12 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

but he who zhates reproof is astupid.

2  A good man bobtains favor from the Lord,

but a man of evil devices he condemns.

3  No one is established by wickedness,

but the root of cthe righteous will never be moved.

4  dAn excellent wife is ethe crown of her husband,

but she who fbrings shame is like grottenness in his bones.

5  hThe thoughts of the righteous are just;

the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.

6  The words of the wicked ilie in wait for blood,

but jthe mouth of the upright delivers them.

7  kThe wicked are loverthrown and are no more,

mbut the house of the righteous will stand.

8  A man is commended according to his good sense,

but one of twisted mind is ndespised.

9  Better to be lowly and have a servant

than to play the great man and lack bread.

10  oWhoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,

but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.

11  pWhoever works his land qwill have plenty of bread,

rbut he who follows sworthless pursuits lacks sense.

12  Whoever is wicked covets tthe spoil of evildoers,

but the root of the righteous bears fruit.

13  An evil man is ensnared uby the transgression of his lips, 1

vbut the righteous escapes from trouble.

14  From the fruit of his mouth wa man is satisfied with good,

xand the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.

15  yThe way of a fool is right in his own eyes,

but a wise man listens to advice.

16  zThe vexation of a fool is known at once,

but the prudent ignores an insult.

17  aWhoever speaks2 the truth gives honest evidence,

but ba false witness utters deceit.

18  cThere is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,

but the tongue of the wise brings dhealing.

19  Truthful lips endure forever,

but ea lying tongue is but for a moment.

20  Deceit is in the heart of fthose who devise evil,

but those who plan peace have joy.

21  gNo ill befalls the righteous,

but the wicked are filled with trouble.

22  hLying lips are ian abomination to the Lord,

jbut those who act faithfully are his delight.

23  kA prudent man conceals knowledge,

kbut the heart of fools proclaims folly.

24  lThe hand of the diligent will rule,

while the slothful will be mput to forced labor.

25  nAnxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down,

but a good word makes him glad.

26  One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor,3

but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

27  oWhoever is slothful will not roast his game,

but the diligent man will get precious wealth.4

28  pIn the path of righteousness is life,

and in its pathway there is no death.

13 A wise son hears his father’s instruction,

but qa scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

2  From the fruit of his mouth a man reats what is good,

but the desire of the treacherous sis for violence.

3  tWhoever guards his mouth preserves his life;

uhe who opens wide his lips vcomes to ruin.

4  wThe soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,

while the soul of the diligent xis richly supplied.

5  The righteous hates falsehood,

but the wicked brings shame1 and disgrace.

6  yRighteousness guards him whose zway is blameless,

but sin overthrows the wicked.

7  aOne pretends to be rich,2 yet has nothing;

banother pretends to be poor,3 yet has great wealth.

8  The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,

but a poor man chears no threat.

9  dThe light of the righteous rejoices,

but ethe lamp of the wicked will be put out.

10  fBy insolence comes nothing but strife,

but with those who take advice is wisdom.

11  gWealth gained hastily4 will dwindle,

but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

12  Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

hbut a desire fulfilled is ia tree of life.

13  Whoever jdespises kthe word5 brings destruction on himself,

but he who reveres the commandment6 will be lrewarded.

14  The teaching of the wise is ma fountain of life,

that one may nturn away from the snares of death.

15  oGood sense wins pfavor,

but the way of the treacherous is their ruin.7

16  qEvery prudent man acts with knowledge,

rbut a fool flaunts his folly.

17  A wicked messenger falls into trouble,

but sa faithful envoy brings healing.

18  Poverty and disgrace come to him who tignores instruction,

ubut whoever vheeds reproof is honored.

19  wA desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,

but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.

20  Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,

but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

21  xDisaster8 pursues sinners,

ybut the righteous are rewarded with good.

22  zA good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,

but athe sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.

23  The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food,

but it is swept away through binjustice.

24  cWhoever spares the rod hates his son,

but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.9

25  dThe righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,

but the belly of the wicked suffers want.

14 eThe wisest of women fbuilds her house,

but folly with her own hands gtears it down.

2  Whoever hwalks in uprightness fears the Lord,

but he who is idevious in his ways despises him.

3  By the mouth of a fool comes ja rod for his back,1

kbut the lips of the wise will preserve them.

