Proverbs 22:17–24:22

The Thirty Wise Sayings

¹⁷Listen, and I will teach you what the wise have said. Study their teachings, ¹⁸and you will be glad if you remember them and can quote them. ¹⁹I want you to put your trust in the Lord; that is why I am going to tell them to you now. ²⁰I have written down thirty sayings for you. They contain knowledge and good advice, ²¹and will teach you what the truth really is. Then when you are sent to find it out, you will bring back the right answer.

²²Don’t take advantage of the poor just because you can; don’t take advantage of those who stand helpless in court. ²³The Lord will argue their case for them and threaten the life of anyone who threatens theirs.

²⁴Don’t make friends with people who have hot, violent tempers. ²⁵You might learn their habits and not be able to change.

²⁶Don’t promise to be responsible for someone else’s debts. ²⁷If you should be unable to pay, they will take away even your bed.

²⁸Never move an old boundary mark that your ancestors established.

²⁹Show me someone who does a good job, and I will show you someone who is better than most and worthy of the company of kings.

23When you sit down to eat with someone important, keep in mind who he is.^{k 2}If you have a big appetite, restrain yourself. ³Don’t be greedy for the fine food he serves; he may be trying to trick you.

⁴Be wise enough not to wear yourself out trying to get rich. ⁵Your money can be gone in a flash, as if it had grown wings and flown away like an eagle.

⁶Don’t eat at the table of a stingy person or be greedy for the fine food he serves. ⁷“Come on and have some more,” he says, but he doesn’t mean it. What he thinks is what he really is. ⁸You will vomit up what you have eaten, and all your flattery will be wasted.

⁹Don’t try to talk sense to a fool; he can’t appreciate it.

¹⁰Never move an old boundary mark or take over land owned by orphans. ¹¹The Lord is their powerful defender, and he will argue their case against you.

¹²Pay attention to your teacher and learn all you can.

¹³Don’t hesitate to discipline children. A good spanking won’t kill them. ¹⁴As a matter of fact, it may save their lives.

¹⁵Son, if you become wise, I will be very happy. ¹⁶I will be proud when I hear you speaking words of wisdom.

¹⁷Don’t be envious of sinful people; let reverence for the Lord be the concern of your life. ¹⁸If it is, you have a bright future.

¹⁹Listen, my son, be wise and give serious thought to the way you live. ²⁰Don’t associate with people who drink too much wine or stuff themselves with food. ²¹Drunkards and gluttons will be reduced to poverty. If all you do is eat and sleep, you will soon be wearing rags.

²²Listen to your father; without him you would not exist. When your mother is old, show her your appreciation.

²³Truth, wisdom, learning, and good sense—these are worth paying for, but too valuable for you to sell.

²⁴A righteous man’s father has good reason to be happy. You can take pride in a wise son.

²⁵Make your father and mother proud of you; give your mother that happiness.

²⁶Pay close attention, son, and let my life be your example. ²⁷Prostitutes and immoral women are a deadly trap. ²⁸They wait for you like robbers and cause many men to be unfaithful.

^29–30Show me someone who drinks too much, who has to try out some new drink, and I will show you someone miserable and sorry for himself, always causing trouble and always complaining. His eyes are bloodshot, and he has bruises that could have been avoided. ³¹Don’t let wine tempt you, even though it is rich red, though it sparkles in the cup, and it goes down smoothly. ³²The next morning you will feel as if you had been bitten by a poisonous snake. ³³Weird sights will appear before your eyes, and you will not be able to think or speak clearly. ³⁴You will feel as if you were out on the ocean, sea-sick, swinging high up in the rigging of a tossing ship. ³⁵“I must have been hit,” you will say; “I must have been beaten up, but I don’t remember it. Why can’t I wake up? I need another drink.”

24Don’t be envious of evil people, and don’t try to make friends with them. ²Causing trouble is all they ever think about; every time they open their mouth someone is going to be hurt.

³Homes are built on the foundation of wisdom and understanding.^{l 4}Where there is knowledge, the rooms are furnished with valuable, beautiful things.

⁵Being wise is better than being strong;^m yes, knowledge is more important than strength. ⁶After all, you must make careful plans before you fight a battle, and the more good advice you get, the more likely you are to win.

⁷Wise sayings are too deep for stupid people to understand. They have nothing to say when important matters are being discussed.

⁸If you are always planning evil, you will earn a reputation as a troublemaker. ⁹Any scheme a fool thinks up is sinful. People hate a person who has nothing but scorn for others.

¹⁰If you are weak in a crisis, you are weak indeed.

¹¹Don’t hesitate to rescue someone who is about to be executed unjustly. ¹²You may say that it is none of your business, but God knows and judges your motives. He keeps watch on you; he knows. And he will reward you according to what you do.

¹³Son, eat honey; it is good. And just as honey from the comb is sweet on your tongue, ¹⁴you may be sure that wisdom is good for the soul. Get wisdom and you have a bright future.

¹⁵Don’t be like the wicked who scheme to rob honest people or to take away their homes. ¹⁶No matter how often honest people fall, they always get up again; but disaster destroys the wicked.

¹⁷Don’t be glad when your enemies meet disaster, and don’t rejoice when they stumble. ¹⁸The Lord will know if you are gloating, and he will not like it; and then he might not punish them.

¹⁹Don’t let evil people worry you; don’t be envious of them. ²⁰A wicked person has no future—nothing to look forward to.

²¹Have reverence for the Lord, my son, and honour the king. Have nothing to do with people who rebel against them; ²²such people could be ruined in a moment. Do you realize the disaster that God or the king can cause?