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Proverbs

1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: ²To know wisdom and instruction; To discern the words of understanding; ³To receive instruction in wise dealing, In righteousness and justice and equity; ⁴To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion: ⁵That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning; And that the man of understanding may attain unto sound counsels: ⁶To understand a proverb, and a figure, The words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

⁷The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction. ⁸My son, hear the instruction of your father, And forsake not the law of your mother: ⁹For they shall be ornament of grace unto your head, And chains about your neck.

¹⁰My son, if sinners entice you, Consent not. ¹¹If they say, Come with us, Let us lay in wait for blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause; ¹²Let us swallow them up alive as Sheol, And whole, as those that go down into the pit; ¹³We shall find all precious substance; We shall fill our houses with spoil; ¹⁴You shall cast your lot among us; We will all have one purse: ¹⁵My son, walk not in the way with them; Refrain your foot from their path: ¹⁶For their feet run to evil, And they hurry to shed blood. ¹⁷For in vain is the net spread In the sight of any bird: ¹⁸And these lay in wait for their own blood; They lurk secretly for their own lives. ¹⁹So are the ways of every one that is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of the owners thereof.

²⁰Wisdom cries aloud in the street; She utters her voice in the broad places; ²¹She cries in the chief place of concourse; At the entrance of the gates, In the city, she utters her words: ²²How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? And the scoffers delight themselves in scoffing, And fools hate knowledge? ²³Turn now at my reproof: Behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you; I will make known my words unto you. ²⁴Because I have called, and you have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man has regarded; ²⁵But you have set at nothing all my counsel, And obey none of my reproof: ²⁶I also will laugh in the day of your calamity; I will mock when your fear comes; ²⁷When your fear comes as a storm, And your calamity comes on as a whirlwind; When distress and anguish come upon you. ²⁸Then will they call upon me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me: ²⁹Because they hated knowledge, And did not choose the fear of Jehovah: ³⁰They obeyed none of my counsel; They despised all my reproof. ³¹Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled with their own devices. ³²For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them, And the careless ease of fools shall destroy them. ³³But whoever listens unto me shall dwell securely, And shall be quiet without fear of evil.

2 My son, if you will receive my words, And lay up my commandments with you; ²So as to incline your ear unto wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; ³yous, if you cry after discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding; ⁴If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures: ⁵Then shall you understand the fear of Jehovah, And find the knowledge of God. ⁶For Jehovah gives wisdom; Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding: ⁷He lays up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to them that walk in integrity; ⁸That he may guard the paths of justice, And preserve the way of his saints. ⁹Then shall you understand righteousness and justice, And equity, yes, every good path.

¹⁰For wisdom shall enter into your heart, And knowledge shall be pleasant unto your soul; ¹¹Discretion shall watch over you; Understanding shall keep you: ¹²To deliver you from the way of evil, From the men that speak perverse things; ¹³Who forsake the paths of uprightness, To walk in the ways of darkness; ¹⁴Who rejoice to do evil, And delight in the perverseness of evil; ¹⁵Who are crooked in their ways, And wayward in their paths: ¹⁶To deliver you from the strange woman, Even from the foreigner that flatters with her words; ¹⁷That forsakes the friend of her yeth, And forgets *** the covenant of her God: ¹⁸For her house inclines unto death, And her paths unto the dead; ¹⁹None that go unto her return again, Neither do they attain unto the paths of life: ²⁰That you may walk in the way of good men, And keep the paths of the righteous. ²¹For the upright shall dwell in the land, And the perfect shall remain in it. ²²But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, And the treacherous shall be rooted out of it.

3 My son, do not forget my law; But let your heart keep my commandments: ²For length of days, and years of life, And peace, will they add to you. ³Let not kindness and truth forsake you: Bind them about your neck; Write them upon the tablet of your heart: ⁴So shall you find favor and good understanding In the sight of God and man. ⁵Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, And lean not upon your own understanding: ⁶In all your ways acknowledge him, And he will direct your paths.

⁷Be not wise in your own eyes; Fear Jehovah, and depart from evil: ⁸It will be health to your navel, And marrow to your bones. ⁹HO-nor Jehovah with your substance, And with the first-fruits of all your increase: ¹⁰So shall your barns be filled with plenty, And your vats shall overflow with new wine. ¹¹My son, despise not the chastening of Jehovah; Neither be weary of his reproof: ¹²For whom Jehovah loves he reproves; Even as a father reproves the son in whom he delights.