4  Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,

but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.

5  lA faithful witness does not lie,

but ma false witness breathes out lies.

6  nA scoffer seeks wisdom oin vain,

but pknowledge is easy for a man of understanding.

7  Leave the presence of a fool,

for there you do not meet words of knowledge.

8  The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,

but the folly of fools is deceiving.

9  qFools mock at the guilt offering,

but the upright enjoy acceptance.2

10  The heart knows its own rbitterness,

and no stranger shares its joy.

11  sThe house of the wicked will be destroyed,

but the tent of the upright will flourish.

12  tThere is a way that seems right to a man,

but uits end is the way to death.3

13  Even in laughter the heart may ache,

and vthe end of joy may be wgrief.

14  The backslider in heart will be xfilled with the fruit of his ways,

and ya good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.

15  zThe simple believes everything,

but the prudent gives thought to his steps.

16  aOne who is wise is cautious4 and bturns away from evil,

but a fool is reckless and careless.

17  A man of cquick temper acts foolishly,

and a man of evil devices is hated.

18  The simple inherit folly,

but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

19  dThe evil bow down before the good,

the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

20  eThe poor is disliked even by his neighbor,

fbut the rich has many friends.

21  Whoever gdespises his neighbor is a sinner,

but hblessed is he who is generous to the poor.

22  Do they not go astray who idevise evil?

Those who devise good meet5 jsteadfast love and faithfulness.

23  In all toil there is profit,

but mere talk ktends only to poverty.

24  The crown of the wise is their wealth,

but the folly of fools brings folly.

25  A truthful witness saves lives,

but one who lbreathes out lies is deceitful.

26  In the fear of the Lord one has mstrong confidence,

and nhis children will have oa refuge.

27  The fear of the Lord is pa fountain of life,

that one may qturn away from the snares of death.

28  In ra multitude of people is the glory of a king,

but without people a prince is ruined.

29  Whoever is sslow to anger has great understanding,

but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

30  A tranquil6 heart gives tlife to the flesh,

but uenvy7 makes vthe bones rot.

31  Whoever oppresses a poor man winsults his xMaker,

ybut he who is generous to the needy honors him.

32  zThe wicked is overthrown through his evildoing,

but athe righteous finds refuge in his death.

33  Wisdom brests in the heart of a man of understanding,

but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools.8

34  Righteousness exalts a nation,

but sin is a reproach to any people.

35  A servant who deals wisely has cthe king’s favor,

but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.

15 dA soft answer turns away wrath,

but ea harsh word stirs up anger.

2  The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,

but fthe mouths of fools pour out folly.

3  gThe eyes of the Lord are in every place,

keeping watch on the evil and the good.

4  hA gentle1 tongue is ia tree of life,

but jperverseness in it breaks the spirit.

5  kA fool ldespises his father’s instruction,

but mwhoever heeds reproof is prudent.

6  In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,

but trouble befalls the income of the wicked.

7  nThe lips of the wise spread knowledge;

nnot so the hearts of fools.2

8  oThe sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,

but pthe prayer of the upright is acceptable to him.

9  The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,

but he loves him qwho pursues righteousness.

10  There is rsevere discipline for him who forsakes the way;

swhoever hates reproof will die.

11  Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord;

how much more tthe hearts of the children of man!

12  uA scoffer vdoes not like to be reproved;

he will not go to the wise.

13  wA glad heart makes a cheerful face,

but by xsorrow of heart the spirit is ycrushed.

14  zThe heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,

but the mouths of fools feed on folly.

15  All the days of the afflicted are evil,

but athe cheerful of heart has a continual feast.

16  bBetter is a little with the fear of the Lord

than great treasure and trouble with it.

17  cBetter is a dinner of herbs where love is

than da fattened ox and hatred with it.

18  eA hot-tempered man fstirs up strife,

but he who is gslow to anger quiets contention.

19  The way of ha sluggard is like a hedge of ithorns,

but the path of the upright is ja level highway.

20  kA wise son makes a glad father,

but a foolish man despises his mother.

21  lFolly is a joy to him who lacks sense,

but a man of understanding mwalks straight ahead.

22  nWithout counsel plans fail,

but with many advisers they succeed.

23  To make an apt answer is a joy to a man,

and oa word in season, how good it is!

24  The path of life leads upward pfor the