Proverbs 22

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

and favor is better than silver or gold.

^2qThe rich and the poor meet together;

the Lord is ^rthe Maker of them all.

^3sThe prudent sees danger and hides himself,

but the simple go on and suffer for it.

⁴The reward for humility and fear of the Lord

is ^triches and honor and life.¹

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

whoever ^vguards his soul will keep far from them.

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

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

^7xThe rich rules over the poor,

and the borrower is the slave of the lender.

⁸Whoever ^ysows injustice will reap calamity,

and ^zthe rod of his fury will fail.

^9aWhoever has a bountiful² eye will be blessed,

for he ^bshares his bread with the poor.

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

and ^equarreling and abuse will cease.

¹¹He who ^floves purity of heart,

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

¹²The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,

but he ⁱoverthrows the words of the traitor.

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

I shall be killed in the streets!”

¹⁴The mouth of ^kforbidden³ women is ^la deep pit;

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

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

but ⁿthe rod of discipline drives it far from him.

¹⁶Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth,

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

Words of the Wise

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

^rand apply your heart to my knowledge,

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

if all of them are ready on your lips.

¹⁹That your trust may be in the Lord,

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

²⁰Have I not written for you ^sthirty sayings

of counsel and knowledge,

²¹to ^tmake you know what is right and true,

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

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

or ^vcrush the afflicted at ^wthe gate,

²³for ^xthe Lord will plead their cause

and rob of life those who rob them.

²⁴Make no friendship with a man given to anger,

nor go with a wrathful man,

²⁵lest you learn his ways

and entangle yourself in a snare.

²⁶Be not one of those who ^ygive pledges,

who put up security for debts.

²⁷If you have nothing with which to pay,

why should ^zyour bed be taken from under you?

²⁸Do not move the ancient ^alandmark

that your fathers have set.

²⁹Do you see a man skillful in his work?

He will ^bstand before kings;

he will not stand before obscure men.