House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers,
But a prudent wife is from the Lord.

He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul,
But he who is careless of conduct will die.

Many plans are in a man’s heart,
But the counsel of the Lord will stand.

The sluggard buries his hand in the dish,
But will not even bring it back to his mouth.

Strike a scoffer and the naive may become shrewd,
But reprove one who has understanding and he will gain knowledge.

Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man,
But any fool will quarrel.

A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water,
But a man of understanding draws it out.

Many a man proclaims his own loyalty,
But who can find a trustworthy man?

“Bad, bad,” says the buyer,
But when he goes his way, then he boasts.

There is gold, and an abundance of jewels;
But the lips of knowledge are a more precious thing.

Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.

Every man’s way is right in his own eyes,
But the Lord weighs the hearts.

The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage,
But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.

The way of a guilty man is crooked,
But as for the pure, his conduct is upright.

When the scoffer is punished, the naive becomes wise;
But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.

The exercise of justice is joy for the righteous,
But is terror to the workers of iniquity.

There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man swallows it up.

A false witness will perish,
But the man who listens to the truth will speak forever.

A wicked man displays a bold face,
But as for the upright, he makes his way sure.

The horse is prepared for the day of battle,
But victory belongs to the Lord.

The prudent sees the evil and hides himself,
But the naive go on, and are punished for it.

The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge,
But He overthrows the words of the treacherous man.

For as he thinks within himself, so he is.
He says to you, “Eat and drink!”
But his heart is not with you.

Do not let your heart envy sinners,
But live in the fear of the Lord always.

“They struck me, but I did not become ill;
They beat me, but I did not know it.
When shall I awake?
I will seek another drink.”

For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again,
But the wicked stumble in time of calamity.

But to those who rebuke the wicked will be delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

He who hates disguises it with his lips,
But he lays up deceit in his heart.

A stone is heavy and the sand weighty,
But the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them.

Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood,
But who can stand before jealousy?

Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.

A sated man loathes honey,
But to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet.

The wicked flee when no one is pursuing,
But the righteous are bold as a lion.

By the transgression of a land many are its princes,
But by a man of understanding and knowledge, so it endures.

Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
But those who keep the law strive with them.

Evil men do not understand justice,
But those who seek the Lord understand all things.

He who keeps the law is a discerning son,
But he who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his father.

He who leads the upright astray in an evil way
Will himself fall into his own pit,
But the blameless will inherit good.

The rich man is wise in his own eyes,
But the poor who has understanding sees through him.

When the righteous triumph, there is great glory,
But when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.

He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.

How blessed is the man who fears always,
But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

A leader who is a great oppressor lacks understanding,
But he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.

He who walks blamelessly will be delivered,
But he who is crooked will fall all at once.

He who tills his land will have plenty of food,
But he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty.

A faithful man will abound with blessings,
But he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished.

An arrogant man stirs up strife,
But he who trusts in the Lord will prosper.

He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,
But he who walks wisely will be delivered.

He who gives to the poor will never want,
But he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.

When the wicked rise, men hide themselves;
But when they perish, the righteous increase.

When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,
But when a wicked man rules, people groan.

A man who loves wisdom makes his father glad,
But he who keeps company with harlots wastes his wealth.

The king gives stability to the land by justice,
But a man who takes bribes overthrows it.

By transgression an evil man is ensnared,
But the righteous sings and rejoices.

Scorners set a city aflame,
But wise men turn away anger.

Men of bloodshed hate the blameless,
But the upright are concerned for his life.

A fool always loses his temper,
But a wise man holds it back.

The rod and reproof give wisdom,
But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.

When the wicked increase, transgression increases;
But the righteous will see their fall.

Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained,
But happy is he who keeps the law.

A man’s pride will bring him low,
But a humble spirit will obtain honor.

He who is a partner with a thief hates his own life;
He hears the oath but tells nothing.

The fear of man brings a snare,
But he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.

Many seek the ruler’s favor,
But justice for man comes from the Lord.

Four things are small on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:

The ants are not a strong people,
But they prepare their food in the summer;

“Many daughters have done nobly,
But you excel them all.”

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

A generation goes and a generation comes,
But the earth remains forever.

The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that one fate befalls them both.

I said to myself concerning the sons of men, “God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but beasts.”

Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them.

But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.

For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.

Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone?

The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep.

If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many they be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper burial, then I say, “Better the miscarriage than he,

For wisdom is protection just as money is protection,
But the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors.

In the day of prosperity be happy,
But in the day of adversity consider—
God has made the one as well as the other
So that man will not discover anything that will be after him.

I tested all this with wisdom, and I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me.

And I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her.

which I am still seeking but have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all these.

Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices.”

But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow, because he does not fear God.

For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten.

But there was found in it a poor wise man and he delivered the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man.

So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the wisdom of the poor man is despised and his words are not heeded.

Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.

A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man’s heart directs him toward the left.

But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.

“I am black but lovely,
O daughters of Jerusalem,
Like the tents of Kedar,
Like the curtains of Solomon.

“Do not stare at me because I am swarthy,
For the sun has burned me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
They made me caretaker of the vineyards,
But I have not taken care of my own vineyard.

“On my bed night after night I sought him
Whom my soul loves;
I sought him but did not find him.

‘I must arise now and go about the city;
In the streets and in the squares
I must seek him whom my soul loves.’
I sought him but did not find him.

“I was asleep but my heart was awake.
A voice! My beloved was knocking:
‘Open to me, my sister, my darling,
My dove, my perfect one!
For my head is drenched with dew,
My locks with the damp of the night.’

“I opened to my beloved,
But my beloved had turned away and had gone!
My heart went out to him as he spoke.
I searched for him but I did not find him;
I called him but he did not answer me.

But my dove, my perfect one, is unique:
She is her mother’s only daughter;
She is the pure child of the one who bore her.
The maidens saw her and called her blessed,
The queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying,

“If she is a wall,
We will build on her a battlement of silver;
But if she is a door,
We will barricade her with planks of cedar.”

Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth;
For the Lord speaks,
“Sons I have reared and brought up,
But they have revolted against Me.