16  The plans of the heart belong to man,

but ^lthe answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

2  ^mAll the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,

but the Lord ⁿweighs the spirit.¹

3  ^oCommit your work to the Lord,

and your plans will be established.

4  ^pThe Lord has made everything for its purpose,

even ^qthe wicked for the day of trouble.

5  Everyone who is arrogant in heart is ^ran abomination to the Lord;

^sbe assured, he will not go unpunished.

6  By ^tsteadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,

and by ^uthe fear of the Lord one ^vturns away from evil.

7  When a man’s ways please the Lord,

^whe makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

8  ^xBetter is a little with righteousness

than great revenues with injustice.

9  ^yThe heart of man plans his way,

but ^zthe Lord establishes his steps.

10  ^aAn oracle is on the lips of a king;

his mouth does not sin in judgment.

11  ^bA just balance and scales are the Lord’s;

all the weights in the bag are his work.

12  It is an abomination to kings to do evil,

for ^cthe throne is established by righteousness.

13  ^dRighteous lips are the delight of a king,

and he loves him who speaks what is right.

14  ^eA king’s wrath is a messenger of death,

and a wise man will ^fappease it.

15  ^gIn the light of a king’s face there is life,

and his ^dfavor is like ^hthe clouds that bring the spring rain.

16  ⁱHow much better to get wisdom than ^jgold!

To get understanding is to be chosen rather than ^ksilver.

17  The highway of the upright ^lturns aside from evil;

whoever guards his way preserves his life.

18  ^mPride goes before destruction,

and a haughty spirit before a fall.

19  ⁿIt is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor

than to ^odivide the spoil with the proud.

20  Whoever gives thought to the word^{2 p}will discover good,

and blessed is he ^qwho trusts in the Lord.

21  The wise of heart is called discerning,

and sweetness of speech ^rincreases persuasiveness.

22  Good sense is ^sa fountain of life to him who has it,

but the instruction of fools is folly.

23  ^tThe heart of the wise makes his speech judicious

and adds persuasiveness to his lips.

24  ^uGracious words are like ^va honeycomb,

sweetness to the soul and ^whealth to the body.

25  There is a way that seems right to a man,

but its end is the way to death.³

26  A worker’s appetite works for him;

his ^xmouth urges him on.

27  ^yA worthless man plots evil,

and his speech⁴ is like ^za scorching fire.

28  ^aA dishonest man spreads strife,

and ^ba whisperer ^cseparates close friends.

29  A man of violence ^dentices his neighbor

and leads him in a way that is not good.

30  Whoever winks his eyes plans^{5 e}dishonest things;

he who ^fpurses his lips brings evil to pass.

31  ^gGray hair is ^ha crown of glory;

it ⁱis gained in a righteous life.

32  ^jWhoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,

and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

33  ^kThe lot is cast into the lap,

but its every decision is ^lfrom the Lord.

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;

by ^cwise guidance ^dwage war.

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.