It is an honour for a man to keep from fighting, but the foolish are ever at war.

The hater of work will not do his ploughing because of the winter; so at the time of grain-cutting he will be requesting food and will get nothing.

The purpose in the heart of a man is like deep water, but a man of good sense will get it out.

Even a child may be judged by his doings, if his work is free from sin and if it is right.

A poor thing, a poor thing, says he who is giving money for goods: but when he has gone on his way, then he makes clear his pride in what he has got.

He who goes about talking of the business of others gives away secrets: so have nothing to do with him whose lips are open wide.

If anyone puts a curse on his father or his mother, his light will be put out in the blackest night.

A heritage may be got quickly at first, but the end of it will not be a blessing.

It is a danger to a man to say without thought, It is holy, and, after taking his oaths, to be questioning if it is necessary to keep them.

The king's heart in the hands of the Lord is like the water streams, and by him it is turned in any direction at his pleasure.

To do what is right and true is more pleasing to the Lord than an offering.

He who gets stores of wealth by a false tongue, is going after what is only breath, and searching for death.

By their violent acts the evil-doers will be pulled away, because they have no desire to do what is right.

It is better to be living in an angle of the house-top, than with a bitter-tongued woman in a wide house.

He whose ears are stopped at the cry of the poor, will himself get no answer to his cry for help.

It is a joy to the good man to do right, but it is destruction to the workers of evil.

It is better to be living in a waste land, than with a bitter-tongued and angry woman.

There is a store of great value in the house of the wise, but it is wasted by the foolish man.

The offering of evil-doers is disgusting: how much more when they give it with an evil purpose!

If a child is trained up in the right way, even when he is old he will not be turned away from it.

Send away the man of pride, and argument will go out; truly fighting and shame will come to an end.

The mouth of strange women is a deep hole: he with whom the Lord is angry will go down into it.

For it is a delight to keep them in your heart, to have them ready on your lips.

When you take your seat at the feast with a ruler, give thought with care to what is before you;

Have no desire for his delicate food, for it is the bread of deceit.

Are your eyes lifted up to it? it is gone: for wealth takes to itself wings, like an eagle in flight up to heaven.

Do not let the landmark of the widow be moved, and do not go into the fields of those who have no father;

Do not keep back training from the child: for even if you give him blows with the rod, it will not be death to him.

Get for yourself that which is true, and do not let it go for money; get wisdom and teaching and good sense.

Keep your eyes from looking on the wine when it is red, when its colour is bright in the cup, when it goes smoothly down:

They have overcome me, you will say, and I have no pain; they gave me blows without my feeling them: when will I be awake from my wine? I will go after it again.

The building of a house is by wisdom, and by reason it is made strong:

If you say, See, we had no knowledge of this: does not the tester of hearts give thought to it? and he who keeps your soul, has he no knowledge of it? and will he not give to every man the reward of his work?

My son, take honey, for it is good; and the flowing honey, which is sweet to your taste:

So let your desire be for wisdom: if you have it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

Do not be glad at the fall of your hater, and let not your heart have joy at his downfall:

For fear that the Lord may see it, and it may be evil in his eyes, and his wrath may be turned away from him.

For there will be no future for the evil man; the light of sinners will be put out.

Put your work in order outside, and make it ready in the field; and after that, see to the building of your house.

Do not be a violent witness against your neighbour, or let your lips say what is false.

And it was all full of thorns, and covered with waste plants, and its stone wall was broken down.

Then looking at it, I gave thought: I saw, and I got teaching from it.

These are more wise sayings of Solomon, copied out by the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah.

It is the glory of God to keep a thing secret: but the glory of kings is to have it searched out.

The heaven is high and the earth is deep, and the hearts of kings may not be searched out.

Take away the waste from silver, and a vessel will come out for the silver-worker.

For it is better to have it said to you, Come up here; than for you to be put down in a lower place before the ruler.

Do not be quick to go to law about what you have seen, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbour has put you to shame?

A word at the right time is like apples of gold in a network of silver.

If you have honey, take only as much as is enough for you; for fear that, being full of it, you may not be able to keep it down.

It is better to be living in an angle of the house-top, than with a bitter-tongued woman in a wide house.

It is not good to take much honey: so he who is not looking for honour will be honoured.

The hater of work puts his hand deep into the basin: lifting it again to his mouth is a weariness to him.

He who gets mixed up in a fight which is not his business, is like one who takes a dog by the ears while it is going by.

Without wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no secret talk, argument is ended.

Like breath on coals and wood on fire, so a man given to argument gets a fight started.

With his lips the hater makes things seem what they are not, but deceit is stored up inside him;

He who makes a hole in the earth will himself go falling into it: and on him by whom a stone is rolled the stone will come back again.

Do not make a noise about tomorrow, for you are not certain what a day's outcome may be.

A stone has great weight, and sand is crushing; but the wrath of the foolish is of greater weight than these.

He who gives a blessing to his friend with a loud voice, getting up early in the morning, will have it put to his account as a curse.

Like face looking at face in water, so are the hearts of men to one another.

The heating-pot is for silver and the oven-fire for gold, and a man is measured by what he is praised for.

Because of the sin of the land, its troubles are increased; but by a man of wisdom and knowledge they will be put out like a fire.

Evil men have no knowledge of what is right; but those who go after the Lord have knowledge of all things.

He who makes his wealth greater by taking interest, only gets it together for him who has pity on the poor.

Happy is the man in whom is the fear of the Lord at all times; but he whose heart is hard will come into trouble.

It is not good to have respect for a man's position: for a man will do wrong for a bit of bread.

He who takes from his father or his mother what is theirs by right, and says, It is no sin; is the same as a taker of life.

A king, by right rule, makes the land safe; but one full of desires makes it a waste.

A man who says smooth things to his neighbour is stretching out a net for his steps.

The upright man gives attention to the cause of the poor: the evil-doer gives no thought to it.

A foolish man lets out all his wrath, but a wise man keeps it back quietly.

Who has gone up to heaven and come down? who has taken the winds in his hands, prisoning the waters in his robe? by whom have all the ends of the earth been fixed? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if you are able to say?

The eye which makes sport of a father, and sees no value in a mother when she is old will be rooted out by the ravens of the valley, and be food for the young eagles.

For three things the earth is moved, and there are four which it will not put up with:

The locusts have no king, but they all go out in bands;

You may take the lizard in your hands, but it is in kings' houses.

What am I to say to you, O Lemuel, my oldest son? and what, O son of my body? and what, O son of my oaths?

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to take wine, or for rulers to say, Where is strong drink?

She gets wool and linen, working at the business of her hands.

She gets up while it is still night, and gives meat to her family, and their food to her servant-girls.

After looking at a field with care, she gets it for a price, planting a vine-garden with the profit of her work.

She sees that her marketing is of profit to her: her light does not go out by night.

Her hands are stretched out to the poor; yes, she is open-handed to those who are in need.

Her mouth is open to give out wisdom, and the law of mercy is on her tongue.

She gives attention to the ways of her family, she does not take her food without working for it.

Give her credit for what her hands have made: let her be praised by her works in the public place.