Until an arrow pierced his liver [with a mortal wound];
Like a bird fluttering straight into the net,
He did not know that it would cost him his life.

“Listen, for I will speak excellent and noble things;
And the opening of my lips will reveal right things.

Do not correct a scoffer [who foolishly ridicules and takes no responsibility for his error] or he will hate you;
Correct a wise man [who learns from his error], and he will love you.

Give instruction to a wise man and he will become even wiser;
Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.

If you are wise, you are wise for yourself [for your own benefit];
If you scoff [thoughtlessly ridicule and disdain], you alone will pay the penalty.

The Lord will not allow the righteous to hunger [God will meet all his needs],
But He will reject and cast away the craving of the wicked.

The wise in heart [are willing to learn so they] will accept and obey commands (instruction),
But the babbling fool [who is arrogant and thinks himself wise] will come to ruin.

He who [maliciously] winks the eye [of evil intent] causes trouble;
And the babbling fool [who is arrogant and thinks himself wise] will come to ruin.

If the righteous will be rewarded on the earth [with godly blessings],
How much more [will] the wicked and the sinner [be repaid with punishment]!

The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the negligent and lazy will be put to forced labor.

Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles,
But he who gathers gradually by [honest] labor will increase [his riches].

A faithful and trustworthy witness will not lie,
But a false witness speaks lies.

Leave the presence of a [shortsighted] fool,
For you will not find knowledge or hear godly wisdom from his lips.

There is severe discipline for him who turns from the way [of righteousness];
And he who hates correction will die.

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].

He who profits unlawfully brings suffering to his own house,
But he who hates bribes [and does not receive nor pay them] will live.

The ear that listens to and learns from the life-giving rebuke (reprimand, censure)
Will remain among the wise.

Commit your works to the Lord [submit and trust them to Him],
And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance].

Everyone who is proud and arrogant in heart is disgusting and exceedingly offensive to the Lord;
Be assured he will not go unpunished.

The wrath of a king is like a messenger of death,
But a wise man will appease it.

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

The man of too many friends [chosen indiscriminately] will be broken in pieces and come to ruin,
But there is a [true, loving] friend who [is reliable and] sticks closer than a brother.

Many will seek the favor of a generous and noble man,
And everyone is a friend to him who gives gifts.

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.

A man of great anger will bear the penalty [for his quick temper and lack of self-control];
For if you rescue him [and do not let him learn from the consequences of his action], you will only have to rescue him over and over again.

Many plans are in a man’s mind,
But it is the Lord’s purpose for him that will stand (be carried out).

The lazy man buries his hand in the [food] dish,
But will not even bring it to his mouth again.

Strike a scoffer [for refusing to learn], and the naive may [be warned and] become prudent;
Reprimand one who has understanding and a teachable spirit, and he will gain knowledge and insight.

It is an honor for a man to keep away from strife [by handling situations with thoughtful foresight],
But any fool will [start a] quarrel [without regard for the consequences].

Do not love [excessive] sleep, or you will become poor;
Open your eyes [so that you can do your work] and you will be satisfied with bread.

Food gained by deceit is sweet to a man,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel [just as sin may be sweet at first, but later its consequences bring despair].

An inheritance hastily gained [by greedy, unjust means] at the beginning
Will not be blessed in the end.

Do not say, “I will repay evil”;
Wait [expectantly] for the Lord, and He will rescue and save you.

Whoever shuts his ears at the cry of the poor
Will cry out himself and not be answered.

He who loves [only selfish] pleasure will become a poor man;
He who loves and is devoted to wine and [olive] oil will not become rich.

He who earnestly seeks righteousness and loyalty
Finds life, righteousness, and honor.

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

Thorns and snares are in the way of the obstinate [for their lack of honor and their wrong-doing traps them];
He who guards himself [with godly wisdom] will be far from them and avoid the consequences they suffer.

Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God’s wisdom and will for his abilities and talents],
Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

He who sows injustice will reap [a harvest of] trouble,
And the rod of his wrath [with which he oppresses others] will fail.

Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go away;
Even strife and dishonor will cease.

He who loves purity of heart
And whose speech is gracious will have the king as his friend.

The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit [deep and inescapable];
He who is cursed by the Lord [because of his adulterous sin] will fall into it.

Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
The rod of discipline [correction administered with godly wisdom and lovingkindness] will remove it far from him.

He who oppresses or exploits the poor to get more for himself
Or who gives to the rich [to gain influence and favor], will only come to poverty.

For it will be pleasant if you keep them in mind [incorporating them as guiding principles];
Let them be ready on your lips [to guide and strengthen yourself and others].

