16 mTake the garment of one who is surety for a stranger,

And hold it as a pledge when it is for a seductress.

17 nBread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,

But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.

18 oPlans are established by counsel;

pBy wise counsel wage war.

19 qHe who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets;

Therefore do not associate with one rwho flatters with his lips.

20 sWhoever curses his father or his mother,

tHis lamp will be put out in deep darkness.

21 uAn inheritance gained hastily at the beginning

vWill not be blessed at the end.

22 wDo not say, “I will 4recompense evil”;

xWait for the Lord, and He will save you.

23 Diverse weights are an abomination to the Lord,

And dishonest scales are not good.

24 A man’s steps are of the Lord;

How then can a man understand his own way?

25 It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy,

And afterward to reconsider his vows.

26 yA wise king sifts out the wicked,

And brings the threshing wheel over them.

27 zThe spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord,

Searching all the 5inner depths of his heart.

28 aMercy and truth preserve the king,

And by 6lovingkindness he upholds his throne.

29 The glory of young men is their strength,

And bthe splendor of old men is their gray head.

30 Blows that hurt cleanse away evil,

As do stripes the 7inner depths of the heart.