Proverbs 27:11–30:33
11 oMy son, pbe wise, and make my heart glad,
That I may qanswer rhim that reproacheth me.
12 sA prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself;
But tthe simple pass on, and are punished.
13 uTake his garment that is surety for a stranger,
And take a pledge of him for a strange woman.
14 He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning,
It shall be counted a curse to him.
15 xA continual dropping in a very rainy day
And a contentious woman are alike.
16 Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind,
And the ointment of his right hand, which ybewrayeth itself.
So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
18 zWhoso akeepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof:
So he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured.
19 As in water aaface answereth to face,
So the heart of man to man.
20 bHell and destruction care †never full;
So dthe eyes of man eare never satisfied.
21 fAs the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold;
22 iThough thou shouldest bray a fool in a kmortar among lwheat with a pestle,
Yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks,
And †look well to thy herds.
24 For †riches are not for ever:
And doth the crown endure †to every generation?
25 mThe hay appeareth, and the ntender grass sheweth itself,
And mherbs of the mountains are gathered.
26 oThe lambs are for pthy clothing,
And the goats are the price of the field.
27 And thou shalt have goats’ milk enough for pthy food,
For the food of thy household,
And for the †maintenance for thy maidens.
28 The wicked aflee when no man pursueth:
But the righteous are bold as a lion.
2 For the transgression of a land bmany are the princes thereof:
But ||by a man of understanding and knowledge the cstate thereof shall be prolonged.
3 A poor man that oppresseth the dpoor
Is like a esweeping rain †which leaveth no food.
4 They that forsake the law fpraise the wicked:
But such as keep the law gcontend with them.
5 hEvil men understand not judgment:
But ithey that seek the Lord understand all things.
6 kBetter is the poor klthat walketh in his uprightness,
Than he that is lperverse in his ways, though he be rich.
7 Whoso keepeth the law is ma wise son:
But he that ||is a companion of riotous men nshameth his father.
8 oHe that by usury and †unjust gain increaseth his substance,
pHe shall gather it for qhim that will pity the poor.
9 He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law,
Even rhis prayer shall be abomination.
10 Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way,
sHe shall fall himself into his own pit:
But the upright tshall have good things in possession.
11 The rich man is wise †in his own conceit;
But the poor that hath understanding usearcheth him out.
12 xWhen righteous men do rejoice, there is great glory:
But ywhen the wicked rise, a man is ||zhidden.
13 abHe that covereth his sins shall not prosper:
But bwhoso cconfesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
14 Happy is the man dthat feareth ealway:
But he that fhardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.
15 gAs a roaring lion, and a hranging bear;
So is ia wicked ruler over the poor people.
16 The prince jthat wanteth understanding is also a great koppressor:
But he that hateth kcovetousness shall prolong his days.
17 lA man that doeth violence to the blood of any person
Shall flee to the pit; let no man stay him.
18 mWhoso nwalketh uprightly shall be saved:
But he that is nperverse in his ways shall fall at once.
19 oHe that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread:
But he that pfolloweth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.
20 A faithful man shall abound with blessings:
But qhe that maketh haste to be rich shall not be ||innocent.
21 rTo have respect of persons is not good:
For sfor a piece of bread that man will transgress.
22 ||tHe that uhasteth to be rich hath van evil eye,
And considereth not that wpoverty shall come upon him.
23 xHe that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour
Than he that yflattereth with the tongue.
24 Whoso robbeth his father or his mother,
And saith, It is no transgression;
The same zis the companion of †za destroyer.
25 aHe that is bof a proud heart cstirreth up strife:
But he that putteth his trust in the Lord dshall be made fat.
26 eHe that trusteth in his own heart is a fool:
But whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
27 fHe that giveth unto the poor gshall not lack:
But he that hhideth his eyes shall have many a curse.
28 iWhen the wicked rise, men khide themselves:
But when they perish, the righteous increase.
29 †aHe, that being often reproved bhardeneth his neck,
Shall suddenly be destroyed, and that cwithout remedy.
2 dWhen the righteous are ||in authority, the people rejoice:
But ewhen the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.
3 fWhoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father:
But ghe that hkeepeth company with harlots ispendeth his substance.
4 The king by judgment jestablisheth the land:
But †he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.
5 A man that lflattereth his neighbour
Spreadeth ma net for his feet.
6 nIn the transgression of an evil man there is a snare:
But othe righteous doth psing and rejoice.
7 qThe righteous considereth the cause of the poor:
But rthe wicked regardeth not to know it.
