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

Life and death are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.

A false witness will not go unpunished,
and one who utters lies will not escape.

All the brothers of a poor man hate him;
how much more do his friends
keep their distance from him!
He may pursue them with words,
but they are not there.

A false witness will not go unpunished,
and one who utters lies perishes.

Laziness induces deep sleep,
and a lazy person will go hungry.

The one who keeps commands preserves himself;
one who disregards his ways will die.

Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord,
and He will give a reward to the lender.

Discipline your son while there is hope;
don’t be intent on killing him.

Many plans are in a man’s heart,
but the Lord’s decree will prevail.

The fear of the Lord leads to life;
one will sleep at night without danger.

If you stop listening to correction, my son,
you will stray from the words of knowledge.

The one who lives with integrity is righteous;
his children who come after him will be happy.

A king sitting on a throne to judge
sifts out all evil with his eyes.

Don’t love sleep, or you will become poor;
open your eyes, and you’ll have enough to eat.

Whoever curses his father or mother—
his lamp will go out in deep darkness.

An inheritance gained prematurely
will not be blessed ultimately.

Don’t say, “I will avenge this evil!”
Wait on the Lord, and He will rescue you.

A wise king separates out the wicked
and drives the threshing wheel over them.

All a man’s ways seem right to him,
but the Lord evaluates the motives.

The one who shuts his ears to the cry of the poor
will himself also call out and not be answered.

The man who strays from the way of wisdom
will come to rest
in the assembly of the departed spirits.

The one who loves pleasure will become a poor man;
whoever loves wine and oil will not get rich.

Precious treasure and oil are in the dwelling of a wise person,
but a foolish man consumes them.

The one who pursues righteousness and faithful love
will find life, righteousness, and honor.

A slacker’s craving will kill him
because his hands refuse to work.

He is filled with craving all day long,
but the righteous give and don’t hold back.

A lying witness will perish,
but the one who listens will speak successfully.

No wisdom, no understanding, and no counsel
will prevail against the Lord.

Teach a youth about the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.

The one who sows injustice will reap disaster,
and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.

A generous person will be blessed,
for he shares his food with the poor.

Drive out a mocker, and conflict goes too;
then quarreling and dishonor will cease.

The mouth of the forbidden woman is a deep pit;
a man cursed by the Lord will fall into it.

Foolishness is tangled up in the heart of a youth;
the rod of discipline will drive it away from him.

for the Lord will take up their case
and will plunder those who plunder them.

or you will learn his ways
and entangle yourself in a snare.

If you have no money to pay,
even your bed will be taken from under you.

Do you see a man skilled in his work?
He will stand in the presence of kings.
He will not stand in the presence of unknown men.

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You will vomit the little you’ve eaten
and waste your pleasant words.

Don’t speak to a fool,
for he will despise the insight of your words.

for their Redeemer is strong,
and He will take up their case against you.

Don’t withhold discipline from a youth;
if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.

Strike him with a rod,
and you will rescue his life from Sheol.

My son, if your heart is wise,
my heart will indeed rejoice.

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

For then you will have a future,
and your hope will never fade.

For the drunkard and the glutton will become poor,
and grogginess will clothe them in rags.

The father of a righteous son will rejoice greatly,
and one who fathers a wise son will delight in him.

For a prostitute is a deep pit,
and a stranger is a narrow well;

Your eyes will see strange things,
and you will say absurd things.

“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.”

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The one who plots evil
will be called a schemer.

realize that wisdom is the same for you.
If you find it, you will have a future,
and your hope will never fade.

Though a righteous man falls seven times,
he will get up,
but the wicked will stumble into ruin.

or the Lord will see, be displeased,
and turn His wrath away from him.

For the evil have no future;
the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

My son, fear the Lord, as well as the king,
and don’t associate with rebels,

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

Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent”—
people will curse him, and tribes will denounce him;

but it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
and a generous blessing will come to them.

Thistles had come up everywhere,
weeds covered the ground,
and the stone wall was ruined.

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

Remove impurities from silver,
and a vessel will be produced for a silversmith.

Remove the wicked from the king’s presence,
and his throne will be established in righteousness.

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

otherwise, the one who hears will disgrace you,
and you’ll never live it down.

for you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.

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.

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Though his hatred is concealed by deception,
his evil will be revealed in the assembly.

The one who digs a pit will fall into it,
and whoever rolls a stone—
it will come back on him.

Oil and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the sweetness of a friend is better than self-counsel.

If one blesses his neighbor
with a loud voice early in the morning,
it will be counted as a curse to him.

The one who controls her controls the wind
and grasps oil with his right hand.

Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and whoever looks after his master will be honored.

Though you grind a fool
in a mortar with a pestle along with grain,
you will not separate his foolishness from him.

Know well the condition of your flock,
and pay attention to your herds,

for wealth is not forever;
not even a crown lasts for all time.

lambs will provide your clothing,
and goats, the price of a field;

there will be enough goat’s milk for your food—
food for your household
and nourishment for your female servants.

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

The one who conceals his sins
will not prosper,
but whoever confesses and renounces them
will find mercy.

A man burdened by bloodguilt
will be a fugitive until death.
Let no one help him.

The one who lives with integrity will be helped,
but one who distorts right and wrong
will suddenly fall.

The one who works his land
will have plenty of food,
but whoever chases fantasies
will have his fill of poverty.

A faithful man will have many blessings,
but one in a hurry to get rich
will not go unpunished.

A greedy man is in a hurry for wealth;
he doesn’t know that poverty will come to him.

One who rebukes a person will later find more favor
than one who flatters with his tongue.

A greedy person provokes conflict,
but whoever trusts in the Lord will prosper.

The one who trusts in himself is a fool,
but one who walks in wisdom will be safe.

The one who gives to the poor
will not be in need,
but one who turns his eyes away
will receive many curses.

One who becomes stiff-necked,
after many reprimands
will be shattered instantly—
beyond recovery.

If a wise man goes to court with a fool,
there will be ranting and raving but no resolution.

If a ruler listens to lies,
all his officials will be wicked.

A king who judges the poor with fairness—
his throne will be established forever.

When the wicked increase, rebellion increases,
but the righteous will see their downfall.

Discipline your son, and it will bring you peace of mind
and give you delight.

Without revelation people run wild,
but one who listens to instruction will be happy.

A slave pampered from his youth
will become arrogant later on.