17 mBetter is a dry morsel with quiet
than a house full of feasting1 with strife.
2 A servant who deals wisely will rule over na son who acts shamefully
and owill share the inheritance as one of the brothers.
3 pThe crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
qand the Lord tests hearts.
4 An evildoer listens to wicked lips,
and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.
5 Whoever mocks the poor rinsults his Maker;
he who is sglad at calamity will not go tunpunished.
6 uGrandchildren are vthe crown of the aged,
and the glory of children is their fathers.
7 Fine speech is not wbecoming to a fool;
still less is xfalse speech to a prince.
8 yA bribe is like a magic2 stone in the eyes of the one who gives it;
wherever he turns he prospers.
9 Whoever zcovers an offense seeks love,
but he who repeats a matter aseparates close friends.
10 A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding
than a hundred blows into a fool.
11 An evil man seeks only rebellion,
and ba cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 Let a man meet ca she-bear robbed of her cubs
drather than a fool in his folly.
13 If anyone ereturns evil for good,
fevil will not depart from his house.
14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
so gquit before the quarrel breaks out.
15 He who hjustifies the wicked and he who icondemns the righteous
are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
16 Why should a fool have money in his hand jto buy wisdom
when he has no sense?
17 kA friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
18 One who lacks sense gives a pledge
and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.
19 Whoever loves transgression loves strife;
he who lmakes his door high seeks destruction.
20 mA man of crooked heart does not discover good,
and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.
21 He who nsires a fool gets himself sorrow,
and the father of a fool has no joy.
22 oA joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit pdries up the bones.
23 The wicked accepts qa bribe in secret3
to rpervert the ways of justice.
24 sThe discerning sets his face toward wisdom,
but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25 nA foolish son is a grief to his father
tand bitterness to uher who bore him.
26 vTo impose a fine on a righteous man is not good,
nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
27 Whoever wrestrains his words has knowledge,
and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
28 Even a fool xwho keeps silent is considered wise;
when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
18 Whoever yisolates himself seeks his own desire;
he breaks out against all sound judgment.
2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only zin expressing his opinion.
3 When wickedness comes, contempt comes also,
and with dishonor comes disgrace.
4 The words of a man’s mouth are adeep waters;
the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
5 It is not good to bbe partial to1 the wicked
or to cdeprive the righteous of justice.
6 A fool’s lips walk into a fight,
and his mouth invites da beating.
7 eA fool’s mouth is his ruin,
and his lips are a snare to his soul.
8 fThe words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into gthe inner parts of the body.
9 Whoever is slack in his work
is a hbrother to him who destroys.
10 iThe name of the Lord is ja strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and kis safe.
11 lA rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
and like a high wall in his imagination.
12 mBefore destruction a man’s heart is haughty,
but nhumility comes before honor.
13 If one gives an answer obefore he hears,
it is his folly and shame.
14 A man’s spirit will endure sickness,
but pa crushed spirit who can bear?
15 An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,
and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16 A man’s qgift makes room for him
and brings him before the great.
17 The one who states his case first seems right,
until the other comes and examines him.
18 rThe lot puts an end to quarrels
and decides between powerful contenders.
19 A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city,
and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
20 sFrom the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied;
he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.
21 tDeath and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.
22 He who finds ua wife finds va good thing
and wobtains favor xfrom the Lord.
23 The poor use entreaties,
but ythe rich answer roughly.
24 A man of many companions may come to ruin,
but zthere is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
19 aBetter is a poor person who bwalks in his integrity
than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
2 Desire1 without knowledge is not good,
and whoever cmakes haste with his feet misses his way.
3 When a man’s folly dbrings his way to ruin,
his heart erages against the Lord.
4 fWealth brings many new friends,
fbut a poor man is deserted by his friend.
5 gA false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who hbreathes out lies will not escape.
6 Many seek the favor of a generous man,2
and everyone is a friend to a man who gives igifts.
7 jAll a poor man’s brothers hate him;
khow much more do his friends go far from him!
He pursues them with words, but does not have them.3
8 lWhoever gets sense loves his own soul;
he who keeps understanding will mdiscover good.
9 gA false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who hbreathes out lies will perish.
10 nIt is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury,
much less for oa slave to rule over princes.
11 pGood sense makes one slow to anger,
and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
12 A king’s wrath is like qthe growling of a lion,
but his rfavor is like sdew on the grass.
13 tA foolish son is ruin to his father,
and ua wife’s quarreling is va continual dripping of rain.
14 wHouse and wealth are inherited from fathers,
but a prudent wife is xfrom the Lord.
15 ySlothfulness casts into za deep sleep,
and aan idle person will suffer hunger.
16 Whoever bkeeps the commandment keeps his life;
he who despises his ways will die.
17 cWhoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,
and he dwill repay him for his edeed.
18 fDiscipline your son, for there is hope;
do not set your heart on gputting him to death.
19 A man of great wrath will pay the penalty,
for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.
20 Listen to advice and accept instruction,
that you may gain wisdom in hthe future.
21 iMany are the plans in the mind of a man,
but jit is the purpose of the Lord kthat will stand.
