Proverbs 22:17–24:22

Words of the Wise

¹⁷Listen closely, ^epay attention to the words of the wise, ^f

and apply your mind to my knowledge.

¹⁸For it is pleasing if you keep them within you

and if ^gthey are constantly on your lips.

¹⁹I have instructed you today—even you—

so that your confidence may be in the Lord.

²⁰Haven’t I written for you thirty sayings ^h

about counsel and knowledge,

²¹in order to teach you true and reliable words,

so that you may give a dependable report ^ij

to those who sent you? ^k

²²Don’t rob a poor man because he is poor,

and don’t crush the oppressed ^lat the gate, ^m

²³for the Lord will take up their case ⁿ

and will plunder those who plunder them.

²⁴Don’t make friends with an angry man, ^o

and don’t be a companion of a hot-tempered man, ^p

²⁵or you will learn his ways ^q

and entangle yourself in a snare.

²⁶Don’t be one of those who enter agreements, ^r

who put up security for loans. ^s

²⁷If you have no money to pay,

even your bed will be taken from under you. ^t

²⁸Don’t move an ancient boundary marker,

that your fathers set up. ^u

²⁹Do you see a man skilled in his work?

He will stand in the presence of kings.

He will not stand in the presence of unknown men. ^v

23When you sit down to dine with a ruler,

consider carefully what ^wis before you,

²and put a knife to your throat

if you have a big ^xappetite;

³don’t desire his choice food, ^y

for that food is deceptive.

⁴Don’t wear yourself out to get rich; ^z

stop giving your attention to it.

⁵As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears, ^a

for it makes wings for itself

and flies like an eagle to the sky.

⁶Don’t eat a stingy person’s bread, ^bc

and don’t desire his choice food, ^d

⁷for it’s like someone calculating inwardly. ^ef

“Eat and drink,” he says to you,

but his heart is not with you. ^g

⁸You will vomit the little you’ve eaten

and waste your pleasant words.

⁹Don’t speak to ^ha fool,

for he will despise the insight of your words. ⁱ

¹⁰Don’t move an ancient boundary marker, ^j

and don’t encroach on the fields of the fatherless,

¹¹for their Redeemer is strong, ^k

and He will take up their case against you. ^l

¹²Apply yourself to discipline

and listen to words of knowledge.

¹³Don’t withhold discipline from a youth;

if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. ^m

¹⁴Strike him with a rod,

and you will rescue his life from Sheol. ⁿ

¹⁵My son, if your heart is wise,

my heart will indeed rejoice. ^o

¹⁶My innermost being will cheer

when your lips say what is right. ^p

¹⁷Don’t let your heart envy sinners; ^q

instead, always fear the Lord. ^r

¹⁸For then you will have a future,

and your hope will never fade. ^s

¹⁹Listen, my son, and be wise;

keep your mind on the right course.

²⁰Don’t associate with those who drink too much wine ^t

or with those who gorge themselves on meat. ^u

²¹For the drunkard and the glutton will become poor,

and grogginess will clothe them in rags. ^v

²²Listen to your father who gave you life,

and don’t despise your mother when ^wshe is old. ^x

²³Buy—and do not sell—truth,

wisdom, instruction, and understanding. ^y

²⁴The father of a righteous son will rejoice greatly,

and one who fathers a wise son will delight in him. ^z

²⁵Let your father and mother have joy, ^a

and let her who gave birth to you rejoice.

²⁶My son, give me your heart,

and let your eyes observe my ways.

²⁷For a prostitute is a deep pit, ^b

and a stranger is a narrow well;

²⁸indeed, she sets an ambush like a robber ^c

and increases those among men who are unfaithful.

²⁹Who has woe? Who has sorrow?

Who has conflicts? Who has complaints?

Who has wounds for no reason? ^d

Who has red eyes?

³⁰Those who linger over wine,

those who go looking for mixed wine. ^e

³¹Don’t gaze at wine because it is red, ^f

when it gleams in the cup

and goes down smoothly. ^g

³²In the end it bites like a snake

and stings like a viper.

³³Your eyes will see strange things,

and you will say absurd things. ^hi

³⁴You’ll be like someone sleeping out at sea

or lying down on the top of a ship’s mast.

³⁵“They struck me, but ^jI feel no pain!

They beat me, but I didn’t know it! ^k

When will I wake up?

I’ll look for another drink.” ^l

24Don’t envy evil men ^m

or desire to be with them, ⁿ

²for their hearts plan violence,

and their words stir up trouble. ^o

³A house is built by wisdom, ^p

and it is established by understanding;

⁴by knowledge the rooms are filled

with every precious and beautiful treasure.

⁵A wise warrior is better than a strong one, ^q

and a man of knowledge than one of strength; ^rs

⁶for you should wage war with sound guidance—

victory comes with many counselors. ^t

⁷Wisdom is inaccessible to ^ua fool; ^v

he does not open his mouth at the gate. ^w

⁸The one who plots evil ^x

will be called a schemer.

⁹A foolish scheme is sin,

and a mocker is detestable to people.

¹⁰If you do nothing in a difficult time,

your strength is limited.

¹¹Rescue those being taken off to death,

and save those stumbling toward slaughter. ^y

¹²If you say, “But we didn’t know about this,”

won’t He who weighs hearts ^zconsider it?

Won’t He who protects your life ^aknow?

Won’t He repay a person according to his work? ^b

¹³Eat honey, ^cmy son, for it is good,

and the honeycomb is sweet to your palate; ^d

¹⁴realize that wisdom is the same for you. ^e

If you find it, you will have a future,

and your hope will never fade. ^f

¹⁵Wicked man, don’t set an ambush,

at the camp of the righteous man; ^g

don’t destroy his dwelling.

¹⁶Though a righteous man falls seven times,

he will get up, ^h

but the wicked will stumble into ruin. ⁱ

¹⁷Don’t gloat when your enemy falls,

and don’t let your heart rejoice when he stumbles, ^j

¹⁸or the Lord will see, be displeased,

and turn His wrath away from him.

¹⁹Don’t be agitated by evildoers,

and don’t envy the wicked. ^k

²⁰For the evil have no future; ^l

the lamp of the wicked will be put out. ^m

²¹My son, fear the Lord, as well as the king, ⁿ

and don’t associate with rebels, ^o

²²for destruction from them will come suddenly;

who knows what distress these two can bring?