Proverbs 1
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 enda 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.”
Proverbs 2
2
My 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 loosea woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words,
17who forsakes the partner of her youth
and forgets her sacred covenant;
18for her wayb 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.
Proverbs 33
My 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,a 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,b
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.
Proverbs 4
4
Listen, children, to a father’s instruction,
and be attentive, that you may gaina 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.
Proverbs 5
5
My 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 loosea 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,b 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.
Proverbs 66
My child, if you have given your pledge to your neighbor,
if you have bound yourself to another,a
2you are snared by the utterance of your lips,b
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,c and plead with your neighbor.
4Give your eyes no sleep
and your eyelids no slumber;
5save yourself like a gazelle from the hunter,d
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, theye will lead you;
when you lie down, theyf will watch over you;
and when you awake, theyg 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,h
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,i
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.
Proverbs 7
7
My 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 loosea 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.b
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 trapc
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.
Proverbs 8
8
Does 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,a
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 beginningb of his work,c
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,d
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,ef 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.”
Proverbs 9
9
Wisdom 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,a 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 instructionb 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 deadc are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
Proverbs 10
10
The 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.a
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.b
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.
Proverbs 1111
A 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 nationa 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.b
The timid become destitute,c
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,d
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 violencee takes lives away.
31If the righteous are repaid on earth,
how much more the wicked and the sinner!
Proverbs 1212
Whoever 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,a
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 foolb 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,c
but the way of the wicked leads astray.
27The lazy do not roastd their game,
but the diligent obtain precious wealth.e
28In the path of righteousness there is life,
in walking its path there is no death.
Proverbs 1313
A wise child loves discipline,a
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 gottenb 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.c
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.
Proverbs 1414
The wise womana 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,b
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,c
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.d
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.e
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 withf 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,g
but folly is the garlandh 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.i
33Wisdom is at home in the mind of one who has understanding,
but it is notj 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.
Proverbs 1515
A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
2The tongue of the wise dispenses knowledge,a
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.
Proverbs 16
16
The 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 plansa 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.
Proverbs 1717
Better 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.a
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.
Proverbs 1818
The one who lives alone is self-indulgent,
showing contempt for all who have sound judgment.a
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;b
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.
24Somec friends play at friendshipd
but a true friend sticks closer than one’s nearest kin.
Proverbs 1919
Better the poor walking in integrity
than one perverse of speech who is a fool.
2Desire without knowledge is not good,
and one who moves too hurriedly misses the way.
3One’s own folly leads to ruin,
yet the heart rages against the LORD.
4Wealth brings many friends,
but the poor are left friendless.
5A false witness will not go unpunished,
and a liar will not escape.
6Many seek the favor of the generous,
and everyone is a friend to a giver of gifts.
7If the poor are hated even by their kin,
how much more are they shunned by their friends!
When they call after them, they are not there.a 8To get wisdom is to love oneself;
to keep understanding is to prosper.
9A false witness will not go unpunished,
and the liar will perish.
10It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury,
much less for a slave to rule over princes.
11Those with good sense are slow to anger,
and it is their glory to overlook an offense.
12A king’s anger is like the growling of a lion,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.
13A stupid child is ruin to a father,
and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.
14House and wealth are inherited from parents,
but a prudent wife is from the LORD.
15Laziness brings on deep sleep;
an idle person will suffer hunger.
16Those who keep the commandment will live;
those who are heedless of their ways will die.
17Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,
and will be repaid in full.
18Discipline your children while there is hope;
do not set your heart on their destruction.
19A violent tempered person will pay the penalty;
if you effect a rescue, you will only have to do it again.b
20Listen to advice and accept instruction,
that you may gain wisdom for the future.
21The human mind may devise many plans,
but it is the purpose of the LORD that will be established.
22What is desirable in a person is loyalty,
and it is better to be poor than a liar.
23The fear of the LORD is life indeed;
filled with it one rests secure
and suffers no harm.
24The lazy person buries a hand in the dish,
and will not even bring it back to the mouth.
25Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence;
reprove the intelligent, and they will gain knowledge.
26Those who do violence to their father and chase away their mother
are children who cause shame and bring reproach.
27Cease straying, my child, from the words of knowledge,
in order that you may hear instruction.
28A worthless witness mocks at justice,
and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
29Condemnation is ready for scoffers,
and flogging for the backs of fools.
Proverbs 2020
Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,
and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
2The dread anger of a king is like the growling of a lion;
anyone who provokes him to anger forfeits life itself.
3It is honorable to refrain from strife,
but every fool is quick to quarrel.
4The lazy person does not plow in season;
harvest comes, and there is nothing to be found.
5The purposes in the human mind are like deep water,
but the intelligent will draw them out.
6Many proclaim themselves loyal,
but who can find one worthy of trust?
7The righteous walk in integrity--
happy are the children who follow them!
8A king who sits on the throne of judgment
winnows all evil with his eyes.
9Who can say, “I have made my heart clean;
I am pure from my sin”?
10Diverse weights and diverse measures
are both alike an abomination to the LORD.
11Even children make themselves known by their acts,
by whether what they do is pure and right.
12The hearing ear and the seeing eye--
the LORD has made them both.
13Do not love sleep, or else you will come to poverty;
open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.
14“Bad, bad,” says the buyer,
then goes away and boasts.
15There is gold, and abundance of costly stones;
but the lips informed by knowledge are a precious jewel.
16Take the garment of one who has given surety for a stranger;
seize the pledge given as surety for foreigners.
17Bread gained by deceit is sweet,
but afterward the mouth will be full of gravel.
18Plans are established by taking advice;
wage war by following wise guidance.
19A gossip reveals secrets;
therefore do not associate with a babbler.
20If you curse father or mother,
your lamp will go out in utter darkness.
21An estate quickly acquired in the beginning
will not be blessed in the end.
22Do not say, “I will repay evil”;
wait for the LORD, and he will help you.
23Differing weights are an abomination to the LORD,
and false scales are not good.
24All our steps are ordered by the LORD;
how then can we understand our own ways?
25It is a snare for one to say rashly, “It is holy,”
and begin to reflect only after making a vow.
26A wise king winnows the wicked,
and drives the wheel over them.
27The human spirit is the lamp of the LORD,
searching every inmost part.
28Loyalty and faithfulness preserve the king,
and his throne is upheld by righteousness.a
29The glory of youths is their strength,
but the beauty of the aged is their gray hair.
30Blows that wound cleanse away evil;
beatings make clean the innermost parts.
Proverbs 2121
The 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 snarea 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 remainsb in the house of the wise,
but the fool devours it.
21Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
will find lifec 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,d
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 toe 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.
Proverbs 2222
A 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 loosea 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,b
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.
Proverbs 23
23
When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
observe carefully whata is before you,
2and put a knife to your throat
if you have a big appetite.
3Do not desire the ruler’sb delicacies,
for they are deceptive food.
4Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
be wise enough to desist.
5When your eyes light upon it, it is gone;
for suddenly it takes wings to itself,
flying like an eagle toward heaven.
6Do not eat the bread of the stingy;
do not desire their delicacies;
7for like a hair in the throat, so are they.c
“Eat and drink!” they say to you;
but they do not mean it.
8You will vomit up the little you have eaten,
and you will waste your pleasant words.
9Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
who will only despise the wisdom of your words.
10Do not remove an ancient landmark
or encroach on the fields of orphans,
11for their redeemer is strong;
he will plead their cause against you.
12Apply your mind to instruction
and your ear to words of knowledge.
13Do not withhold discipline from your children;
if you beat them with a rod, they will not die.
14If you beat them with the rod,
you will save their lives from Sheol.
15My child, if your heart is wise,
my heart too will be glad.
16My soul will rejoice
when your lips speak what is right.
17Do not let your heart envy sinners,
but always continue in the fear of the LORD.
18Surely there is a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
19Hear, my child, and be wise,
and direct your mind in the way.
20Do not be among winebibbers,
or among gluttonous eaters of meat;
21for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
and drowsiness will clothe them with rags.
