20 yWine is a mocker, zstrong drink a brawler,

and whoever ais led astray by it is not wise.1

2  The terror of a king is like bthe growling of a lion;

whoever provokes him to anger cforfeits his life.

3  It is an honor for a man to dkeep aloof from strife,

but every fool will be quarreling.

4  eThe sluggard does not plow in the autumn;

fhe will seek at harvest and have nothing.

5  The purpose in a man’s heart is like gdeep water,

but a man of understanding will draw it out.

6  Many a man hproclaims his own steadfast love,

but ia faithful man who can find?

7  The righteous who jwalks in his integrity—

kblessed are his children after him!

8  lA king who sits on the throne of judgment

mwinnows all evil with his eyes.

9  nWho can say, “I have made my heart pure;

I am clean from my sin”?

10  oUnequal2 weights and unequal measures

are both alike an abomination to the Lord.

11  Even a child pmakes himself known by his acts,

by whether his conduct is pure and upright.3

12  qThe hearing ear and the seeing eye,

rthe Lord has made them both.

13  sLove not sleep, lest you tcome to poverty;

open your eyes, and you will have uplenty of bread.

14  “Bad, bad,” says the buyer,

but when he goes away, then he boasts.

15  There is gold and abundance of vcostly stones,

wbut the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

16  xTake a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger,

and yhold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners.4

17  zBread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,

but afterward his mouth will be full of agravel.

18  bPlans are established by counsel;

by cwise guidance dwage war.

19  Whoever egoes about slandering reveals secrets;

therefore do not associate with fa simple babbler.5

20  gIf one curses his father or his mother,

hhis lamp will be put out in utter darkness.

21  iAn inheritance gained hastily in the beginning

will not be blessed in the end.

22  Do not say, j“I will repay evil”;

kwait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.

23  lUnequal weights are an abomination to the Lord,

and mfalse scales are not good.

24  A man’s nsteps are from the Lord;

how then can man understand his way?

25  It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,”

and to reflect only oafter making vows.

26  A wise king pwinnows the wicked

and drives qthe wheel over them.

27  rThe spirit6 of man is the lamp of the Lord,

ssearching all this innermost parts.

28  uSteadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king,

and by steadfast love his vthrone is upheld.

29  The glory of young men is their strength,

but wthe splendor of old men is their gray hair.

30  xBlows that wound cleanse away evil;

strokes make clean tthe innermost parts.

21 The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;

he yturns it wherever he will.

2  zEvery way of a man is right in his own eyes,

but the Lord aweighs the heart.

3  bTo do righteousness and justice

is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

4  cHaughty eyes and a proud heart,

dthe lamp1 of the wicked, are sin.

5  The plans of ethe diligent lead surely to abundance,

but everyone who is fhasty comes gonly to poverty.

6  hThe getting of treasures by a lying tongue

is a ifleeting jvapor and a ksnare of death.2

7  The violence of the wicked will lsweep them away,

because they refuse to do what is just.

8  The way of the guilty mis crooked,

but the conduct of the pure is upright.

9  It is nbetter to live in a corner of the housetop

than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.

10  The soul of the wicked desires evil;

his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.

11  When oa scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise;

when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.

12  The Righteous One pobserves the house of the wicked;

he throws the wicked down to ruin.

13  qWhoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor

will himself call out and not be answered.

14  rA gift in secret averts anger,

and a concealed bribe,3 strong wrath.

15  When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous

sbut terror to evildoers.

16  One who wanders from the way of good sense

twill rest in the assembly of the dead.

17  Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man;

he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

18  uThe wicked is a vransom for the righteous,

and the traitor for the upright.

19  It is wbetter to live in a desert land

than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.

20  xPrecious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling,

but a foolish man ydevours it.

21  Whoever zpursues righteousness and kindness

will find alife, righteousness, and honor.

22  bA wise man scales the city of the mighty

and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.

23  cWhoever keeps his mouth and his tongue

dkeeps himself out of etrouble.

24  f“Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man

who acts with arrogant pride.

25  The desire of gthe sluggard kills him,

for his hands refuse to labor.

26  All day long he craves and craves,

but the righteous hgives and does not hold back.

27  iThe sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;

how much more jwhen he brings it with evil intent.

28  kA false witness will perish,

but the word of a man who hears will endure.

29  A wicked man puts on a bold face,

but the upright lgives thought to4 his ways.

30  mNo wisdom, no understanding, no counsel

can avail against the Lord.

31  nThe horse is made ready for the day of battle,

but othe victory belongs to the Lord.

22 pA good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,

and favor is better than silver or gold.

2  qThe rich and the poor meet together;

the Lord is rthe Maker of them all.

3  sThe prudent sees danger and hides himself,

but the simple go on and suffer for it.

4  The reward for humility and fear of the Lord

is triches and honor and life.1

5  uThorns and snares are in the way of the crooked;

whoever vguards his soul will keep far from them.

6  wTrain up a child in the way he should go;

even when he is old he will not depart from it.

7  xThe rich rules over the poor,

and the borrower is the slave of the lender.

8  Whoever ysows injustice will reap calamity,

and zthe rod of his fury will fail.

9  aWhoever has a bountiful2 eye will be blessed,

for he bshares his bread with the poor.

10  cDrive out a scoffer, dand strife will go out,

and equarreling and abuse will cease.

11  He who floves purity of heart,

and whose gspeech is gracious, hwill have the king as his friend.

12  The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,

but he ioverthrows the words of the traitor.

13  jThe sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!

I shall be killed in the streets!”

14  The mouth of kforbidden3 women is la deep pit;

mhe with whom the Lord is angry will fall into it.

15  Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,

but nthe rod of discipline drives it far from him.

16  Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth,

or gives to the rich, owill only come to poverty.

Words of the Wise

17  pIncline your ear, and hear qthe words of the wise,

rand apply your heart to my knowledge,

18  for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,

if all of them are ready on your lips.

19  That your trust may be in the Lord,

I have made them known to you today, even to you.

20  Have I not written for you sthirty sayings

of counsel and knowledge,

21  to tmake you know what is right and true,

that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?

22  uDo not rob the poor, because he is poor,

or vcrush the afflicted at wthe gate,

23  for xthe Lord will plead their cause

and rob of life those who rob them.

24  Make no friendship with a man given to anger,

nor go with a wrathful man,

25  lest you learn his ways

and entangle yourself in a snare.

26  Be not one of those who ygive pledges,

who put up security for debts.

27  If you have nothing with which to pay,

why should zyour bed be taken from under you?

28  Do not move the ancient alandmark

that your fathers have set.

29  Do you see a man skillful in his work?

He will bstand before kings;

he will not stand before obscure men.