28  ^cThe wicked flee when no one pursues,

but ^dthe righteous are bold as a lion.

2  When a land transgresses, ^eit has many rulers,

but with a man of understanding and knowledge,

its stability will long continue.

3  ^fA poor man who oppresses the poor

is a beating rain that leaves no food.

4  Those who forsake the law ^gpraise the wicked,

but those who keep the law ^hstrive against them.

5  Evil men ⁱdo not understand justice,

but those who seek the Lord ^junderstand it completely.

6  ^kBetter is a poor man who ^lwalks in his integrity

than a rich man who is ^lcrooked in his ways.

7  The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding,

but ^ma companion of gluttons shames his father.

8  Whoever multiplies his wealth ⁿby interest and profit¹

^ogathers it for him who is ^pgenerous to the poor.

9  If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,

even his ^qprayer is an abomination.

10  Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way

^rwill fall into his own pit,

but the blameless ^swill have a goodly inheritance.

11  A rich man is wise in his ^town eyes,

but a poor man who has understanding ^uwill find him out.

12  When ^vthe righteous triumph, there is great glory,

but when ^wthe wicked rise, people hide themselves.

13  Whoever ^xconceals his transgressions will not prosper,

but he who ^yconfesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

14  Blessed is the one who ^zfears the Lord² always,

but whoever ^ahardens his heart will fall into calamity.

15  Like ^ba roaring lion or ^ca charging bear

is ^da wicked ruler over a poor people.

16  A ruler who ^elacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,

but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.

17  If one is burdened with ^fthe blood of another,

he will be a fugitive until death;³

let no one help him.

18  ^gWhoever ^hwalks in integrity will be delivered,

but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.

19  ⁱWhoever works his land will have plenty of bread,

but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

20  A faithful man will abound with blessings,

but whoever hastens to be rich ^jwill not go unpunished.

21  To show ^kpartiality is not good,

but for ^la piece of bread a man will do wrong.

22  A ^mstingy man^{4 n}hastens after wealth

and does not know that ^opoverty will come upon him.

23  Whoever ^prebukes a man will afterward find more favor

than ^qhe who flatters with his tongue.

24  Whoever robs his father or his mother

and says, “That is no transgression,”

is ^ra companion to a man who destroys.

25  A greedy man ^sstirs up strife,

but the one who trusts in the Lord will ^tbe enriched.

26  Whoever ^utrusts in his own mind is a fool,

but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

27  Whoever ^vgives to the poor will not want,

but he who ^whides his eyes will get many a curse.

28  When ^xthe wicked rise, ^ypeople hide themselves,

but when they perish, the righteous increase.

29  ^zHe who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck,

will suddenly be ^abroken ^bbeyond healing.

2  When ^cthe righteous increase, the people rejoice,

but when ^dthe wicked rule, the people groan.

3  He who ^eloves wisdom makes his father glad,

but ^fa companion of prostitutes ^gsquanders his wealth.

4  By justice a king ^hbuilds up the land,

but he who exacts gifts¹ tears it down.

5  ⁱA man who flatters his neighbor

spreads ^ja net for his feet.

6  An evil man is ^kensnared in his transgression,

but a righteous man ^lsings and rejoices.

7  A righteous man ^mknows the rights of the poor;

a wicked man does not ⁿunderstand such knowledge.

8  ^oScoffers set a city aflame,

but the wise turn away wrath.

9  If a wise man has an argument with a fool,

the fool only rages and laughs, and there is ^pno quiet.

10  Bloodthirsty men ^qhate one who is blameless

and seek the life of the upright.²

11  A fool gives full vent to his spirit,

but a wise man quietly holds it back.

12  If a ruler listens to falsehood,

all his officials will be wicked.

13  The poor man and the oppressor ^rmeet together;

the Lord ^sgives light to the eyes of both.

14  If a king ^tfaithfully judges the poor,

his throne will ^ube established forever.

