Proverbs 22:22–24:22

22 aDo not rob the poor because he is poor,

Or bcrush the afflicted at the gate;

23 For the Lord will aplead their case

And 1take the life of those who rob them.

24 Do not associate with a man given to anger;

Or go with a ahot-tempered man,

25 Or you will alearn his ways

And 1find a snare for yourself.

26 Do not be among those who agive 1pledges,

Among those who become guarantors for debts.

27 If you have nothing with which to pay,

Why should he atake your bed from under you?

28 aDo not move the ancient boundary

Which your fathers have set.

29 Do you see a man skilled in his work?

He will astand before kings;

He will not stand before obscure men.

Chapter 23

On Life and Conduct

1 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,

Consider carefully 1what is before you,

2 And put a knife to your throat

If you are a aman of great appetite.

3 Do not adesire his delicacies,

For it is deceptive food.

4 aDo not weary yourself to gain wealth,

bCease from your 1consideration of it.

5 1When you set your eyes on it, it is gone.

For awealth certainly makes itself wings

Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.

6 aDo not eat the bread of 1a bselfish man,

Or desire his delicacies;

7 For as he 1thinks within himself, so he is.

He says to you, “Eat and drink!”

But ahis heart is not with you.

8 You will avomit up 1the morsel you have eaten,

And waste your 2compliments.

9 aDo not speak in the 1hearing of a fool,

For he will bdespise the wisdom of your words.

10 Do not move the ancient boundary

Or ago into the fields of the fatherless,

11 For their aRedeemer is strong;

bHe will plead their case against you.

12 Apply your heart to discipline

And your ears to words of knowledge.

13 aDo not hold back discipline from the child,

Although you 1strike him with the rod, he will not die.

14 You shall 1strike him with the rod

And arescue his soul from Sheol.

15 My son, if your heart is awise,

My own heart also will be glad;

16 And my 1inmost being will rejoice

When your lips speak awhat is right.

17 aDo not let your heart envy sinners,

But live in the 1bfear of the Lord 2always.

18 Surely there is a 1afuture,

And your bhope will not be cut off.

19 Listen, my son, and abe wise,

And bdirect your heart in the way.

20 Do not be with aheavy drinkers of wine,

Or with bgluttonous eaters of meat;

21 For the aheavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty,

And bdrowsiness will clothe one with rags.

22 aListen to your father who begot you,

And bdo not despise your mother when she is old.

23 aBuy truth, and do not sell it,

Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.

24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,

And ahe who sires a wise son will be glad in him.

25 Let your afather and your mother be glad,

And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.

26 aGive me your heart, my son,

And let your eyes 1bdelight in my ways.

27 For a harlot is a adeep pit

And an 1badulterous woman is a narrow well.

28 Surely she alurks as a robber,

And increases the 1faithless among men.

29 Who has awoe? Who has sorrow?

Who has contentions? Who has complaining?

Who has wounds without cause?

Who has redness of eyes?

30 Those who alinger long over wine,

Those who go to 1taste bmixed wine.

31 Do not look on the wine when it is red,

When it 1sparkles in the cup,

When it agoes down smoothly;

32 At the last it abites like a serpent

And stings like a bviper.

33 Your eyes will see strange things

And your 1mind will autter perverse things.

34 And you will be like one who lies down in the 1middle of the sea,

Or like one who lies down on the top of a 2mast.

35 “They astruck me, but I did not become 1ill;

They beat me, but I did not know it.

When shall I awake?

I will bseek 2another drink.”

Chapter 24

Precepts and Warnings

1 Do not be aenvious of evil men,

Nor desire to bbe with them;

2 For their 1minds devise aviolence,

And their lips btalk of trouble.

3 aBy wisdom a house is built,

And by understanding it is established;

4 And by knowledge the rooms are afilled

With all precious and pleasant riches.

5 A awise man is 1strong,

And a man of knowledge 2increases power.

6 For aby wise guidance you will 1wage war,

And bin abundance of counselors there is victory.

7 Wisdom is atoo exalted for a fool,

He does not open his mouth bin the gate.

8 One who aplans to do evil,

Men will call a 1schemer.

9 The adevising of folly is sin,

And the scoffer is an abomination to men.

10 If you aare slack in the day of distress,

Your strength is limited.

11 aDeliver those who are being taken away to death,

And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back.

12 If you say, “See, we did not know this,”

Does He not aconsider it bwho weighs the hearts?

And cdoes He not know it who dkeeps your soul?

And will He not 1erender to man according to his work?

13 My son, eat ahoney, for it is good,

Yes, the bhoney from the comb is sweet to your taste;

14 Know that awisdom is thus for your soul;

If you find it, then there will be a 1bfuture,

And your hope will not be cut off.

15 aDo not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;

Do not destroy his resting place;

16 For a arighteous man falls seven times, and rises again,

But the bwicked stumble in time of calamity.

17 aDo not rejoice when your enemy falls,

And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;

18 Or the Lord will see it and 1be displeased,

And turn His anger away from him.

19 aDo not fret because of evildoers

Or be benvious of the wicked;

20 For athere will be no 1bfuture for the evil man;

The clamp of the wicked will be put out.

21 My son, 1afear the Lord and the king;

Do not associate with those who are given to change,

22 For their acalamity will rise suddenly,

And who knows the ruin that comes from both of them?