8 sScornful men ||bring a city into a snare:
But wise men turn away wrath.
9 If a wise man tcontendeth with a foolish man,
uWhether he rage or laugh, there is no xrest.
10 †yThe bloodthirsty hate the upright:
But the just seek his soul.
11 zA fool uttereth all his mind:
But a wise man akeepeth it in till afterwards.
12 bIf a ruler hearken to lies,
All his servants are wicked.
13 The poor and ||the deceitful man cmeet together:
dThe Lord lighteneth both their eyes.
14 eThe king that faithfully judgeth the poor,
fHis throne shall be established for ever.
15 gThe rod and reproof give wisdom:
But a child hleft to himself ibringeth khis mother to shame.
16 When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth:
But lthe righteous shall msee their fall.
17 gnCorrect thy son, and he shall give thee rest;
Yea, khe shall give delight unto thy soul.
18 oWhere there is no vision, the people ||perish:
But phe that keepeth the law, happy is he.
19 sA servant will not be corrected by words:
For though he understand he will not answer.
20 qSeest thou a man that is hasty ||in his words?
rThere is more hope of a fool than of him.
21 He that delicately bringeth up shis servant from a child
Shall have him become his son at the length.
22 tAn angry man stirreth up strife,
And ua furious man aboundeth in transgression.
23 A wman’s pride shall bring him low:
But honour shall uphold the xhumble in spirit.
24 Whoso is partner with a thief yhateth his own soul:
zHe heareth cursing, and abewrayeth it not.
25 bThe fear of man bringeth a snare:
But whoso cputteth his trust in the Lord †shall be safe.
26 dMany seek †the ruler’s favour;
But every man’s ejudgment cometh from the Lord.
27 fAn unjust man is an abomination to the just:
And he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.
30 aThe words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even bthe prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,
2 cSurely I am more dbrutish than any man,
And have not the understanding of a man.
cNor †have ethe knowledge of the holy.
4 fWho hath ascended up into heaven, or descended?
gWho hath gathered the wind in his fists?
hWho hath bound the waters in a garment?
Who hath established iall the ends of the earth?
kWhat is his name, and what is his son’s name, lif thou canst tell?
5 Every mnword of God is †pure:
nHe is a oshield unto them that put their trust in him.
6 pAdd thou not unto his words,
Lest he reprove thee, and thou qbe found a liar.
7 Two things have I required of thee;
†Deny me them not rbefore I die:
8 Remove far from me vanity and lies:
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with food †convenient for me:
9 sLest I be full, and †deny thee,
And say, Who is the Lord?
Or lest I be poor, and steal,
And ttake the name of my God in vain.
10 †Accuse not a servant unto his master,
Lest he ucurse thee, and wthou be found guilty.
11 There is a generation that xcurseth their father,
And doth not bless their mother.
12 There is a generation that are ypure in their own eyes,
And yet is not washed from their filthiness.
13 There is a generation, O how zlofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are lifted up.
14 There is a generation, awhose teeth are as swords,
And their bjaw teeth as knives,
To cdevour the poor from off the earth,
And the needy from among men.
15 The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give.
There are dthree things that are never satisfied,
Yea, dfour things say not, †It is enough:
16 eThe grave; and fthe barren womb;
The earth that is not filled with water;
And the fire that saith not, It is enough.
17 The eye that gmocketh at his father,
And hdespiseth ito obey his mother,
kThe ravens of ||the valley shall lpick it out,
And the young eagles shall eat it.
18 There be dthree things which are mtoo wonderful for me,
Yea, dfour which I know not:
19 nThe way of an eagle in the air;
The way of a serpent upon a rock;
oThe way of a ship in the †midst of the sea;
And the way of a man with a maid.
20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman;
She eateth, and wipeth her mouth,
And saith, I have done no wickedness.
21 For dthree things pthe earth is disquieted,
And for dfour which it cannot bear:
22 qFor a servant when he reigneth;
And ra fool when he is filled with meat;
23 For an sodious woman twhen she is married;
And an handmaid uthat is heir to her mistress.
24 There be four things which are little upon the earth,
But they are †exceeding wise:
25 vThe ants are a people not strong,
Yet wthey prepare their meat in the summer;
26 xThe yconies are but a feeble folk,
Yet make they their houses in xthe rocks;
27 The locusts zhave no king,
Yet go they forth all of them †aby bands;
28 The spider taketh hold with her hands,
And is in kings’ palaces.
29 There be bthree things which go well,
Yea, bfour are comely in going:
30 A clion which is strongest among beasts,
And dturneth not away for any;