15  ^vThe rod and reproof give wisdom,

but a child left to himself ^wbrings shame to his mother.

16  When the wicked increase, transgression increases,

but ^xthe righteous will look upon their downfall.

17  ^yDiscipline your son, and he will give you rest;

he will give delight to your heart.

18  Where ^zthere is no prophetic vision the people ^acast off restraint,³

but blessed is he who ^bkeeps the law.

19  By mere words a servant is not disciplined,

for though he understands, he will not respond.

20  Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?

^cThere is more hope for a fool than for him.

21  Whoever pampers his servant from childhood

will in the end find him his heir.⁴

22  ^dA man of wrath stirs up strife,

and one given to anger causes much transgression.

23  ^eOne’s pride will bring him low,

^fbut he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.

24  The partner of a thief ^ghates his own life;

^hhe hears the curse, but discloses nothing.

25  ⁱThe fear of man lays a snare,

but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.

26  Many ^jseek the face of a ruler,

but it is from the Lord that a man ^kgets justice.

27  ^lAn unjust man is an abomination to the righteous,

but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked.

The man declares, I am weary, O God;

I am weary, O God, and worn out.²

2  Surely I am too ^mstupid to be a man.

I have not the understanding of a man.

3  I have not learned wisdom,

nor have I knowledge of ⁿthe Holy One.

4  Who has ^oascended to heaven and come down?

Who has ^pgathered the wind in his fists?

Who has ^qwrapped up the waters in a garment?

Who has established all ^rthe ends of the earth?

^sWhat is his name, and what is his son’s name?

Surely you know!

5  ^tEvery word of God proves true;

he is ^ua shield to those who take refuge in him.

6  ^vDo not add to his words,

lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

7  Two things I ask of you;

deny them not to me ^wbefore I die:

8  Remove far from me falsehood and lying;

give me neither poverty nor riches;

feed me with the food that is ^xneedful for me,

9  lest I be ^yfull and ^zdeny you

and say, ^a“Who is the Lord?”

or lest I be poor and steal

^band profane the name of my God.

10  ^cDo not slander a servant to his master,

^dlest he curse you, and you be held guilty.

11  There are those³ who ^ecurse their fathers

and do not bless their mothers.

12  There are those who are ^fclean in their own eyes

but are not washed of their filth.

13  There are those—how ^glofty are their eyes,

how high their eyelids lift!

14  There are those whose teeth are ^hswords,

whose ⁱfangs are knives,

to ^jdevour the poor from off the earth,

the needy from among mankind.

15  The leech has two daughters:

Give and Give.⁴

^kThree things are never satisfied;

^kfour never say, “Enough”:

16  ^lSheol, ^mthe barren womb,

the land never satisfied with water,

and the fire that never says, “Enough.”

17  The eye that ⁿmocks a father

and ^oscorns to obey a mother

will ^pbe picked out by ^qthe ravens of the valley

and eaten by the vultures.

18  ^kThree things are ^rtoo wonderful for me;

^kfour I do not understand:

19  the way of an eagle in the sky,

the way of a serpent on a rock,

the way of a ship on the high seas,

and the way of a man with a virgin.

20  This is the way of an adulteress:

she eats and wipes her mouth

and says, “I have done no wrong.”

21  Under ^kthree things ^sthe earth trembles;

under ^kfour it cannot bear up:

22  ^ta slave when he becomes king,

and a fool when he is ^ufilled with food;

23  ^van unloved woman when she ^wgets a husband,

and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.

24  ^kFour things on earth are small,

but they are exceedingly wise:

25  ^xthe ants are a people not strong,

yet they provide their food in the summer;

26  ^ythe rock badgers are a people not mighty,

yet they make their homes in the cliffs;

27  the locusts have no ^zking,

yet all of them march in ^arank;

28  the lizard you can take in your hands,

yet it is in kings’ palaces.