22Listen to your father who begot you,
and do not despise your mother when she is old.
23Buy truth, and do not sell it;
buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;
he who begets a wise son will be glad in him.
25Let your father and mother be glad;
let her who bore you rejoice.
26My child, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observed my ways.
27For a prostitute is a deep pit;
an adulteresse is a narrow well.
28She lies in wait like a robber
and increases the number of the faithless.
29Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes?
30Those who linger late over wine,
those who keep trying mixed wines.
31Do not look at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup
and goes down smoothly.
32At the last it bites like a serpent,
and stings like an adder.
33Your eyes will see strange things,
and your mind utter perverse things.
34You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,
like one who lies on the top of a mast.f
35“They struck me,” you will say,g “but I was not hurt;
they beat me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake?
I will seek another drink.”
Proverbs 2424
Do not envy the wicked,
nor desire to be with them;
2for their minds devise violence,
and their lips talk of mischief.
3By wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established;
4by knowledge the rooms are filled
with all precious and pleasant riches.
5Wise warriors are mightier than strong ones,a
and those who have knowledge than those who have strength;
6for by wise guidance you can wage your war,
and in abundance of counselors there is victory.
7Wisdom is too high for fools;
in the gate they do not open their mouths.
8Whoever plans to do evil
will be called a mischief-maker.
9The devising of folly is sin,
and the scoffer is an abomination to all.
10If you faint in the day of adversity,
your strength being small;
11if you hold back from rescuing those taken away to death,
those who go staggering to the slaughter;
12if you say, “Look, we did not know this”--
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it?
And will he not repay all according to their deeds?
13My child, eat honey, for it is good,
and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
14Know that wisdom is such to your soul;
if you find it, you will find a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
15Do not lie in wait like an outlaw against the home of the righteous;
do no violence to the place where the righteous live;
16for though they fall seven times, they will rise again;
but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.
17Do not rejoice when your enemies fall,
and do not let your heart be glad when they stumble,
18or else the LORD will see it and be displeased,
and turn away his anger from them.
19Do not fret because of evildoers.
Do not envy the wicked;
20for the evil have no future;
the lamp of the wicked will go out.
21My child, fear the LORD and the king,
and do not disobey either of them;b
22for disaster comes from them suddenly,
and who knows the ruin that both can bring?
23These also are sayings of the wise:
Partiality in judging is not good. 24Whoever says to the wicked, “You are innocent,”
will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations;
25but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,
and a good blessing will come upon them.
26One who gives an honest answer
gives a kiss on the lips.
27Prepare your work outside,
get everything ready for you in the field;
and after that build your house.
28Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,
and do not deceive with your lips.
29Do not say, “I will do to others as they have done to me;
I will pay them back for what they have done.”
30I passed by the field of one who was lazy,
by the vineyard of a stupid person;
31and see, it was all overgrown with thorns;
the ground was covered with nettles,
and its stone wall was broken down.
32Then I saw and considered it;
I looked and received instruction.
33A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
34and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want, like an armed warrior.
Proverbs 25
25
These are other proverbs of Solomon that the officials of King Hezekiah of Judah copied.
2It is the glory of God to conceal things,
but the glory of kings is to search things out.
3Like the heavens for height, like the earth for depth,
so the mind of kings is unsearchable.
4Take away the dross from the silver,
and the smith has material for a vessel;
5take away the wicked from the presence of the king,
and his throne will be established in righteousness.
6Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence
or stand in the place of the great;
7for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.
What your eyes have seena 8do not hastily bring into court;
for what will you do in the end,
when your neighbor puts you to shame?
9Argue your case with your neighbor directly,
and do not disclose another’s secret;
10or else someone who hears you will bring shame upon you,
and your ill repute will have no end.
11A word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
12Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold
is a wise rebuke to a listening ear.
13Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
are faithful messengers to those who send them;
they refresh the spirit of their masters.
14Like clouds and wind without rain
is one who boasts of a gift never given.
15With patience a ruler may be persuaded,
and a soft tongue can break bones.
