Let’s swallow them alive, like Sheol,
still healthy as they go down to the Pit.

when terror strikes you like a storm
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when trouble and stress overcome you.

if you seek it like silver
and search for it like hidden treasure,

The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
shining brighter and brighter until midday.

But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom;
they don’t know what makes them stumble.

Let your eyes look forward;
fix your gaze straight ahead.

Escape like a gazelle from a hunter,
like a bird from a fowler’s trap.

and your poverty will come like a robber,
your need, like a bandit.

A woman came to meet him
dressed like a prostitute,
having a hidden agenda.

He follows her impulsively
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer bounding toward a trap

until an arrow pierces its liver,
like a bird darting into a snare—
he doesn’t know it will cost him his life.

The lips of the righteous feed many,
but fools die for lack of sense.

Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so the slacker is to the one who sends him on an errand.

A beautiful woman who rejects good sense
is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.

Anyone trusting in his riches will fall,
but the righteous will flourish like foliage.

A capable wife is her husband’s crown,
but a wife who causes shame
is like rottenness in his bones.

There is one who speaks rashly,
like a piercing sword;
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

A slacker’s way is like a thorny hedge,
but the path of the upright is a highway.

When a king’s face lights up, there is life;
his favor is like a cloud with spring rain.

A worthless man digs up evil,
and his speech is like a scorching fire.

A bribe seems like a magic stone to its owner;
wherever he turns, he succeeds.

A gossip’s words are like choice food
that goes down to one’s innermost being.

A rich man’s wealth is his fortified city;
in his imagination it is like a high wall.

An offended brother is harder to reach
than a fortified city,
and quarrels are like the bars of a fortress.

A king’s rage is like the roaring of a lion,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.

A king’s terrible wrath is like the roaring of a lion;
anyone who provokes him endangers himself.

As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears,
for it makes wings for itself
and flies like an eagle to the sky.

indeed, she sets an ambush like a robber
and increases those among men who are unfaithful.

In the end it bites like a snake
and stings like a viper.

You’ll be like someone sleeping out at sea
or lying down on the top of a ship’s mast.

“They struck me, but I feel no pain!
They beat me, but I didn’t know it!
When will I wake up?
I’ll look for another drink.”

>

and your poverty will come like a robber,
your need, like a bandit.

A word spoken at the right time
is like gold apples on a silver tray.

A wise correction to a receptive ear
is like a gold ring or an ornament of gold.

To those who send him, a trustworthy messenger
is like the coolness of snow on a harvest day;
he refreshes the life of his masters.

The man who boasts about a gift that does not exist
is like clouds and wind without rain.

A man giving false testimony against his neighbor
is like a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.

Trusting an unreliable person in a difficult time
is like a rotten tooth or a faltering foot.

Singing songs to a troubled heart
is like taking off clothing on a cold day
or like pouring vinegar on soda.

Good news from a distant land
is like cold water to a parched throat.

A righteous person who yields to the wicked
is like a muddied spring or a polluted well.

A man who does not control his temper
is like a city whose wall is broken down.

>

Like snow in summer and rain at harvest,
honor is inappropriate for a fool.

Like a flitting sparrow or a fluttering swallow,
an undeserved curse goes nowhere.

Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness
or you’ll be like him yourself.

A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is like lame legs that hang limp.

Giving honor to a fool
is like binding a stone in a sling.

A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is like a stick with thorns,
brandished by the hand of a drunkard.

The one who hires a fool or who hires those passing by
is like an archer who wounds everyone.

A person who is passing by and meddles in a quarrel that’s not his
is like one who grabs a dog by the ears.

Like a madman who throws flaming darts and deadly arrows,

A gossip’s words are like choice food
that goes down to one’s innermost being.

Smooth lips with an evil heart
are like glaze on an earthen vessel.

A man wandering from his home
is like a bird wandering from its nest.

A destitute leader who oppresses the poor
is like a driving rain that leaves no food.

A wicked ruler over a helpless people
is like a roaring lion or a charging bear.

I am more stupid than any other man,
and I lack man’s ability to understand.

The leech has two daughters: “Give, Give!”
Three things are never satisfied;
four never say, “Enough!”:

The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will not lack anything good.

She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from far away.