29  ^bThree things are stately in their tread;

^bfour are stately in their stride:

30  the lion, which is mightiest among beasts

and ^cdoes not turn back before any;

31  the ^dstrutting rooster,⁵ the he-goat,

and a king whose army is with him.⁶

32  If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,

or if you have been devising evil,

^eput your hand on your mouth.

33  For pressing milk produces curds,

pressing the nose produces blood,

and pressing anger produces strife.

2  What are you doing, my son?¹ What are you doing, ^fson of my womb?

What are you doing, ^gson of my vows?

3  Do ^hnot give your strength to women,

your ways to those ⁱwho destroy kings.

4  ^jIt is not for kings, O Lemuel,

it is not for kings ^kto drink wine,

or for rulers to take ^lstrong drink,

5  lest they drink and forget what has been decreed

and ^mpervert the rights of all the afflicted.

6  Give strong drink to the one who ⁿis perishing,

and wine to ^othose in bitter distress;²

7  ^plet them drink and forget their poverty

and remember their misery no more.

8  ^qOpen your mouth for the mute,

for the rights of all who are destitute.³

9  Open your mouth, ^rjudge righteously,

^sdefend the rights of ^tthe poor and needy.

10  ^{4 u}An excellent wife who can find?

She is far more precious than ^vjewels.

11  The heart of her husband trusts in her,

and he will have no lack of gain.

12  She does him good, and not harm,

all the days of her life.

13  She ^wseeks wool and flax,

and works with willing hands.

14  She is like the ships of the merchant;

she brings her food from afar.

15  She ^xrises while it is yet night

and ^yprovides food for her household

and portions for her maidens.

16  She considers a field and buys it;

with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

17  She ^zdresses herself⁵ with strength

and makes her arms strong.

18  She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.

Her lamp does not go out at night.

19  She puts her hands to the distaff,

and her hands hold the spindle.

20  She ^aopens her hand to ^bthe poor

and reaches out her hands to ^bthe needy.

21  She is not afraid of snow for her household,

for all her household are clothed in ^cscarlet.⁶

22  She makes ^dbed coverings for herself;

her clothing is ^efine linen and ^fpurple.

23  Her husband is known in ^gthe gates

when he sits among the elders of the land.

24  She makes ^hlinen garments and sells them;

she delivers sashes to the merchant.

25  ⁱStrength and dignity are her clothing,

and she laughs at the time to come.

26  She opens her mouth with wisdom,

and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

27  She looks well to the ways of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28  Her children rise up and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her:

29  “Many ^jwomen have done ^kexcellently,

but you surpass them all.”

30  ^lCharm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,

but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

31  Give her of the fruit of her hands,

and let her works praise her in the gates.

2  ^cVanity² of vanities, says ^athe Preacher,

^cvanity of vanities! ^dAll is vanity.

3  ^eWhat ^fdoes man gain by all the toil

at which he toils under the sun?

4  A generation goes, and a generation comes,

but ^gthe earth remains forever.

5  ^hThe sun rises, and the sun goes down,

and hastens³ to the place where it rises.

6  ⁱThe wind blows to the south

and goes around to the north;

around and around goes the wind,

and on its circuits the wind returns.

7  All ^jstreams run to the sea,

but the sea is not full;

to the place where the streams flow,

there they flow again.

8  All things are full of weariness;

a man cannot utter it;

^kthe eye is not satisfied with seeing,

nor the ear filled with hearing.

9  ^lWhat has been is what will be,

and what has been done is what will be done,

and there is nothing new under the sun.

10  Is there a thing of which it is said,

“See, this is new”?

It has been ^malready

in the ages before us.

11  There is no ⁿremembrance of former things,⁴

nor will there be any remembrance

of later things⁵ yet to be

among those who come after.

15  ^sWhat is crooked cannot be made straight,

and what is lacking cannot be counted.

18  For ^win much wisdom is much vexation,

and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.