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21The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
he turns it wherever he will.
²All deeds are right in the sight of the doer,
but the Lord weighs the heart.
³To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
⁴Haughty eyes and a proud heart—
the lamp of the wicked—are sin.
⁵The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
but everyone who is hasty comes only to want.
⁶The getting of treasures by a lying tongue
is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.
⁷The violence of the wicked will sweep them away,
because they refuse to do what is just.
⁸The way of the guilty is crooked,
but the conduct of the pure is right.
⁹It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a contentious wife.
¹⁰The souls of the wicked desire evil;
their neighbors find no mercy in their eyes.
¹¹When a scoffer is punished, the simple become wiser;
when the wise are instructed, they increase in knowledge.
¹²The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked;
he casts the wicked down to ruin.
¹³If you close your ear to the cry of the poor,
you will cry out and not be heard.
¹⁴A gift in secret averts anger;
and a concealed bribe in the bosom, strong wrath.
¹⁵When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous,
but dismay to evildoers.
¹⁶Whoever wanders from the way of understanding
will rest in the assembly of the dead.
¹⁷Whoever loves pleasure will suffer want;
whoever loves wine and oil will not be rich.
¹⁸The wicked is a ransom for the righteous,
and the faithless for the upright.
¹⁹It is better to live in a desert land
than with a contentious and fretful wife.
²⁰Precious treasure remains in the house of the wise,
but the fool devours it.
²¹Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
will find life and honor.
²²One wise person went up against a city of warriors
and brought down the stronghold in which they trusted.
²³To watch over mouth and tongue
is to keep out of trouble.
²⁴The proud, haughty person, named “Scoffer,”
acts with arrogant pride.
²⁵The craving of the lazy person is fatal,
for lazy hands refuse to labor.
²⁶All day long the wicked covet,
but the righteous give and do not hold back.
²⁷The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
how much more when brought with evil intent.
²⁸A false witness will perish,
but a good listener will testify successfully.
²⁹The wicked put on a bold face,
but the upright give thought to their ways.
³⁰No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel,
can avail against the Lord.
³¹The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but the victory belongs to the Lord.
22A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
and favor is better than silver or gold.
²The rich and the poor have this in common:
the Lord is the maker of them all.
³The clever see danger and hide;
but the simple go on, and suffer for it.
⁴The reward for humility and fear of the Lord
is riches and honor and life.
⁵Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
the cautious will keep far from them.
⁶Train children in the right way,
and when old, they will not stray.
⁷The rich rule over the poor,
and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
⁸Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,
and the rod of anger will fail.
⁹Those who are generous are blessed,
for they share their bread with the poor.
¹⁰Drive out a scoffer, and strife goes out;
quarreling and abuse will cease.
¹¹Those who love a pure heart and are gracious in speech
will have the king as a friend.
¹²The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,
but he overthrows the words of the faithless.
¹³The lazy person says, “There is a lion outside!
I shall be killed in the streets!”
¹⁴The mouth of a loose woman is a deep pit;
he with whom the Lord is angry falls into it.
¹⁵Folly is bound up in the heart of a boy,
but the rod of discipline drives it far away.
¹⁶Oppressing the poor in order to enrich oneself,
and giving to the rich, will lead only to loss. ¹⁷The words of the wise:

Incline your ear and hear my words,
and apply your mind to my teaching;
¹⁸for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,
if all of them are ready on your lips.
¹⁹So that your trust may be in the Lord,
I have made them known to you today—yes, to you.
²⁰Have I not written for you thirty sayings
of admonition and knowledge,
²¹to show you what is right and true,
so that you may give a true answer to those who sent you? ²²Do not rob the poor because they are poor,
or crush the afflicted at the gate;
²³for the Lord pleads their cause
and despoils of life those who despoil them.
²⁴Make no friends with those given to anger,
and do not associate with hotheads,
²⁵or you may learn their ways
and entangle yourself in a snare.
²⁶Do not be one of those who give pledges,
who become surety for debts.
²⁷If you have nothing with which to pay,
why should your bed be taken from under you?
²⁸Do not remove the ancient landmark
that your ancestors set up.
²⁹Do you see those who are skillful in their work?
They will serve kings;
they will not serve common people.