What advantage then does the wise man have over the fool? What advantage is there for the poor person who knows how to conduct himself before others?

The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure.

It is better to listen to rebuke from a wise person
than to listen to the song of fools,

Surely, the practice of extortion turns a wise person into a fool,
and a bribe destroys the mind.

Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?”
since it is not wise of you to ask this.

Don’t be excessively righteous, and don’t be overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?

Wisdom makes the wise man stronger
than ten rulers of a city.

Who is like the wise person, and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed.

The one who keeps a command will not experience anything harmful, and a wise heart knows the right time and procedure.

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

The calm words of the wise are heeded
more than the shouts of a ruler over fools.

A wise man’s heart goes to the right,
but a fool’s heart to the left.

The words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious,
but the lips of a fool consume him.

In addition to the Teacher being a wise man, he constantly taught the people knowledge; he weighed, explored, and arranged many proverbs.

The sayings of the wise are like goads, and those from masters of collections are like firmly embedded nails. The sayings are given by one Shepherd.

Woe to those who are wise in their own opinion
and clever in their own sight.

Appoint for yourselves wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will make them your leaders.

“So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and set them over you as leaders: officials for thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and officers for your tribes.

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—

Where then are your wise men?
Let them tell you and reveal
what the Lord of Hosts has planned against Egypt.

therefore I will again confound these people
with wonder after wonder.
The wisdom of their wise men will vanish,
and the understanding of the perceptive will be hidden.

But He also is wise and brings disaster.
He does not go back on what He says;
He will rise up against the house of wicked men
and against the allies of evildoers.

Do not deny justice or show partiality to anyone. Do not accept a bribe, for it blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.

who destroys the omens of the false prophets
and makes fools of diviners;
who confounds the wise
and makes their knowledge foolishness;

If only they were wise, they would figure it out;
they would understand their fate.

“How can you claim, ‘We are wise;
the law of the Lord is with us’?
In fact, the lying pen of scribes
has produced falsehood.

The wise will be put to shame;
they will be dismayed and snared.
They have rejected the word of the Lord,
so what wisdom do they really have?

Who is the man wise enough to understand this? Who has the Lord spoken to, that he may explain it? Why is the land destroyed and scorched like a wilderness, so no one can pass through?

This is what the Lord says:

The wise man must not boast in his wisdom;
the strong man must not boast in his strength;
the wealthy man must not boast in his wealth.

The king consulted the wise men who understood the times, for it was his normal procedure to confer with experts in law and justice.

He traps the wise in their craftiness
so that the plans of the deceptive
are quickly brought to an end.

Does a wise man answer with empty counsel
or fill himself with the hot east wind?

what was declared by wise men
and was not suppressed by their ancestors,

Can a man be of any use to God?
Can even a wise man be of use to Him?