Proverbs 22:17-Proverbs 24:34 - Words Of The Wise
17 Incline thine ear, and hear words of the wise, And thy heart set to my knowledge, 18 For they are pleasant when thou dost keep them in thy heart, They are prepared together for thy lips. 19 That thy trust may be in Jehovah, I caused thee to know to-day, even thou. 20 Have I not written to thee three times With counsels and knowledge? 21 To cause thee to know the certainty of sayings of truth, To return sayings of truth to those sending thee.
22 Rob not the poor because he is poor, And bruise not the afflicted in the gate. 23 For Jehovah pleadeth their cause, And hath spoiled the soul of their spoilers.
24 Shew not thyself friendly with an angry man, And with a man of fury go not in, 25 Lest thou learn his paths, And have received a snare to thy soul.
26 Be not thou among those striking hands, Among sureties for burdens. 27 If thou hast nothing to pay, Why doth he take thy bed from under thee?
28 Remove not a border of olden times, That thy fathers have made.
29 Hast thou seen a man speedy in his business? Before kings he doth station himself, He stations not himself before obscure men!
1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Thou considerest diligently that which is before thee, 2 And thou hast put a knife to thy throat, If thou art a man of appetite. 3 Have no desire to his dainties, seeing it is lying food.
4 Labour not to make wealth, From thine own understanding cease, Dost thou cause thine eyes to fly upon it? Then it is not. 5 For wealth maketh to itself wings, As an eagle it flieth to the heavens.
6 Eat not the bread of an evil eye, And have no desire to his dainties, 7 For as he hath thought in his soul, so is he, 'Eat and drink,' saith he to thee, And his heart is not with thee. 8 Thy morsel thou hast eaten thou dost vomit up, And hast marred thy words that are sweet.
9 In the ears of a fool speak not, For he treadeth on the wisdom of thy words.
10 Remove not a border of olden times, And into fields of the fatherless enter not, 11 For their Redeemer is strong, He doth plead their cause with thee.
12 Bring in to instruction thy heart, And thine ear to sayings of knowledge.
13 Withhold not from a youth chastisement, When thou smitest him with a rod he dieth not. 14 Thou with a rod smitest him, And his soul from Sheol thou deliverest.
15 My son, if thy heart hath been wise, My heart rejoiceth, even mine, 16 And my reins exult when thy lips speak uprightly.
17 Let not thy heart be envious at sinners, But -- in the fear of Jehovah all the day. 18 For, is there a posterity? Then thy hope is not cut off.
19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And make happy in the way thy heart, 20 Be not thou among quaffers of wine, Among gluttonous ones of flesh, 21 For the quaffer and glutton become poor, And drowsiness clotheth with rags.
22 Hearken to thy father, who begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she hath become old. 23 Truth buy, and sell not, Wisdom, and instruction, and understanding, 24 The father of the righteous rejoiceth greatly, The begetter of the wise rejoiceth in him. 25 Rejoice doth thy father and thy mother, Yea, she that bare thee is joyful.
26 Give, my son, thy heart to me, And let thine eyes watch my ways. 27 For a harlot is a deep ditch, And a strange woman is a strait pit. 28 She also, as catching prey, lieth in wait, And the treacherous among men she increaseth.
29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? who hath plaint? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? 30 Those tarrying by the wine, Those going in to search out mixed wine. 31 See not wine when it showeth itself red, When it giveth in the cup its colour, It goeth up and down through the upright. 32 Its latter end -- as a serpent it biteth, And as a basilisk it stingeth. 33 Thine eyes see strange women, And thy heart speaketh perverse things. 34 And thou hast been as one lying down in the heart of the sea, And as one lying down on the top of a mast. 35 They smote me, I have not been sick, They beat me, I have not known. When I awake -- I seek it yet again!'
1 Be not envious of evil men, And desire not to be with them. 2 For destruction doth their heart meditate, And perverseness do their lips speak.
3 By wisdom is a house builded, And by understanding it establisheth itself. 4 And by knowledge the inner parts are filled, With all precious and pleasant wealth.
5 Mighty is the wise in strength, And a man of knowledge is strengthening power, 6 For by plans thou makest for thyself war, And deliverance is in a multitude of counsellors.
7 Wisdom is high for a fool, In the gate he openeth not his mouth.
8 Whoso is devising to do evil, Him they call a master of wicked thoughts. 9 The thought of folly is sin, And an abomination to man is a scorner.
10 Thou hast shewed thyself weak in a day of adversity, Straitened is thy power, 11 If from delivering those taken to death, And those slipping to the slaughter -- thou keepest back. 12 When thou sayest, 'Lo, we knew not this.' Is not the Ponderer of hearts He who understandeth? And the Keeper of thy soul He who knoweth? And He hath rendered to man according to his work.
13 Eat my son, honey that is good, And the honeycomb -- sweet to thy palate. 14 So is the knowledge of wisdom to thy soul, If thou hast found that there is a posterity And thy hope is not cut off.
15 Lay not wait, O wicked one, At the habitation of the righteous. Do not spoil his resting-place. 16 For seven times doth the righteous fall and rise, And the wicked stumble in evil.
17 In the falling of thine enemy rejoice not, And in his stumbling let not thy heart be joyful, 18 Lest Jehovah see, and it be evil in His eyes, And He hath turned from off him His anger.
19 Fret not thyself at evil doers, Be not envious at the wicked, 20 For there is not a posterity to the evil, The lamp of the wicked is extinguished.
21 Fear Jehovah, my son, and the king, With changers mix not up thyself, 22 For suddenly doth their calamity rise, And the ruin of them both -- who knoweth!
23 These also are for the wise: -- To discern faces in judgment is not good. 24 Whoso is saying to the wicked, 'Thou art righteous,' Peoples execrate him -- nations abhor him. 25 And to those reproving it is pleasant, And on them cometh a good blessing.
26 Lips he kisseth who is returning straightforward words.
27 Prepare in an out-place thy work, And make it ready in the field -- go afterwards, Then thou hast built thy house.
28 Be not a witness for nought against thy neighbour, Or thou hast enticed with thy lips. 29 Say not, 'As he did to me, so I do to him, I render to each according to his work.'
30 Near the field of a slothful man I passed by, And near the vineyard of a man lacking heart. 31 And lo, it hath gone up -- all of it -- thorns! Covered its face have nettles, And its stone wall hath been broken down. 32 And I see -- I -- I do set my heart, I have seen -- I have received instruction, 33 A little sleep -- a little slumber -- A little folding of the hands to lie down. 34 And thy poverty hath come as a traveller, And thy want as an armed man!