For they can’t sleep
unless they have done what is evil;
they are robbed of sleep
unless they make someone stumble.

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

Listen, for I speak of noble things,
and what my lips say is right.

The Lord will not let the righteous go hungry,
but He denies the wicked what they crave.

What the wicked dreads will come to him,
but what the righteous desire will be given to them.

The lips of the righteous know what is appropriate,
but the mouth of the wicked, only what is perverse.

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One person gives freely,
yet gains more;
another withholds what is right,
only to become poor.

The one who searches for what is good finds favor,
but if someone looks for trouble, it will come to him.

The wicked desire what evil men have,
but the root of the righteous produces fruit.

Whoever speaks the truth declares what is right,
but a false witness, deceit.

The disloyal one will get what his conduct deserves,
and a good man, what his deeds deserve.

Doing what is righteous and just
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
consider carefully what is before you,

My innermost being will cheer
when your lips say what is right.

for destruction from them will come suddenly;
who knows what distress these two can bring?

Don’t say, “I’ll do to him what he did to me;
I’ll repay the man for what he has done.”

Don’t take a matter to court hastily.
Otherwise, what will you do afterward
if your opponent humiliates you?

If you find honey, eat only what you need;
otherwise, you’ll get sick from it and vomit.

Don’t boast about tomorrow,
for you don’t know what a day might bring.

The one who leads the upright into an evil way
will fall into his own pit,
but the blameless will inherit what is good.

Who has gone up to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in His hands?
Who has bound up the waters in a cloak?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name,
and what is the name of His Son—
if you know?

What should I say, my son?
What, son of my womb?
What, son of my vows?

Otherwise, they will drink,
forget what is decreed,
and pervert justice for all the oppressed.