¹³Happy is the man that finds wisdom, And the man that gets understanding. ¹⁴For the gaining of it is better than the gaining of silver, And the profit thereof than fine gold. ¹⁵She is more precious than rubies: And none of the things you can desire are to be compared unto her. ¹⁶Length of days 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 them that lay hold upon her: And happy is every one that retains her. ¹⁹Jehovah by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding he established the heavens. ²⁰By his knowledge the depths were broken up, And the skies drop down the dew.

²¹My son, let them not depart from your eyes; Keep sound wisdom and discretion: ²²this shall they be life unto your soul, And grace to your neck. ²³Then shall you walk in your way securely, And your foot shall not stumble. ²⁴When you lay down, you shall not be afraid: yes, you shall lie down, and your sleep shall be sweet. ²⁵Be not afraid of sudden fear, Neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it comes: ²⁶For Jehovah will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being taken.

²⁷Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do it. ²⁸Say not unto your neighbor, Go, and come again, And to-morrow I will give; When you have it by you. ²⁹Devise not evil against your neighbor, Seeing he dwells securely by you. ³⁰Strive not with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. ³¹Envy not the man of violence, And choose none of his ways. ³²For the perverse is an abomination to Jehovah; But his friendship is with the upright. ³³The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked; But he blesses the habitation of the righteous. ³⁴Surely he scoffs at the scoffers; But he gives grace unto the lowly. ³⁵The wise shall inherit glory; But shame shall be the promotion of fools.

4 Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father, And attend to know understanding: ²For I give you good doctrine; Forsake not my law. ³For I was a son unto my father, Tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. ⁴And he taught me, and said unto me: Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commandments, and live; ⁵Get wisdom, get understanding; Forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth; ⁶Forsake her not, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. ⁷Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom; yes, with all your attaining get understanding. ⁸Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you to honor, when you do embrace her. ⁹She will give to your head an ornament of grace; A crown of beauty will she deliver to you. ¹⁰Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; And the years of your life shall be many. ¹¹I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in paths of uprightness. ¹²When you go, your steps shall not be straitened; And if you run, you shall not stumble. ¹³Take hold fast of instruction; Do not let her go: Keep her; For she is your life.

¹⁴Enter not into the path of the wicked, And walk not in the way of evil men. ¹⁵Avoid it, pass not near it; Turn from it, and pass on. ¹⁶For they sleep not, except they do evil; And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. ¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. ¹⁸But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, That shines more and more unto the perfect day. ¹⁹The way of the wicked is as darkness: They know not at what they stumble.

²⁰My son, attend to my words; Incline your ear unto my sayings. ²¹Let them not depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart. ²²For they are life unto those that find them, And health to all their flesh. ²³Keep your heart with all diligence; For out of it comes the issues of life. ²⁴Put away from you a wayward mouth, And perverse lips put far from you. ²⁵Let your eyes look right on, And let your eyelids look straight before you. ²⁶Make level the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. ²⁷Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: Remove your foot from evil.

5 My son, attend unto my wisdom; Incline your ear to my understanding: ²That you may preserve discretion, And that your lips may keep knowledge. ³For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And her mouth 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 take hold on Sheol; ⁶So that she finds not the level path of life: Her ways are unstable, and she knows it not. ⁷Now therefore, my sons, listen unto me, And do not depart from the words of my mouth. ⁸Remove your way far from her, And come not near to the door of her house; ⁹Lest you give your honor unto others, And your years unto the cruel; ¹⁰Lest strangers be filled with your strength, And your labors be in the house of an alien, ¹¹And you mourn at your latter end, When your flesh and your body are consumed, ¹²And say, How have I hated instruction, And my heart despised reproof; ¹³Neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to them that instructed me! ¹⁴I was well-near in all evil In the midst of the assembly and congregation.

