Chapter 9

1 Do not be jealous of the wife of your bosom,

and do not teach her an evil lesson to your own hurt.

2 Do not give yourself to a woman

so that she gains mastery over your strength.

3 Do not go to meet a loose woman,

lest you fall into her snares.

4 Do not associate with a woman singer,

lest you be caught in her intrigues.

5 Do not look intently at a virgin,

lest you stumble and incur penalties for her.

6 Do not give yourself to harlots

lest you lose your inheritance.

7 Do not look around in the streets of a city,

nor wander about in its deserted sections.

8 Turn away your eyes from a shapely woman,

and do not look intently at beauty belonging to another;

many have been misled by a woman’s beauty,

and by it passion is kindled like a fire.

9 Never dine with another man’s wife,

nor revel with her at wine;

lest your heart turn aside to her,

and in bloodi you be plunged into destruction.

10 Forsake not an old friend,

for a new one does not compare with him.

A new friend is like new wine;

when it has aged you will drink it with pleasure.

11 Do not envy the honors of a sinner,

for you do not know what his end will be.

12 Do not delight in what pleases the ungodly;

remember that they will not be held guiltless as long as they live.

13 Keep far from a man who has the power to kill,

and you will not be worried by the fear of death.

But if you approach him, make no misstep,

lest he rob you of your life.

Know that you are walking in the midst of snares,

and that you are going about on the city battlements.

14 As much as you can, aim to know your neighbors,

and consult with the wise.

15 Let your conversation be with men of understanding,

and let all your discussion be about the law of the Most High.

16 Let righteous men be your dinner companions,

and let your glorying be in the fear of the Lord.

17 A work will be praised for the skill of the craftsmen;

so a people’s leader is proved wise by his words.

18 A babbler is feared in his city,

and the man who is reckless in speech will be hated.

Chapter 10

1 A wise magistrate will educate his people,

and the rule of an understanding man will be well ordered.

2 Like the magistrate of the people, so are his officials;

and like the ruler of the city, so are all its inhabitants.

3 An undisciplined king will ruin his people,

but a city will grow through the understanding of its rulers.

4 The government of the earth is in the hands of the Lord,

and over it he will raise up the right man for the time.

5 The success of a man is in the hands of the Lord,

and he confers his honor upon the person of the scribe.j

6 Do not be angry with your neighbor for any injury,

and do not attempt anything by acts of insolence.

7 Arrogance is hateful before the Lord and before men,

and injustice is outrageous to both.

8 Sovereignty passes from nation to nation

on account of injustice and insolence and wealth.

9 How can he who is dust and ashes be proud?

for even in life his bowels decay.k

10 A long illness baffles the physician;l

the king of today will die tomorrow.

11 For when a man is dead,

he will inherit creeping things, and wild beasts, and worms.

12 The beginning of man’s pride is to depart from the Lord;

his heart has forsaken his Maker.

13 For the beginning of pride is sin,

and the man who clings to it pours out abominations.

Therefore the Lord brought upon them extraordinary afflictions,

and destroyed them utterly.

14 The Lord has cast down the thrones of rulers,

and has seated the lowly in their place.

15 The Lord has plucked up the roots of the nations,m

and has planted the humble in their place.

16 The Lord has overthrown the lands of the nations,

and has destroyed them to the foundations of the earth.

17 He has removed some of them and destroyed them,

and has extinguished the memory of them from the earth.

18 Pride was not created for men,

nor fierce anger for those born of women.

19 What race is worthy of honor? The human race.

What race is worthy of honor? Those who fear the Lord.

What race is unworthy of honor? The human race.

What race is unworthy of honor? Those who transgress the commandments.

20 Among brothers their leader is worthy of honor,

and those who fear the Lord are worthy of honor in his eyes.*

22 The rich, and the eminent, and the poor—

their glory is the fear of the Lord.

23 It is not right to despise an intelligent poor man,

nor is it proper to honor a sinful man.

24 The nobleman, and the judge, and the ruler will be honored,

but none of them is greater than the man who fears the Lord.

25 Free men will be at the service of a wise servant,

and a man of understanding will not grumble.

26 Do not make a display of your wisdom when you do your work,

nor glorify yourself at a time when you are in want.

27 Better is a man who works and has an abundance of everything,

than one who goes about boasting, but lacks bread.

28 My son, glorify yourself with humility,

and ascribe to yourself honor according to your worth.

29 Who will justify the man that sins against himself?

And who will honor the man that dishonors his own life?

30 A poor man is honored for his knowledge,

while a rich man is honored for his wealth.

31 A man honored in poverty, how much more in wealth!

And a man dishonored in wealth, how much more in poverty!

Chapter 11

1 The wisdom of a humble man will lift up his head,

and will seat him among the great.

2 Do not praise a man for his good looks,

nor loathe a man because of his appearance.

3 The bee is small among flying creatures,

but her product is the best of sweet things.

4 Do not boast about wearing fine clothes,

nor exalt yourself in the day that you are honored;

for the works of the Lord are wonderful,

and his works are concealed from men.

5 Many kings have had to sit on the ground,

but one who was never thought of has worn a crown.

6 Many rulers have been greatly disgraced,

and illustrious men have been handed over to others.

7 Do not find fault before you investigate;

first consider, and then reprove.

8 Do not answer before you have heard,

nor interrupt a speaker in the midst of his words.

9 Do not argue about a matter which does not concern you,

nor sit with sinners when they judge a case.

10 My son, do not busy yourself with many matters;

if you multiply activities you will not go unpunished,

and if you pursue you will not overtake,

and by fleeing you will not escape.

11 There is a man who works, and toils, and presses on,

but is so much the more in want.

12 There is another who is slow and needs help,

who lacks strength and abounds in poverty;

but the eyes of the Lord look upon him for his good;

he lifts him out of his low estate

13 and raises up his head,

so that many are amazed at him.

14 Good things and bad, life and death,

poverty and wealth, come from the Lord.*

17 The gift of the Lord endures for those who are godly,

and what he approves will have lasting success.

18 There is a man who is rich through his diligence and self-denial,

and this is the reward allotted to him:

19 when he says, “I have found rest,

and now I shall enjoyp my goods!”

he does not know how much time will pass

until he leaves them to others and dies.

20 Stand by your covenantq and attend to it,

and grow old in your work.

21 Do not wonder at the works of a sinner,

but trust in the Lord and keep at your toil;

for it is easy in the sight of the Lord

to enrich a poor man quickly and suddenly.

22 The blessing of the Lord isr the reward of the godly,

and quickly God causes his blessing to flourish.

23 Do not say, “What do I need,

and what prosperity could be mine in the future?”

24 Do not say, “I have enough,

and what calamity could happen to me in the future?”

25 In the day of prosperity, adversity is forgotten,

and in the day of adversity, prosperity is not remembered.

26 For it is easy in the sight of the Lord

to reward a man on the day of death according to his conduct.

27 The misery of an hour makes one forget luxury,

and at the close of a man’s life his deeds will be revealed.

28 Call no one happy before his death;

a man will be known through his children.

29 Do not bring every man into your home,

for many are the wiles of the crafty.

30 Like a decoy partridge in a cage, so is the mind of a proud man,

and like a spy he observes your weakness;s

31 for he lies in wait, turning good into evil,

and to worthy actions he will attach blame.

32 From a spark of fire come many burning coals,

and a sinner lies in wait to shed blood.

33 Beware of a scoundrel, for he devises evil,

lest he give you a lasting blemish.

34 Receive a stranger into your home and he will upset you with commotion,

and will estrange you from your family.