22 What is desired in a man is steadfast love,
and a poor man is better than a liar.
23 The fear of the Lord lleads to life,
and whoever has it rests msatisfied;
he will nnot be visited by harm.
24 oThe sluggard buries his hand in pthe dish
and will not even bring it back to his mouth.
25 qStrike ra scoffer, and the simple will slearn prudence;
treprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.
26 He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother
is ua son who brings shame and reproach.
27 Cease to hear instruction, my son,
vand you will stray from the words of knowledge.
28 A worthless witness mocks at justice,
and the mouth of the wicked wdevours iniquity.
29 Condemnation is ready for rscoffers,
and xbeating for the backs of fools.
20 yWine is a mocker, zstrong drink a brawler,
and whoever ais led astray by it is not wise.1
2 The terror of a king is like bthe growling of a lion;
whoever provokes him to anger cforfeits his life.
3 It is an honor for a man to dkeep aloof from strife,
but every fool will be quarreling.
4 eThe sluggard does not plow in the autumn;
fhe will seek at harvest and have nothing.
5 The purpose in a man’s heart is like gdeep water,
but a man of understanding will draw it out.
6 Many a man hproclaims his own steadfast love,
but ia faithful man who can find?
7 The righteous who jwalks in his integrity—
kblessed are his children after him!
8 lA king who sits on the throne of judgment
mwinnows all evil with his eyes.
9 nWho can say, “I have made my heart pure;
I am clean from my sin”?
10 oUnequal2 weights and unequal measures
are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
11 Even a child pmakes himself known by his acts,
by whether his conduct is pure and upright.3
12 qThe hearing ear and the seeing eye,
rthe Lord has made them both.
13 sLove not sleep, lest you tcome to poverty;
open your eyes, and you will have uplenty of bread.
14 “Bad, bad,” says the buyer,
but when he goes away, then he boasts.
15 There is gold and abundance of vcostly stones,
wbut the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.
16 xTake a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger,
and yhold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners.4
17 zBread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,
but afterward his mouth will be full of agravel.
18 bPlans are established by counsel;
19 Whoever egoes about slandering reveals secrets;
therefore do not associate with fa simple babbler.5
20 gIf one curses his father or his mother,
hhis lamp will be put out in utter darkness.
21 iAn inheritance gained hastily in the beginning
will not be blessed in the end.
22 Do not say, j“I will repay evil”;
kwait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.
23 lUnequal weights are an abomination to the Lord,
and mfalse scales are not good.
24 A man’s nsteps are from the Lord;
how then can man understand his way?
25 It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,”
and to reflect only oafter making vows.
26 A wise king pwinnows the wicked
and drives qthe wheel over them.
27 rThe spirit6 of man is the lamp of the Lord,
ssearching all this innermost parts.
28 uSteadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king,
and by steadfast love his vthrone is upheld.
29 The glory of young men is their strength,
but wthe splendor of old men is their gray hair.
30 xBlows that wound cleanse away evil;
strokes make clean tthe innermost parts.
21 The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
he yturns it wherever he will.
2 zEvery way of a man is right in his own eyes,
but the Lord aweighs the heart.
3 bTo do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
4 cHaughty eyes and a proud heart,
dthe lamp1 of the wicked, are sin.
5 The plans of ethe diligent lead surely to abundance,
but everyone who is fhasty comes gonly to poverty.
6 hThe getting of treasures by a lying tongue
is a ifleeting jvapor and a ksnare of death.2
7 The violence of the wicked will lsweep them away,
because they refuse to do what is just.
8 The way of the guilty mis crooked,
but the conduct of the pure is upright.
9 It is nbetter to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
10 The soul of the wicked desires evil;
his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.
11 When oa scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise;
when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.
12 The Righteous One pobserves the house of the wicked;
he throws the wicked down to ruin.
13 qWhoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor
will himself call out and not be answered.
14 rA gift in secret averts anger,
and a concealed bribe,3 strong wrath.
15 When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous
sbut terror to evildoers.
16 One who wanders from the way of good sense
twill rest in the assembly of the dead.
17 Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man;
he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
18 uThe wicked is a vransom for the righteous,
and the traitor for the upright.
19 It is wbetter to live in a desert land
than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.
20 xPrecious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling,
but a foolish man ydevours it.
21 Whoever zpursues righteousness and kindness
will find alife, righteousness, and honor.
22 bA wise man scales the city of the mighty
and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.
23 cWhoever keeps his mouth and his tongue
dkeeps himself out of etrouble.
24 f“Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man
who acts with arrogant pride.
25 The desire of gthe sluggard kills him,
for his hands refuse to labor.
26 All day long he craves and craves,
but the righteous hgives and does not hold back.
27 iThe sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
how much more jwhen he brings it with evil intent.
28 kA false witness will perish,
but the word of a man who hears will endure.
29 A wicked man puts on a bold face,
but the upright lgives thought to4 his ways.
30 mNo wisdom, no understanding, no counsel
can avail against the Lord.
31 nThe horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but othe victory belongs to the Lord.