¹⁵Drink waters out of your own cistern, And running waters out of your own well. ¹⁶Should your springs be dispersed abroad, And streams of water in the streets? ¹⁷Let them be for yourself alone, And not for strangers with you. ¹⁸Let your fountain be blessed; And rejoice in the wife of your yeth. ¹⁹As a loving and a pleasant doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And be ravished always with her love. ²⁰For why should you, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, And embrace the bosom of a foreigner? ²¹For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah; And he makes level all his paths. ²²His own iniquities shall take the wicked, And he shall be held with the cords of his sin. ²³He shall die for lack of instruction; And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

6 My son, if you are become surety for your neighbor, If you have stricken your hands for a stranger; ²You are snared with the words of your mouth, you are taken with the words of your mouth. ³Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, Seeing you are come into the hand of your neighbor: Go, humble yourself, and entreat your neighbor; ⁴Give not sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids; ⁵Deliver yourself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, And as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

⁶Go to the ant, you slothful; Consider her ways, and be wise: ⁷Which having no chief, Overseer, or ruler, ⁸Provides her bread in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest. ⁹How long will you sleep, O slothful? When will you arise out of your sleep? ¹⁰yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep: ¹¹So shall your poverty come as a robber, And your want as an armed man.

¹²A worthless person, a man of iniquity, Is he that walks with a perverse mouth; ¹³That winks with his eyes, that speaks with his feet, That makes signs with his fingers; ¹⁴In whose heart is perverseness, Who devises evil continually, Who sows discord. ¹⁵Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; And suddenly he shall be broken, and that without remedy. ¹⁶There are six things which Jehovah hates; yes, seven which are an abomination unto him: ¹⁷Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood; ¹⁸A heart that devises wicked purposes, Feet that are swift in running to mischief, ¹⁹A false witness that utters lies, And he that sows discord among brethren.

²⁰My son, keep the commandment of your father, And forsake not the law of your mother: ²¹Bind them continually upon your heart; Tie them about your neck. ²²When you walk, it shall lead you; When you sleep, it shall watch over you; And when you awake, it shall talk with you. ²³For the commandment is a lamp; And the law is light; And reproofs of instruction are the way of life: ²⁴To keep you from the evil woman, From the flattery of the foreigner’s tongue. ²⁵Lust not after her beauty in your heart; Neither let her take you with her eyelids. ²⁶For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a piece of bread; And the adulteress hunts for the precious life. ²⁷Can a man take fire in his bosom, And his clothes not be burned? ²⁸Or can one walk upon hot coals, And his feet not be scorched? ²⁹So he that goes in to his neighbor’s wife; whoever touches her shall not be unpunished. ³⁰Men do not despise a thief, if he steal To satisfy himself when he is hungry: ³¹But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; He shall give all the substance of his house. ³²He that commits adultery with a woman is void of understanding: He who does it would destroy his own soul. ³³Wounds and dishonor shall he get; And his reproach shall not be wiped away. ³⁴For jealousy is the rage of a man; And he will not spare in the day of vengeance. ³⁵He will not regard any ransom; Neither will he rest content, though you give many gifts.

7 My son, keep my words, And lay up my commandments with you. ²Keep my commandments and live; And my law as the apple of your eye. ³Bind them upon your fingers; Write them upon the tablet of your heart. ⁴Say unto wisdom, you are my sister; And call understanding your kinswoman: ⁵That they may keep you from the strange woman, From he foreigner that flatters with her words.

⁶For at the window of my house I looked forth through my lattice; ⁷And among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, A young man void of understanding, ⁸Passing through the street near her corner; And he went the way to her house, ⁹In the twilight, in the evening of the day, In the middle of the night and in the darkness. ¹⁰And, behold, there met him a woman With the attire of a harlot, and wily of heart. ¹¹She is clamorous and willful; Her feet abide not in her house: ¹²Now she is in the streets, now in the broad places, And lies in wait at every corner. ¹³So she caught him, and kissed him, And with an impudent face she said unto him: ¹⁴Sacrifices of peace-offerings are with me; This day have I paid my vows. ¹⁵Therefore I came forth to meet you, Diligently to seek your face, and I have found you. ¹⁶I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, With striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt. ¹⁷I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. ¹⁸Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning; Let us delight ourselves with loves. ¹⁹For the man is not at home; He is gone on a long journey: ²⁰He has taken a bag of money with him; He will come home at the full moon. ²¹With her fair speech she cause him to yield; With the flattering of her lips she forces him along. ²²He go after her straightway, As an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as one in fetters to the correction of the fool; ²³Till an arrow strike through his liver; As a bird hurries to the snare, And knows not that it is for his life.

²⁴Now therefore, my sons, listen unto me, And attend to the words of my mouth. ²⁵Let not your heart decline to her ways; Go not astray in her paths. ²⁶For she has cast down many wounded: yes, all her slain are a mighty host. ²⁷Her house is the way to Sheol, Going down to the chambers of death.