16If you have found honey, eat only enough for you,
or else, having too much, you will vomit it.
17Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house,
otherwise the neighbor will become weary of you and hate you.
18Like a war club, a sword, or a sharp arrow
is one who bears false witness against a neighbor.
19Like a bad tooth or a lame foot
is trust in a faithless person in time of trouble.
20Like vinegar on a woundb
is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
Like a moth in clothing or a worm in wood,
sorrow gnaws at the human heart.c
21If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat;
and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink;
22for you will heap coals of fire on their heads,
and the LORD will reward you.
23The north wind produces rain,
and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
24It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a contentious wife.
25Like cold water to a thirsty soul,
so is good news from a far country.
26Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain
are the righteous who give way before the wicked.
27It is not good to eat much honey,
or to seek honor on top of honor.
28Like a city breached, without walls,
is one who lacks self-control.
Proverbs 2626
Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
so honor is not fitting for a fool.
2Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
an undeserved curse goes nowhere.
3A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
and a rod for the back of fools.
4Do not answer fools according to their folly,
or you will be a fool yourself.
5Answer fools according to their folly,
or they will be wise in their own eyes.
6It is like cutting off one’s foot and drinking down violence,
to send a message by a fool.
7The legs of a disabled person hang limp;
so does a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
8It is like binding a stone in a sling
to give honor to a fool.
9Like a thornbush brandished by the hand of a drunkard
is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
10Like an archer who wounds everybody
is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.a
11Like a dog that returns to its vomit
is a fool who reverts to his folly.
12Do you see persons wise in their own eyes?
There is more hope for fools than for them.
13The lazy person says, “There is a lion in the road!
There is a lion in the streets!”
14As a door turns on its hinges,
so does a lazy person in bed.
15The lazy person buries a hand in the dish,
and is too tired to bring it back to the mouth.
16The lazy person is wiser in self-esteem
than seven who can answer discreetly.
17Like somebody who takes a passing dog by the ears
is one who meddles in the quarrel of another.
18Like a maniac who shoots deadly firebrands and arrows, 19so is one who deceives a neighbor
and says, “I am only joking!”
20For lack of wood the fire goes out,
and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.
21As charcoal is to hot embers and wood to fire,
so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.
22The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.
23Like the glazeb covering an earthen vessel
are smoothc lips with an evil heart.
24An enemy dissembles in speaking
while harboring deceit within;
25when an enemy speaks graciously, do not believe it,
for there are seven abominations concealed within;
26though hatred is covered with guile,
the enemy’s wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
27Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,
and a stone will come back on the one who starts it rolling.
28A lying tongue hates its victims,
and a flattering mouth works ruin.
Proverbs 2727
Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring.
2Let another praise you, and not your own mouth--
a stranger, and not your own lips.
3A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,
but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.
4Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,
but who is able to stand before jealousy?
5Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
6Well meant are the wounds a friend inflicts,
but profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
7The sated appetite spurns honey,
but to a ravenous appetite even the bitter is sweet.
8Like a bird that strays from its nest
is one who strays from home.
9Perfume and incense make the heart glad,
but the soul is torn by trouble.a
10Do not forsake your friend or the friend of your parent;
do not go to the house of your kindred in the day of your calamity.
Better is a neighbor who is nearby
than kindred who are far away.
11Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad,
so that I may answer whoever reproaches me.
12The clever see danger and hide;
but the simple go on, and suffer for it.
13Take the garment of one who has given surety for a stranger;
seize the pledge given as surety for foreigners.b
14Whoever blesses a neighbor with a loud voice,
rising early in the morning,
will be counted as cursing.
15A continual dripping on a rainy day
and a contentious wife are alike;
16to restrain her is to restrain the wind
or to grasp oil in the right hand.c
17Iron sharpens iron,
and one person sharpens the witsd of another.
18Anyone who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and anyone who takes care of a master will be honored.
19Just as water reflects the face,
so one human heart reflects another.
20Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,
and human eyes are never satisfied.
21The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
so a person is testede by being praised.
22Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle
along with crushed grain,
but the folly will not be driven out.
23Know well the condition of your flocks,
and give attention to your herds;
24for riches do not last forever,
nor a crown for all generations.
25When the grass is gone, and new growth appears,
and the herbage of the mountains is gathered,
26the lambs will provide your clothing,
and the goats the price of a field;
27there will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
for the food of your household
and nourishment for your servant-girls.
Proverbs 2828
The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
2When a land rebels
it has many rulers;
but with an intelligent ruler
there is lasting order.a
3A rulerb who oppresses the poor
is a beating rain that leaves no food.
4Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law struggle against them.
5The evil do not understand justice,
but those who seek the LORD understand it completely.
6Better to be poor and walk in integrity
than to be crooked in one’s ways even though rich.
7Those who keep the law are wise children,
but companions of gluttons shame their parents.
8One who augments wealth by exorbitant interest
gathers it for another who is kind to the poor.
9When one will not listen to the law,
even one’s prayers are an abomination.
10Those who mislead the upright into evil ways
will fall into pits of their own making,
but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.
11The rich is wise in self-esteem,
but an intelligent poor person sees through the pose.
12When the righteous triumph, there is great glory,
but when the wicked prevail, people go into hiding.
13No one who conceals transgressions will prosper,
but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
14Happy is the one who is never without fear,
but one who is hard-hearted will fall into calamity.
15Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
16A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor;
but one who hates unjust gain will enjoy a long life.
17If someone is burdened with the blood of another,
let that killer be a fugitive until death;
let no one offer assistance.
18One who walks in integrity will be safe,
but whoever follows crooked ways will fall into the Pit.c
19Anyone who tills the land will have plenty of bread,
but one who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
20The faithful will abound with blessings,
but one who is in a hurry to be rich will not go unpunished.
21To show partiality is not good--
yet for a piece of bread a person may do wrong.
22The miser is in a hurry to get rich
and does not know that loss is sure to come.
23Whoever rebukes a person will afterward find more favor
than one who flatters with the tongue.
24Anyone who robs father or mother
and says, “That is no crime,”
is partner to a thug.
25The greedy person stirs up strife,
but whoever trusts in the LORD will be enriched.
26Those who trust in their own wits are fools;
but those who walk in wisdom come through safely.
27Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing,
but one who turns a blind eye will get many a curse.
28When the wicked prevail, people go into hiding;
but when they perish, the righteous increase.
Proverbs 2929
One who is often reproved, yet remains stubborn,
will suddenly be broken beyond healing.
2When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
but when the wicked rule, the people groan.
3A child who loves wisdom makes a parent glad,
but to keep company with prostitutes is to squander one’s substance.
4By justice a king gives stability to the land,
but one who makes heavy exactions ruins it.
5Whoever flatters a neighbor
is spreading a net for the neighbor’s feet.
6In the transgression of the evil there is a snare,
but the righteous sing and rejoice.
7The righteous know the rights of the poor;
the wicked have no such understanding.
8Scoffers set a city aflame,
but the wise turn away wrath.
9If the wise go to law with fools,
there is ranting and ridicule without relief.
10The bloodthirsty hate the blameless,
and they seek the life of the upright.
11A fool gives full vent to anger,
but the wise quietly holds it back.
12If a ruler listens to falsehood,
all his officials will be wicked.
13The poor and the oppressor have this in common:
the LORD gives light to the eyes of both.
14If a king judges the poor with equity,
his throne will be established forever.
15The rod and reproof give wisdom,
but a mother is disgraced by a neglected child.
16When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases,
but the righteous will look upon their downfall.
17Discipline your children, and they will give you rest;
they will give delight to your heart.
18Where there is no prophecy, the people cast off restraint,
but happy are those who keep the law.
19By mere words servants are not disciplined,
for though they understand, they will not give heed.
20Do you see someone who is hasty in speech?
There is more hope for a fool than for anyone like that.
21A slave pampered from childhood
will come to a bad end.a
22One given to anger stirs up strife,
and the hothead causes much transgression.
