Proverbs 22:17–24:22

WORDS OF THE WISE

¹⁷Listen closely,^B pay attention to the words of the wise,^q

and apply your mind to my knowledge.

¹⁸For it is pleasing if you keep them within you

and if they are^C constantly on your lips.

¹⁹I have instructed you today—even you—

so that your confidence may be in the Lord.

²⁰Haven’t I written for you thirty sayings^D

about counsel and knowledge,

²¹in order to teach you true and reliable words,

so that you may give a dependable report^Er

to those who sent you?^s

²²Don’t rob a poor person because he is poor,

and don’t crush the oppressed^t at the city gate,^u

²³for the Lord will champion their cause^v

and will plunder those who plunder them.

²⁴Don’t make friends with an angry person,^F

and don’t be a companion of a hot-tempered one,^w

²⁵or you will learn his ways^x

and entangle yourself in a snare.

²⁶Don’t be one of those who enter agreements,^A

who put up security for loans.^y

²⁷If you have nothing with which to pay,

even your bed will be taken from under you.^z

²⁸Don’t move an ancient boundary marker

that your ancestors set up.^a

²⁹Do you see a person skilled in his work?

He will stand in the presence of kings.

He will not stand in the presence of the unknown.^a

23When you sit down to dine with a ruler,

consider carefully what^B is before you,

²and put a knife to your throat

if you have a big^C appetite;

³don’t desire his choice food,^b

for that food is deceptive.

⁴Don’t wear yourself out to get rich;^c

because you know better, stop!

⁵As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears,^d

for it makes wings for itself

and flies like an eagle to the sky.

⁶Don’t eat a stingy person’s bread,^De

and don’t desire his choice food,^f

⁷for it’s like someone calculating inwardly.^Eg

“Eat and drink,” he says to you,

but his heart is not with you.^h

⁸You will vomit the little you’ve eaten

and waste your pleasant words.

⁹Don’t speak to^F a fool,

for he will despise the insight of your words.ⁱ

¹⁰Don’t move an ancient boundary marker,^j

and don’t encroach on the fields of the fatherless,

¹¹for their Redeemer is strong,^k

and he will champion their cause against you.^l

¹²Apply yourself to discipline

and listen to words of knowledge.

¹³Don’t withhold discipline from a youth;

if you punish him with a rod, he will not die.^m

¹⁴Punish him with a rod,

and you will rescue his life from Sheol.ⁿ

¹⁵My son, if your heart is wise,

my heart will indeed rejoice.^o

¹⁶My innermost being will celebrate

when your lips say what is right.^p

¹⁷Don’t let your heart envy sinners;^q

instead, always fear the Lord.^r

¹⁸For then you will have a future,

and your hope will not be dashed.^s

¹⁹Listen, my son, and be wise;

keep your mind on the right course.

²⁰Don’t associate with those who drink too much wine^t

or with those who gorge themselves on meat.^u

²¹For the drunkard and the glutton will become poor,

and grogginess will clothe them in rags.^v

²²Listen to your father who gave you life,

and don’t despise your mother when^A she is old.^w

²³Buy—and do not sell—truth,

wisdom, instruction, and understanding.^x

²⁴The father of a righteous son will rejoice greatly,

and one who fathers a wise son will delight in him.^y

²⁵Let your father and mother have joy,^z

and let her who gave birth to you rejoice.

²⁶My son, give me your heart,

and let your eyes observe my ways.

²⁷For a prostitute is a deep pit,^aa

and a wayward woman is a narrow well;

²⁸indeed, she sets an ambush like a robber^ab

and increases the number of unfaithful people.

²⁹Who has woe? Who has sorrow?

Who has conflicts? Who has complaints?

Who has wounds for no reason?^ac

Who has red eyes?

³⁰Those who linger over wine;

those who go looking for mixed wine.^ad

³¹Don’t gaze at wine because it is red,^a

because it gleams in the cup

and goes down smoothly.^b

³²In the end it bites like a snake

and stings like a viper.

³³Your eyes will see strange things,

and you will say absurd things.^Bc

³⁴You’ll be like someone sleeping out at sea

or lying down on the top of a ship’s mast.

³⁵“They struck me, but^C I feel no pain!

They beat me, but I didn’t know it!^d

When will I wake up?

I’ll look for another drink.”^e

24Don’t envy the evil^f

or desire to be with them,^g

²for their hearts plan violence,

and their words stir up trouble.^h

³A house is built by wisdom,ⁱ

and it is established by understanding;

⁴by knowledge the rooms are filled

with every precious and beautiful treasure.

⁵A wise warrior is better than a strong one,^A

and a man of knowledge than one of strength;^Bj

⁶for you should wage war with sound guidance—

victory comes with many counselors.^k

⁷Wisdom is inaccessible to^C a fool;^l

he does not open his mouth at the city gate.^m

⁸The one who plots evilⁿ

will be called a schemer.

⁹A foolish scheme is sin,

and a mocker is detestable to people.

¹⁰If you do nothing in a difficult time,

your strength is limited.

¹¹Rescue those being taken off to death,

and save those stumbling toward slaughter.^o

¹²If you say, “But we didn’t know about this,”

won’t he who weighs hearts^p consider it?

Won’t he who protects your life^q know?

Won’t he repay a person according to his work?^r

¹³Eat honey,^s my son, for it is good,

and the honeycomb is sweet to your palate;^t

¹⁴realize that wisdom is the same for you.^u

If you find it, you will have a future,

and your hope will never fade.^v

¹⁵Don’t set an ambush, you wicked one,

at the camp of the righteous man;^w

don’t destroy his dwelling.

¹⁶Though a righteous person falls seven times,

he will get up,^x

but the wicked will stumble into ruin.^y

¹⁷Don’t gloat when your enemy falls,

and don’t let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,^z

¹⁸or the Lord will see, be displeased,

and turn his wrath away from him.

¹⁹Don’t be agitated by evildoers,

and don’t envy the wicked.^aa

²⁰For the evil have no future;^ab

the lamp of the wicked will be put out.^ac

²¹My son, fear the Lord, as well as the king,^ad

and don’t associate with rebels,^D

²²for destruction will come suddenly from them;

who knows what distress these two can bring?