8 Does not wisdom cry, And understanding put forth her voice? ²On the top of high places by the way, Where the paths meet, she stands; ³Beside the gates, at the entry of the city, At the coming in at the doors, she cries aloud: ⁴Unto you, O men, I call; And my voice is to the sons of men. ⁵O you simple, understand prudence; And, you fools, be of an understanding heart. ⁶Hear, for I will speak excellent things; And from the opening of my lips shall come right things. ⁷For my mouth shall utter truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips. ⁸All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing crooked or perverse in them. ⁹They are all plain to him that understands, And right to them that find knowledge. ¹⁰Receive my instruction, and not silver; And knowledge rather than choice gold. ¹¹For wisdom is better than rubies; And all the things that may be desired are not to be compared unto it.

¹²I wisdom have made prudence my dwelling, And I find out knowledge and discretion. ¹³The fear of Jehovah is to hate evil: Pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, And the perverse mouth, do I hate. ¹⁴Counsel is mine, and sound knowledge: I am understanding; I have might. ¹⁵By me kings reign, And princes decree justice. ¹⁶By me princes rule, And nobles, even all the judges of the earth. ¹⁷I love them that love me; And those that seek me diligently shall find me. ¹⁸Riches and honor are with me; yes, durable wealth and righteousness. ¹⁹My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold; And my revenue than choice silver. ²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice; ²¹That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance, And that I may fill their treasuries.

²²Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old. ²³I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth was. ²⁴When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. ²⁵Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth; ²⁶While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world. ²⁷When he established the heavens, I was there: When he set a circle upon the face of the deep, ²⁸When he made firm the skies above, When the fountains of the deep became strong, ²⁹When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth; ³⁰Then I was by him, as a master workman; And I was daily his delight, Rejoicing always before him, ³¹Rejoicing in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of men.

³²Now therefore, my sons, listen unto me; For blessed are they that keep my ways. ³³Hear instruction, and be wise, And refuse it not. ³⁴Blessed is the man that hears me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors. ³⁵For whoever finds me finds life, And shall obtain favor of Jehovah. ³⁶But he that sins against me wrongs his own soul: All they that hate me love death.

9 Wisdom has built her house; She has hewn out her seven pillars: ²She has killed her beasts; She has mingled her wine; She has also furnished her table: ³She has sent forth her maidens; She cries upon the highest places of the city: ⁴whoever is simple, let him turn in here: As for him that is void of understanding, she says to him, ⁵Come, eat of my bread, And drink of the wine which I have mingled. ⁶Forsake foolishness, you simple ones, and live; And walk in the way of understanding. ⁷He that corrects a scoffer gets shame to himself; And he that reproves a wicked man gets himself a blemish. ⁸Reprove not a scoffer, unless he hates you: Reprove a wise man, and he will love you. ⁹Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. ¹⁰The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom; And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. ¹¹For by me your days shall be multiplied, And the years of your life shall be increased. ¹²If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; And if you scoff, you alone shall bear it.

¹³The foolish woman is clamorous; She is simple, and knows nothing. ¹⁴And she sits at the door of her house, On a seat in the high places of the city, ¹⁵To call to them that pass by, Who go right on their ways: ¹⁶whoever is simple, let him turn in here; And as for him that is void of understanding, she says to him, ¹⁷Stolen waters are sweet, And bread eaten in secret is pleasant. ¹⁸But he knows not that the dead are there; That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

10 The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father; But a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.

²Treasures of wickedness profit nothing; But righteousness delivers from death. ³Jehovah will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish; But he thrusts away the desire of the wicked.

⁴He becomes poor that works with a slack hand; But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

⁵He that gathers in summer is a wise son; But he that sleeps in harvest is a son that causes shame.

⁶Blessings are upon the head of the righteous; But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

⁷The memory of the righteous is blessed; But the name of the wicked shall rot.

⁸The wise in heart will receive commandments; But a prating fool shall fall.

⁹He that walks uprightly walks surely; But he that perverts his ways shall be known.

¹⁰He that winks with the eye causes sorrow; But a prating fool shall fall.

¹¹The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life; But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

¹²Hatred stirs up strifes; But love covers all transgressions.

¹³In the lips of him that has discernment wisdom is found; But a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.

¹⁴Wise men lay up knowledge; But the mouth of the foolish is a present destruction.

¹⁵The rich man’s wealth is his strong city: The destruction of the poor is their poverty.