23A person’s pride will bring humiliation,
but one who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.
24To be a partner of a thief is to hate one’s own life;
one hears the victim’s curse, but discloses nothing.b
25The fear of othersc lays a snare,
but one who trusts in the LORD is secure.
26Many seek the favor of a ruler,
but it is from the LORD that one gets justice.
27The unjust are an abomination to the righteous,
but the upright are an abomination to the wicked.
Proverbs 30
30
The words of Agur son of Jakeh. An oracle.
Thus says the man: I am weary, O God,
I am weary, O God. How can I prevail?a
2Surely I am too stupid to be human;
I do not have human understanding.
3I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the holy ones.b
4Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of the hand?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is the person’s name?
And what is the name of the person’s child?
Surely you know!
5Every word of God proves true;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6Do not add to his words,
or else he will rebuke you, and you will be found a liar.
7Two things I ask of you;
do not deny them to me before I die:
8Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that I need,
9or I shall be full, and deny you,
and say, “Who is the LORD?”
or I shall be poor, and steal,
and profane the name of my God.
10Do not slander a servant to a master,
or the servant will curse you, and you will be held guilty.
11There are those who curse their fathers
and do not bless their mothers.
12There are those who are pure in their own eyes
yet are not cleansed of their filthiness.
13There are those--how lofty are their eyes,
how high their eyelids lift!--
14there are those whose teeth are swords,
whose teeth are knives,
to devour the poor from off the earth,
the needy from among mortals.
15The leechc has two daughters;
“Give, give,” they cry.
Three things are never satisfied;
four never say, “Enough”:
16Sheol, the barren womb,
the earth ever thirsty for water,
and the fire that never says, “Enough.”d
17The eye that mocks a father
and scorns to obey a mother
will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley
and eaten by the vultures.
18Three things are too wonderful for me;
four I do not understand:
19the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
and the way of a man with a girl.
20This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats, and wipes her mouth,
and says, “I have done no wrong.”
21Under three things the earth trembles;
under four it cannot bear up:
22a slave when he becomes king,
and a fool when glutted with food;
23an unloved woman when she gets a husband,
and a maid when she succeeds her mistress.
24Four things on earth are small,
yet they are exceedingly wise:
25the ants are a people without strength,
yet they provide their food in the summer;
26the badgers are a people without power,
yet they make their homes in the rocks;
27the locusts have no king,
yet all of them march in rank;
28the lizarde can be grasped in the hand,
yet it is found in kings’ palaces.
29Three things are stately in their stride;
four are stately in their gait:
30the lion, which is mightiest among wild animals
and does not turn back before any;
31the strutting rooster,f the he-goat,
and a king striding beforeg his people.
32If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
or if you have been devising evil,
put your hand on your mouth.
33For as pressing milk produces curds,
and pressing the nose produces blood,
so pressing anger produces strife.
Proverbs 31
31
The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:
2No, my son! No, son of my womb!
No, son of my vows!
3Do not give your strength to women,
your ways to those who destroy kings.
4It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
it is not for kings to drink wine,
or for rulers to desirea strong drink;
5or else they will drink and forget what has been decreed,
and will pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
6Give strong drink to one who is perishing,
and wine to those in bitter distress;
7let them drink and forget their poverty,
and remember their misery no more.
8Speak out for those who cannot speak,
for the rights of all the destitute.b
9Speak out, judge righteously,
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
10A capable wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14She is like the ships of the merchant,
she brings her food from far away.
15She rises while it is still night
and provides food for her household
and tasks for her servant-girls.
16She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17She girds herself with strength,
and makes her arms strong.
18She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20She opens her hand to the poor,
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21She is not afraid for her household when it snows,
for all her household are clothed in crimson.
22She makes herself coverings;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23Her husband is known in the city gates,
taking his seat among the elders of the land.
24She makes linen garments and sells them;
she supplies the merchant with sashes.
25Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27She looks well to the ways of her household,
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28Her children rise up and call her happy;
her husband too, and he praises her:
29“Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
30Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31Give her a share in the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the city gates.