Proverbs 22:17–24:22

Listen to My Advice

¹⁷Open your ears, and hear the words of wise people, 

and set your mind on the knowledge I give you. 

¹⁸It is pleasant if you keep them in mind 

⸤so that⸥ they will be on the tip of your tongue, 

¹⁹so that your trust may be in the Lord. 

Today I have made them known to you, especially to you. 

²⁰Didn’t I write to you previously with advice and knowledge 

²¹in order to teach you the words of truth 

so that you can give an accurate report to those who send you? 

Living with Your Neighbor

²²Do not rob the poor because they are poor 

or trample on the rights of an oppressed person at the city gate, 

²³because the Lord will plead their case 

and will take the lives of those who rob them. 

²⁴Do not be a friend of one who has a bad temper, 

and never keep company with a hothead, 

²⁵or you will learn his ways 

and set a trap for yourself. 

²⁶Do not be ⸤found⸥ among those who make deals with a handshake, 

among those who guarantee other people’s loans. 

²⁷If you have no money to pay back a loan, 

why should your bed be repossessed? 

²⁸Do not move an ancient boundary marker 

that your ancestors set in place. 

²⁹Do you see a person who is efficient in his work? 

He will serve kings. 

He will not serve unknown people. 

23RD CHAPTER

¹When you sit down to eat with a ruler, 

pay close attention to what is in front of you, 

²and put a knife to your throat if you have a big appetite. 

³Do not crave his delicacies, 

because this is food that deceives you. 

⁴Do not wear yourself out getting rich. 

Be smart enough to stop. 

⁵Will you catch only a fleeting glimpse of wealth before it is gone? 

It makes wings for itself like an eagle flying into the sky. 

⁶Do not eat the food of one who is stingy, 

and do not crave his delicacies. 

⁷As he calculates the cost to himself, this is what he does: 

He tells you, “Eat and drink,” 

but he doesn’t really mean it. 

⁸You will vomit the little bit you have eaten 

and spoil your pleasant conversation. 

⁹Do not talk directly to a fool, 

because he will despise the wisdom of your words. 

¹⁰Do not move an ancient boundary marker 

or enter fields that belong to orphans, 

¹¹because the one who is responsible for them is strong. 

He will plead their case against you. 

Learning from Your Father

¹²Live a more disciplined life, 

and listen carefully to words of knowledge. 

¹³Do not hesitate to discipline a child. 

If you spank him, he will not die. 

¹⁴Spank him yourself, 

and you will save his soul from hell. 

¹⁵My son, 

if you have a wise heart, 

my heart will rejoice as well. 

¹⁶My heart rejoices when you speak what is right. 

¹⁷Do not envy sinners in your heart. 

Instead, continue to fear the Lord. 

¹⁸There is indeed a future, 

and your hope will never be cut off. 

¹⁹My son, 

listen, be wise, 

and keep your mind going in the right direction. 

²⁰Do not associate with those who drink too much wine, 

with those who eat too much meat, 

²¹because both a drunk and a glutton will become poor. 

Drowsiness will dress a person in rags. 

²²Listen to your father since you are his son, 

and do not despise your mother because she is old. 

²³Buy truth (and do not sell it), 

⸤that is,⸥ buy wisdom, discipline, and understanding. 

²⁴A righteous person’s father will certainly rejoice. 

Someone who has a wise son will enjoy him. 

²⁵May your father and your mother be glad. 

May she who gave birth to you rejoice. 

²⁶My son, 

give me your heart. 

Let your eyes find happiness in my ways. 

²⁷A prostitute is a deep pit. 

A loose woman is a narrow well. 

²⁸She is like a robber, lying in ambush. 

She spreads unfaithfulness throughout society. 

²⁹Who has trouble? 

Who has misery? 

Who has quarrels? 

Who has a complaint? 

Who has wounds for no reason? 

Who has bloodshot eyes? 

³⁰Those who drink glass after glass of wine 

and mix it with everything. 

³¹Do not look at wine 

because it is red, 

because it sparkles in the cup, 

because it goes down smoothly. 

³²Later it bites like a snake 

and strikes like a poisonous snake. 

³³Your eyes will see strange sights, 

and your mouth will say embarrassing things. 

³⁴You will be like someone lying down in the middle of the sea 

or like someone lying down on top of a ship’s mast, saying, 

³⁵“They strike me, but I feel no pain. 

They beat me, but I’m not aware of it. 

Whenever I wake up, I’m going to look for another drink.” 

24TH CHAPTER

¹Do not envy evil people 

or wish you were with them, 

²because their minds plot violence, 

and their lips talk trouble. 

³With wisdom a house is built. 

With understanding it is established. 

⁴With knowledge its rooms are filled 

with every kind of riches, both precious and pleasant. 

⁵A strong man knows how to use his strength, 

but a person with knowledge is even more powerful. 

⁶After all, with the right strategy you can wage war, 

and with many advisers there is victory. 

⁷Matters of wisdom are beyond the grasp of a stubborn fool. 

At the city gate he does not open his mouth. 

⁸Whoever plans to do evil will be known as a schemer. 

⁹Foolish scheming is sinful, 

and a mocker is disgusting to everyone. 

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

¹¹Rescue captives condemned to death, 

and spare those staggering toward their slaughter. 

¹²When you say, “We didn’t know this,” 

won’t the one who weighs hearts take note of it? 

Won’t the one who guards your soul know it? 

Won’t he pay back people for what they do? 

¹³Eat honey, my son, because it is good. 

Honey that flows from the honeycomb tastes sweet. 

¹⁴The knowledge of wisdom is like that for your soul. 

If you find it, then there is a future, 

and your hope will never be cut off. 

¹⁵You wicked one, 

do not lie in ambush at the home of a righteous person. 

Do not rob his house. 

¹⁶A righteous person may fall seven times, but he gets up again. 

However, in a disaster wicked people fall. 

¹⁷Do not be happy when your enemy falls, 

and do not feel glad when he stumbles. 

¹⁸The Lord will see it, he won’t like it, 

and he will turn his anger away from that person. 

¹⁹Do not get overly upset with evildoers. 

Do not envy wicked people, 

²⁰because an evil person has no future, 

and the lamps of wicked people will be snuffed out. 

²¹Fear the Lord, my son. 

Fear the king as well. 

Do not associate with those who always insist upon change, 

²²because disaster will come to them suddenly. 

Who knows what misery both may bring?