¹⁶The labor of the righteous tends to life; The increase of the wicked, to sin.

¹⁷He is in the way of life that heeds correction; But he that forsakes reproof errs.

¹⁸He that hides hatred is of lying lips; And he that utters a slander is a fool.

¹⁹In the multitude of words there is no lack of transgression; But he that refrains his lips does wisely.

²⁰The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver: The heart of the wicked is of little worth. ²¹The lips of the righteous feed many; But the foolish die for lack of understanding.

²²The blessing of Jehovah, it makes rich; And he adds no sorrow therewith.

²³It is as sport to a fool to do wickedness; And so is wisdom to a man of understanding.

²⁴The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him; And the desire of the righteous shall be granted. ²⁵When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more; But the righteous is an everlasting foundation.

²⁶As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, So is the slothful to them that send him.

²⁷The fear of Jehovah prolongs days; But the years of the wicked shall be shortened. ²⁸The hope of the righteous shall be gladness; But the expectation of the wicked shall perish.

²⁹The way of Jehovah is a stronghold to the upright; But it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity. ³⁰The righteous shall never be removed; But the wicked shall not dwell in the land.

³¹The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom; But the perverse tongue shall be cut off. ³²The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable; But the mouth of the wicked speaks perverseness.

11 A false balance is an abomination to Jehovah; But a just weight is his delight.

²When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the lowly is wisdom.

³The integrity of the upright shall guide them; But the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.

⁴Riches profit not in the day of wrath; But righteousness delivers from death.

⁵The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way; But the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. ⁶The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them; But the treacherous shall be taken in their own iniquity.

⁷When a wicked man dies, his expectation shall perish; And the hope of iniquity perishes.

⁸The righteous is delivered out of trouble, And the wicked comes in his stead.

⁹With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor; But through knowledge shall the righteous be delivered.

¹⁰When it go well with the righteous, the city rejoices; And when the wicked perish, there is shouting. ¹¹By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted; But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

¹²He that despises his neighbor is void of wisdom; But a man of understanding holds his peace. ¹³He that go about as a tale-bearer reveals secrets; But he that is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.

¹⁴Where no wise guidance is, the people fall; But in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

¹⁵He that is surety for a stranger shall suffer for it; But he that hates suretyship is secure.

¹⁶A gracious woman obtains honor; And violent men obtain riches.

¹⁷The merciful man does good to his own soul; But he that is cruel troubles his own flesh.

¹⁸The wicked earns deceitful wages; But he that sows righteousness has a sure reward.

¹⁹He that is steadfast in righteousness shall attain unto life; And he that pursues evil does it to his own death.

²⁰They that are perverse in heart are an abomination to Jehovah; But such as are perfect in their way are his delight.

²¹yough hand join in hand, the evil man shall not be unpunished; ** But the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.

²²As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, So is a fair woman that is without discretion.

²³The desire of the righteous is only good; But the expectation of the wicked is wrath.

²⁴There is that scatters, and increases yet more; And there is that withholds more than is meet, but it tends only to want.

²⁵The liberal soul shall be made fat; And he that waters shall be watered also himself.

²⁶He that withholds grain, the people shall curse him; But blessing shall be upon the head of him that sells it.

²⁷He that diligently seeks good seeks favor; But he that searches after evil, it shall come unto him.

²⁸He that trusts in his riches shall fall; But the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf.

²⁹He that troubles his own house shall inherit the wind; And the foolish shall be servant to the wise of heart.

³⁰The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; And he that is wise wins souls.

³¹Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: How much more the wicked and the sinner!

12 whoever loves correction loves knowledge; But he that hates reproof is brutish.

²A good man shall obtain favor of Jehovah; But a man of wicked devices will he condemn.

³A man shall not be established by wickedness; But the root of the righteous shall not be moved.

⁴A worthy woman is the crown of her husband; But she that makes ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

⁵The thoughts of the righteous are just; But the counsels of the wicked are deceit.

⁶The words of the wicked are of lying in wait for blood; But the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.

⁷The wicked are overthrown, and are not; But the house of the righteous shall stand.

⁸A man shall be commended according to his wisdom; But he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised.

⁹Better is he that is lightly esteemed, and has a servant, Than he that honors himself, and lacks bread.

¹⁰A righteous man regards the life of his beast; But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

¹¹He that tills his land shall have plenty of bread; But he that follows after vain persons is void of understanding.