For the Lord will plead their case
And take the life of those who rob them.

Do you see a man skillful and experienced in his work?
He will stand [in honor] before kings;
He will not stand before obscure men.

For you will put a knife to your throat
If you are a man of great appetite.

When you set your eyes on wealth, it is [suddenly] gone.
For wealth certainly makes itself wings
Like an eagle that flies to the heavens.

The morsel which you have eaten you will vomit up,
And you will waste your compliments.

Do not speak in the ears of a fool,
For he will despise the [godly] wisdom of your words.

For their Redeemer is strong and mighty;
He will plead their case against you.

Do not withhold discipline from the child;
If you swat him with a reed-like rod [applied with godly wisdom], he will not die.

My son, if your heart is wise,
My heart will also be glad;

Yes, my heart will rejoice
When your lips speak right things.

Your [drunken] eyes will see strange things
And your mind will utter perverse things [untrue things, twisted things].

And you will be [as unsteady] as one who lies down in the middle of the sea,
And [as vulnerable to disaster] as one who lies down on the top of a ship’s mast, saying,

“They struck me, but I was not hurt!
They beat me, but I did not feel it!
When will I wake up?
I will seek more wine.”

He who plans to do evil
Will be called a schemer or deviser of evil.

For their tragedy will rise suddenly,
And who knows the punishment that both [the Lord and the king] will bring on the rebellious?

He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
Peoples will curse him, nations will denounce him;

But to those [honorable judges] who rebuke the wicked, it will go well with them and they will find delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.

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

Take away the wicked from before the king,
And his throne will be established in righteousness.

For in doing so, you will heap coals of fire upon his head,
And the Lord will reward you.

Whoever digs a pit [for another man’s feet] will fall into it,
And he who rolls a stone [up a hill to do mischief], it will come back on him.

He who blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning,
It will be counted as a curse to him [for it will either be annoying or his purpose will be suspect].

Even though you pound a [hardened, arrogant] fool [who rejects wisdom] in a mortar with a pestle like grain,
Yet his foolishness will not leave him.

The lambs will supply wool for your clothing,
And the goats will bring the price of a field.

And there will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
For the food of your household,
And for the maintenance of your maids.

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

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

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 conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But whoever confesses and turns away from his sins will find compassion and mercy.

Blessed and favored by God is the man who fears [sin and its consequence] at all times,
But he who hardens his heart [and is determined to sin] will fall into disaster.

He who cultivates his land will have plenty of bread,
But he who follows worthless people and frivolous pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

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

He who gives to the poor will never want,
But he who shuts his eyes [from their need] will have many curses.

If a ruler pays attention to lies [and encourages corruption],
All his officials will become wicked.

Correct your son, and he will give you comfort;
Yes, he will delight your soul.

A servant will not be corrected by words alone;
For though he understands, he will not respond [nor pay attention].

He who pampers his slave from childhood
Will find him to be a son in the end.

A man’s pride and sense of self-importance will bring him down,
But he who has a humble spirit will obtain honor.

The eye that mocks a father
And scorns a mother,
The ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young vultures will devour it.

She looks well to how things go in her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.

That which has been is that which will be [again],
And that which has been done is that which will be done again.
So there is nothing new under the sun.

There is no remembrance of earlier things,
Nor also of the later things that are to come;
There will be for them no remembrance
By generations who will come after them.

I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure and gratification; so enjoy yourself and have a good time.” But behold, this too was vanity (futility, meaninglessness).

Then I said to myself, “As it happens to the fool, so death will also happen to me. What use is it then for me to be extremely wise?” Then I said in my heart, “This too is vanity (meaningless).”

For there is no [more] lasting remembrance of the wise man than of the fool, since in the days to come all will be long forgotten. And how does the wise man die? Even as the fool!

So I hated all the fruit (gain) of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will succeed me.

And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is vanity (futility, self-conceit).

I know that whatever God does, it endures forever; nothing can be added to it nor can anything be taken from it, for God does it so that men will fear and worship Him [with awe-filled reverence, knowing that He is God].

I said to myself, “God will judge both the righteous and the wicked,” for there is a time [appointed] for every matter and for every deed.

So I have seen that there is nothing better than that a man should be happy in his own works and activities, for that is his portion (share). For who will bring him [back] to see what will happen after he is gone?

for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and does not have another to lift him up.

And though one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

There is no end to all the people; to all who were before them. Yet those who come later will not be happy with him. Surely this also is vanity (emptiness) and chasing after the wind.

If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be shocked at the sight [of corruption]; for a higher official watches over another official, and there are higher ones over them [looking out for one another].