Proverbs 22
1 A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, Favor is better than silver and gold.
2 The rich and the poor have a common bond, The LORD is the maker of them all.
3 The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, But the naive go on, and are punished for it.
4 The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches, honor and life.
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; He who guards himself will be far from them.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.
7 The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower becomes the lender's slave.
8 He who sows iniquity will reap vanity, And the rod of his fury will perish.
9 He who is generous will be blessed, For he gives some of his food to the poor.
10 Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go out, Even strife and dishonor will cease.
11 He who loves purity of heart And whose speech is gracious, the king is his friend.
12 The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, But He overthrows the words of the treacherous man.
13 The sluggard says, ``There is a lion outside; I will be killed in the streets!"
14 The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; He who is cursed of the LORD will fall into it.
15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.
16 He who oppresses the poor to make more for himself Or who gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your mind to my knowledge;
18 For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, That they may be ready on your lips.
19 So that your trust may be in the LORD, I have taught you today, even you.
20 Have I not written to you excellent things Of counsels and knowledge,
21 To make you know the certainty of the words of truth That you may correctly answer him who sent you?
22 Do not rob the poor because he is poor, Or crush the afflicted at the gate;
23 For the LORD will plead their case And take the life of those who rob them.
24 Do not associate with a man given to anger; Or go with a hot-tempered man,
25 Or you will learn his ways And find a snare for yourself.
26 Do not be among those who give pledges, Among those who become guarantors for debts.
27 If you have nothing with which to pay, Why should he take your bed from under you?
28 Do not move the ancient boundary Which your fathers have set.
29 Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men.
Proverbs 23
1 When you sit down to dine with a ruler, Consider carefully what is before you,
2 And put a knife to your throat If you are a man of great appetite.
3 Do not desire his delicacies, For it is deceptive food.
4 Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration of it.
5 When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.
6 Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, Or desire his delicacies;
7 For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, ``Eat and drink!" But his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the morsel you have eaten, And waste your compliments.
9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words.
10 Do not move the ancient boundary Or go into the fields of the fatherless,
11 For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their case against you.
12 Apply your heart to discipline And your ears to words of knowledge.
13 Do not hold back discipline from the child, Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die.
14 You shall strike him with the rod And rescue his soul from Sheol.
15 My son, if your heart is wise, My own heart also will be glad;
16 And my inmost being will rejoice When your lips speak what is right.
17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the LORD always.
18 Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off.
19 Listen, my son, and be wise, And direct your heart in the way.
20 Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat;
21 For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe one with rags.
22 Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who sires a wise son will be glad in him.
25 Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.
26 Give me your heart, my son, And let your eyes delight in my ways.
27 For a harlot is a deep pit And an adulterous woman is a narrow well.
28 Surely she lurks as a robber, And increases the faithless among men.
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?
30 Those who linger long over wine, Those who go to taste mixed wine.
31 Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it goes down smoothly;
32 At the last it bites like a serpent And stings like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things And your mind will utter perverse things.
34 And you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, Or like one who lies down on the top of a mast.
35 ``They struck me, but I did not become ill; They beat me, but I did not know it. When shall I awake? I will seek another drink."
Proverbs 24
1 Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them;
2 For their minds devise violence, And their lips talk of trouble.
3 By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established;
4 And by knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches.
5 A wise man is strong, And a man of knowledge increases power.
6 For by wise guidance you will wage war, And in abundance of counselors there is victory.
7 Wisdom is too exalted for a fool, He does not open his mouth in the gate.
8 One who plans to do evil, Men will call a schemer.
9 The devising of folly is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to men.
10 If you are slack in the day of distress, Your strength is limited.
11 Deliver 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 consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work?
13 My son, eat honey, for it is good, Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste;
14 Know that wisdom is thus for your soul; If you find it, then there will be a future, And your hope will not be cut off.
15 Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; Do not destroy his resting place;
16 For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity.
17 Do 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 be displeased, And turn His anger away from him.
19 Do not fret because of evildoers Or be envious of the wicked;
20 For there will be no future for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21 My son, fear the LORD and the king; Do not associate with those who are given to change,
22 For their calamity will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin that comes from both of them?
23 These also are sayings of the wise. To show partiality in judgment is not good.
24 He who says to the wicked, ``You are righteous," Peoples will curse him, nations will abhor him;
25 But to those who rebuke the wicked will be delight, And a good blessing will come upon them.
26 He kisses the lips Who gives a right answer.
27 Prepare your work outside And make it ready for yourself in the field; Afterwards, then, build your house.
28 Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, And do not deceive with your lips.
29 Do not say, ``Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work."
30 I passed by the field of the sluggard And by the vineyard of the man lacking sense,
31 And behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles; Its surface was covered with nettles, And its stone wall was broken down.
32 When I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked, and received instruction.
33 ``A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest,"
34 Then your poverty will come as a robber And your want like an armed man.
Proverbs 25
1 These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed.
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
3 As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, So the heart of kings is unsearchable.
4 Take away the dross from the silver, And there comes out a vessel for the smith;
5 Take away the wicked before the king, And his throne will be established in righteousness.
6 Do not claim honor in the presence of the king, And do not stand in the place of great men;
7 For it is better that it be said to you, ``Come up here," Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince, Whom your eyes have seen.
8 Do not go out hastily to argue your case; Otherwise, what will you do in the end, When your neighbor humiliates you?
9 Argue your case with your neighbor, And do not reveal the secret of another,
10 Or he who hears it will reproach you, And the evil report about you will not pass away.
11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver Is a word spoken in right circumstances.
12 Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold Is a wise reprover to a listening ear.
13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest Is a faithful messenger to those who send him, For he refreshes the soul of his masters.
14 Like clouds and wind without rain Is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely.
15 By forbearance a ruler may be persuaded, And a soft tongue breaks the bone.
16 Have you found honey? Eat only what you need, That you not have it in excess and vomit it.
17 Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor's house, Or he will become weary of you and hate you.
18 Like a club and a sword and a sharp arrow Is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor.
19 Like a bad tooth and an unsteady foot Is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble.
20 Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda, Is he who sings songs to a troubled heart.
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
22 For you will heap burning coals on his head, And the LORD will reward you.
23 The north wind brings forth rain, And a backbiting tongue, an angry countenance.
24 It is better to live in a corner of the roof Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.
25 Like cold water to a weary soul, So is good news from a distant land.
26 Like a trampled spring and a polluted well Is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
27 It is not good to eat much honey, Nor is it glory to search out one's own glory.
28 Like a city that is broken into and without walls Is a man who has no control over his spirit.
