1  Be not ^uenvious of evil men,

nor desire to be ^vwith them,

2  for their hearts ^wdevise violence,

and their lips ^xtalk of trouble.

3  By ^ywisdom a house is built,

and by understanding it is established;

4  by knowledge the rooms are filled

with all ^zprecious and pleasant riches.

5  ^aA wise man is full of strength,

and a man of knowledge enhances his might,

6  for by ^bwise guidance you can wage your war,

and in ^cabundance of counselors there is victory.

7  Wisdom is ^dtoo high for a fool;

in ^ethe gate he does not open his mouth.

8  Whoever ^fplans to do evil

will be called a schemer.

9  ^gThe devising¹ of folly is sin,

and ^hthe scoffer is an abomination to mankind.

10  If you ⁱfaint in the day of adversity,

your strength is small.

11  ^jRescue those who are being taken away to death;

hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.

12  If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”

^kdoes not he who ^lweighs the heart perceive it?

Does not he who ^mkeeps watch over your soul know it,

and will he not repay man ⁿaccording to his work?

13  My son, ^oeat honey, for it is good,

and ^pthe drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.

14  Know that wisdom is such to your soul;

if you find it, there will be ^qa future,

and your hope will not be cut off.

15  ^rLie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous;

do no violence to his home;

16  ^sfor the righteous falls ^tseven times and rises again,

but ^uthe wicked stumble in times of calamity.

17  ^vDo not rejoice when your enemy falls,

and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,

18  lest the Lord see it and be displeased,

and turn away his anger from him.

19  ^wFret not yourself because of evildoers,

and be not ^xenvious of the wicked,

20  for the evil man has no ^qfuture;

^ythe lamp of the wicked will be put out.

21  My son, ^zfear the Lord and the king,

and do not join with those who do otherwise,

22  for disaster will arise suddenly from them,

and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?

^bPartiality in judging is not good.

24  Whoever ^csays to the wicked, “You are in the right,”

^dwill be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations,

25  but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,

and a good blessing will come upon them.

26  Whoever gives an honest answer

kisses the lips.

27  ^ePrepare your work outside;

get everything ready for yourself in the field,

and after that build your house.

28  ^fBe not a witness against your neighbor without cause,

and do not deceive with your lips.

29  Do not say, ^g“I will do to him as he has done to me;

I will pay the man back for what he has done.”

30  ^hI passed by the field of a sluggard,

by the vineyard of a man ⁱlacking sense,

31  and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;

the ground was covered with nettles,

and its stone ^jwall was broken down.

32  Then I saw and ^kconsidered it;

I looked and received instruction.

33  ^lA little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest,

34  and poverty will come upon you like a robber,

and want like an armed man.

2  It is the glory of God to ⁿconceal things,

but the glory of kings is to ^osearch things out.

3  As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth,

so the heart of kings is ^punsearchable.

4  Take away ^qthe dross from the silver,

and ^rthe smith has material for a vessel;

5  take away ^sthe wicked from the presence of the king,

and his ^tthrone will be established in righteousness.

6  Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence

or stand in the place of the great,

7  for ^uit is better to be told, “Come up here,”

than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

What your eyes have seen

8  ^wdo not hastily bring into court,²

for³ what will you do in the end,

when your neighbor puts you to shame?

9  ^xArgue your case with your neighbor himself,

and do not reveal another’s secret,

10  lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,

and your ill repute have no end.

11  ^yA word fitly spoken

is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.

12  Like ^za gold ring or an ornament of gold

is a wise reprover to ^aa listening ear.

13  Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest

is ^ba faithful messenger to those who send him;

he refreshes the soul of his masters.

14  Like ^cclouds and wind without rain

is a man who ^dboasts of a gift he does not give.

15  With ^epatience a ruler may be persuaded,

and a soft tongue will break a bone.

16  If you have ^ffound honey, eat ^gonly enough for you,

lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.

17  Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house,

lest he have his fill of you and hate you.

18  A man who ^hbears false witness against his neighbor

is like a war club, or ⁱa sword, or a sharp arrow.

19  Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble

is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.

20  Whoever ^jsings songs to a heavy heart

is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,

and like vinegar on soda.

21  ^kIf your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,

and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,

22  for you will heap ^lburning coals on his head,

and the Lord will reward you.

23  The north wind brings forth rain,

and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

24  ^mIt is better to live in a corner of the housetop

than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.

25  Like cold water to ⁿa thirsty soul,

so is ^ogood news from a far country.

26  Like ^pa muddied spring or a polluted fountain

is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.

27  It is ^qnot good to eat much honey,

nor is it glorious to ^rseek one’s own glory.⁴

28  A man ^swithout self-control

is like ^ta city broken into and left without walls.

1  ^eBlessed is the one who considers the poor!¹

^fIn the day of trouble the Lord delivers him;

2  the Lord protects him and keeps him alive;

he is called blessed in the land;

you ^gdo not give him up to the will of his enemies.

3  The Lord sustains him on his sickbed;

in his illness you restore him to full health.²

4  As for me, I said, “O Lord, ^hbe gracious to me;

ⁱheal me,³ for I have sinned against you!”

5  My enemies say of me in malice,

“When will he die, and his name perish?”

6  And when one comes to see me, ^jhe utters empty words,

while his heart gathers iniquity;

when he goes out, he tells it abroad.

7  All who hate me whisper together about me;

they imagine the worst for me.⁴

8  They say, “A deadly thing is poured out⁵ on him;

he will not rise again from where he lies.”

9  Even my ^kclose friend in whom I trusted,

who ^late my bread, has lifted his heel against me.

10  But you, O Lord, be gracious to me,

and raise me up, that I may repay them!

11  By this I know that ^myou delight in me:

my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.

12  But ⁿyou have upheld me because of ^omy integrity,

and ^pset me in your presence ^qforever.

13  ^rBlessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

from everlasting to everlasting!

Amen and Amen.