³The talk of fools is a rod for their backs,
but the lips of the wise preserve them.
⁴Where there are no oxen, there is no grain;
abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.
⁵A faithful witness does not lie,
but a false witness breathes out lies.
⁶A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain,
but knowledge is easy for one who understands.
⁷Leave the presence of a fool,
for there you do not find words of knowledge.
⁸It is the wisdom of the clever to understand where they go,
but the folly of fools misleads.
⁹Fools mock at the guilt offering,
but the upright enjoy God’s favor.
¹⁰The heart knows its own bitterness,
and no stranger shares its joy.
¹¹The house of the wicked is destroyed,
but the tent of the upright flourishes.
¹²There is a way that seems right to a person,
but its end is the way to death.
¹³Even in laughter the heart is sad,
and the end of joy is grief.
¹⁴The perverse get what their ways deserve,
and the good, what their deeds deserve.
¹⁵The simple believe everything,
but the clever consider their steps.
¹⁶The wise are cautious and turn away from evil,
but the fool throws off restraint and is careless.
¹⁷One who is quick-tempered acts foolishly,
and the schemer is hated.
¹⁸The simple are adorned with folly,
but the clever are crowned with knowledge.
¹⁹The evil bow down before the good,
the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
²⁰The poor are disliked even by their neighbors,
but the rich have many friends.
²¹Those who despise their neighbors are sinners,
but happy are those who are kind to the poor.
²²Do they not err that plan evil?
Those who plan good find loyalty and faithfulness.
²³In all toil there is profit,
but mere talk leads only to poverty.
²⁴The crown of the wise is their wisdom,
but folly is the garland of fools.
²⁵A truthful witness saves lives,
but one who utters lies is a betrayer.
²⁶In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence,
and one’s children will have a refuge.
²⁷The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
so that one may avoid the snares of death.
²⁸The glory of a king is a multitude of people;
without people a prince is ruined.
²⁹Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,
but one who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
³⁰A tranquil mind gives life to the flesh,
but passion makes the bones rot.
³¹Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker,
but those who are kind to the needy honor him.
³²The wicked are overthrown by their evildoing,
but the righteous find a refuge in their integrity.
³³Wisdom is at home in the mind of one who has understanding,
but it is not known in the heart of fools.
³⁴Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a reproach to any people.
³⁵A servant who deals wisely has the king’s favor,
but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.
15A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
²The tongue of the wise dispenses knowledge,
but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
³The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
keeping watch on the evil and the good.
⁴A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
⁵A fool despises a parent’s instruction,
but the one who heeds admonition is prudent.
⁶In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
but trouble befalls the income of the wicked.
⁷The lips of the wise spread knowledge;
not so the minds of fools.
⁸The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
⁹The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
but he loves the one who pursues righteousness.
¹⁰There is severe discipline for one who forsakes the way,
but one who hates a rebuke will die.
¹¹Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord,
how much more human hearts!
¹²Scoffers do not like to be rebuked;
they will not go to the wise.
¹³A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance,
but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.
¹⁴The mind of one who has understanding seeks knowledge,
but the mouths of fools feed on folly.
¹⁵All the days of the poor are hard,
but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.
¹⁶Better is a little with the fear of the Lord
than great treasure and trouble with it.
¹⁷Better is a dinner of vegetables where love is
than a fatted ox and hatred with it.
¹⁸Those who are hot-tempered stir up strife,
but those who are slow to anger calm contention.
¹⁹The way of the lazy is overgrown with thorns,
but the path of the upright is a level highway.
²⁰A wise child makes a glad father,
but the foolish despise their mothers.
²¹Folly is a joy to one who has no sense,
but a person of understanding walks straight ahead.
²²Without counsel, plans go wrong,
but with many advisers they succeed.
²³To make an apt answer is a joy to anyone,
and a word in season, how good it is!
²⁴For the wise the path of life leads upward,
in order to avoid Sheol below.
²⁵The Lord tears down the house of the proud,
but maintains the widow’s boundaries.
²⁶Evil plans are an abomination to the Lord,
but gracious words are pure.
²⁷Those who are greedy for unjust gain make trouble for their households,
but those who hate bribes will live.
²⁸The mind of the righteous ponders how to answer,
but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil.
²⁹The Lord is far from the wicked,
but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
³⁰The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
and good news refreshes the body.
³¹The ear that heeds wholesome admonition
will lodge among the wise.
³²Those who ignore instruction despise themselves,
but those who heed admonition gain understanding.
³³The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
and humility goes before honor. 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.