1  ^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.

1  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 to⁴ 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  You know my ^breproach,

and my shame and my dishonor;

my foes are all known to you.

20  ^bReproaches have broken my heart,

so that I am in ^cdespair.

I ^dlooked for ^epity, but there was none,

and for ^fcomforters, but I found none.

21  They gave me ^gpoison for food,

and for my thirst they gave me ^hsour wine to drink.

22  ⁱLet their own ^jtable before them become a snare;

^kand when they are at peace, let it become a trap.¹

23  ^lLet their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see,

^mand make their loins tremble continually.

24  Pour out your indignation upon them,

and let your burning anger overtake them.

25  ⁿMay their camp be a desolation;

let no one dwell in their tents.

26  For they ^opersecute him whom ^pyou have struck down,

and they recount the pain of ^qthose you have wounded.

27  ^rAdd to them punishment upon punishment;

may they have no acquittal from you.²

28  Let them be ^sblotted out of the book of the living;

let them not be ^tenrolled among the righteous.

29  But I am afflicted and in pain;

let your salvation, O God, ^uset me on high!

30  I will ^vpraise the name of God with a song;

I will ^wmagnify him with ^xthanksgiving.

31  This will ^yplease the Lord more than an ox

or a bull ^zwith horns and hoofs.

32  When ^athe humble see it they will be glad;

you who seek God, ^alet your hearts revive.

33  For the Lord hears the needy

and ^bdoes not despise his own people who are prisoners.

34  Let ^cheaven and earth praise him,

the seas and everything that moves in them.

35  For ^dGod will save Zion

and build up the cities of Judah,

and people shall dwell there and possess it;

36  ^ethe offspring of his servants shall inherit it,

and those who love his name shall dwell in it.