“Because I called and you refused [to answer],
I stretched out my hand and no one has paid attention [to my offer];

The Lord by His wisdom has founded the earth;
By His understanding He has established the heavens.

Do not quarrel with a man without cause,
If he has done you no harm.

He has taken a bag of money with him,
And he will come home on the appointed day.”

For she has cast down many [mortally] wounded;
Indeed, all who were killed by her were strong.

Wisdom has built her [spacious and sufficient] house;
She has hewn out and set up her seven pillars.

She has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine;
She has also set her table.

She has sent out her maidens, she calls
From the highest places of the city:

On the lips of the discerning, [skillful and godly] wisdom is found,
But discipline and the rod are for the back of the one who is without common sense and understanding.

There is one who pretends to be rich, yet has nothing at all;
Another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

The poor man is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.

He who is slow to anger has great understanding [and profits from his self-control],
But he who is quick-tempered exposes and exalts his foolishness [for all to see].

The wicked is overthrown through his wrongdoing,
But the righteous has hope and confidence and a refuge [with God] even in death.

Wisdom rests [silently] in the heart of one who has understanding,
But what is in the heart of [shortsighted] fools is made known.

A scoffer [unlike a wise man] resents one who rebukes him and tries to teach him;
Nor will he go to the wise [for counsel and instruction].

The mind of the intelligent and discerning seeks knowledge and eagerly inquires after it,
But the mouth of the [stubborn] fool feeds on foolishness.

All the days of the afflicted are bad,
But a glad heart has a continual feast [regardless of the circumstances].

A man has joy in giving an appropriate answer,
And how good and delightful is a word spoken at the right moment—how good it is!

The Lord has made everything for its own purpose,
Even the wicked [according to their role] for the day of evil.

Why is there money in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,
When he has no common sense or even a heart for it?

He who has a crooked mind finds no good,
And he who is perverted in his language falls into evil.

He who becomes the parent of a fool [who is spiritually blind] does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool [who is spiritually blind] has no joy.

He who has knowledge restrains and is careful with his words,
And a man of understanding and wisdom has a cool spirit (self-control, an even temper).

A [closed-minded] fool does not delight in understanding,
But only in revealing his personal opinions [unwittingly displaying his self-indulgence and his stupidity].

He who is gracious and lends a hand to the poor lends to the Lord,
And the Lord will repay him for his good deed.

The fear of the Lord leads to life,
So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.

The lazy man does not plow when the winter [planting] season arrives;
So he begs at the [next] harvest and has nothing [to reap].

The hearing ear and the seeing eye,
The [omnipotent] Lord has made both of them.

He who is generous will be blessed,
For he gives some of his food to the poor.

The eyes of the Lord keep guard over knowledge and the one who has it,
But He overthrows the words of the treacherous.

Do not eat the bread of a selfish man,
Or desire his delicacies;

Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
Whose eyes are red and dim?

Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will pay the man back for his deed.”

Do not rush out to argue your case [before magistrates or judges];
Otherwise what will you do in the end [when your case is lost and]
When your neighbor (opponent) humiliates you?

Like a city that is broken down and without walls [leaving it unprotected]
Is a man who has no self-control over his spirit [and sets himself up for trouble].

When a land does wrong, it has many princes,
But when the ruler is a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability endures.

The rich man [who is conceited and relies on his wealth instead of God] is wise in his own eyes,
But the poor man who has understanding [because he relies on God] is able to see through him.

He who has an evil and envious eye hurries to be rich
And does not know that poverty will come upon him.

The righteous man cares for the rights of the poor,
But the wicked man has no interest in such knowledge.

If a wise man has a controversy with a foolish and arrogant man,
The foolish man [ignores logic and fairness and] only rages or laughs, and there is no peace (rest, agreement).

Who has ascended into heaven and descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in His garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son’s name?
Certainly you know!

The leech has two daughters,
“Give, give!”
There are three things that are never satisfied,
Four that do not say, “It is enough”:

The heart of her husband trusts in her [with secure confidence],
And he will have no lack of gain.