¹²The wicked desires the net of evil men; But the root of the righteous yields fruit.

¹³In the transgression of the lips is a snare to the evil man; But the righteous shall come out of trouble.

¹⁴A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth; And the doings of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him.

¹⁵The way of a fool is right in his own eyes; But he that is wise listens unto counsel.

¹⁶A fool’s vexation is presently known; But a prudent man conceals shame.

¹⁷He that utters truth shows forth righteousness; But a false witness, deceit.

¹⁸There is one that speaks rashly like the piercings of a sword; But the tongue of the wise is health.

¹⁹The lips of truth shall be established for ever; But a lying tongue is but for a moment.

²⁰Deceit is in the heart of them that devise evil; But to the counselors of peace is joy.

²¹There shall no mischief happen to the righteous; But the wicked shall be filled with evil.

²²Lying lips are an abomination to Jehovah; But they that deal truly are his delight.

²³A prudent man conceals knowledge; But the heart of fools proclaims foolishness.

²⁴The hand of the diligent shall bear rule; But the slothful shall be put under taskwork.

²⁵Heaviness in the heart of a man makes it stoop; But a good word makes it glad.

²⁶The righteous is a guide to his neighbor; But the way of the wicked cause them to err.

²⁷The slothful man roasts not that which he took in hunting; But the precious substance of men is to the diligent.

²⁸In the way of righteousness is life; And in the pathway thereof there is no death.

13 A wise son hears his father’s instruction; But a scoffer does not hears a rebuke.

²A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth; But the soul of the treacherous shall eat violence.

³He that guards his mouth keeps his life; But he that opened wide his lips shall have destruction.

⁴The soul of the slothful desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

⁵A righteous man hates lying; But a wicked man is loathsome, and comes to shame.

⁶Righteousness guards him that is upright in the way; But wickedness overthrows the sinner.

⁷There is he that makes himself rich, yet has nothing: There is he that makes himself poor, yet has great wealth.

⁸The ransom of a man’s life is his riches; But the poor hears no threatening.

⁹The light of the righteous rejoices; But the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.

¹⁰By pride comes only contention; But with the well-advised is wisdom.

¹¹Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished; But he that gathers by labor shall have increase.

¹²Hope deferred makes the heart sick; But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

¹³whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself; But he that fears the commandment shall be rewarded.

¹⁴The law of the wise is a fountain of life, That one may depart from the snares of death.

¹⁵Good understanding gives favor; But the way of the transgressor is hard.

¹⁶Every prudent man works with knowledge; But a fool flaunts his folly.

¹⁷A wicked messenger falls into evil; But a faithful ambassador is health.

¹⁸Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuses correction; But he that regards reproof shall be honored.

¹⁹The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul; But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.

²⁰Walk with wise men, and you shall be wise; But the companion of fools shall be broken.

²¹Evil pursues sinners; But the righteous shall be recompensed with good.

²²A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children; And the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the righteous.

²³Much food is in the tillage of the poor; But there is that that is destroyed by reason of injustice.

²⁴He that spares his rod hates his son; But he that loves him seeks him with correction.

²⁵The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul; But the belly of the wicked shall want.

14 Every wise woman builds her house; But the foolish pulls it down with her own hands.

²He that walks in his uprightness fears Jehovah; But he that is perverse in his ways despises him.

³In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his pride; But the lips of the wise shall preserve them.

⁴Where no oxen are, the crib is clean; But much increase is by the strength of the ox.

⁵A faithful witness will not lie; But a false witness utters lies.

⁶A scoffer seeks wisdom, and finds it not; But knowledge is easy unto him that has understanding.

⁷Go into the presence of a foolish man, And you shall not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.

⁸The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way; But the folly of fools is deceit.

⁹A fools mocks the trespass-offering; But among the upright there is good will.

¹⁰The heart knows its own bitterness; And a stranger does not share in its joy.

¹¹The house of the wicked shall be overthrown; But the tent of the upright shall flourish.

¹²There is a way which seems right unto a man; But the end thereof are the ways of death.

¹³Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; And the end of joy is heaviness.

¹⁴The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways; And a good man shall be satisfied from himself.

¹⁵The simple believes every word; But the prudent man looks well to his going.

¹⁶A wise man fears, and departs from evil; But the fool bears himself insolently, and is confident.

¹⁷He that is soon angry will deal foolishly; And a man of wicked devices is hated.