It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly
Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

He who gives attention to the word will find good,
And blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.

Understanding is a fountain of life to one who has it,
But the discipline of fools is folly.

The heart of the wise instructs his mouth
And adds persuasiveness to his lips.

Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

There is a way which seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

He who winks his eyes does so to devise perverse things;
He who compresses his lips brings evil to pass.

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.

An evildoer listens to wicked lips;
A liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool,
Much less are lying lips to a prince.

He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.

Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,
When he has no sense?

He who sires a fool does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.

A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom
To pervert the ways of justice.

A foolish son is a grief to his father
And bitterness to her who bore him.

It is also not good to fine the righteous,
Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.

To show partiality to the wicked is not good,
Nor to thrust aside the righteous in judgment.

He also who is slack in his work
Is brother to him who destroys.

He who gives an answer before he hears,
It is folly and shame to him.

The first to plead his case seems right,
Until another comes and examines him.

The cast lot puts an end to strife
And decides between the mighty ones.

A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city,
And contentions are like the bars of a citadel.

A man of too many friends comes to ruin,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge,
And he who hurries his footsteps errs.

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

All the brothers of a poor man hate him;
How much more do his friends abandon him!
He pursues them with words, but they are gone.

Luxury is not fitting for a fool;
Much less for a slave to rule over princes.

A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger,
And it is his glory to overlook a transgression.

The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion,
But his favor is like dew on the grass.

A foolish son is destruction to his father,
And the contentions of a wife are a constant dripping.

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

One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord,
And He will repay him for his good deed.

Discipline your son while there is hope,
And do not desire his death.

A man of great anger will bear the penalty,
For if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.

Listen to counsel and accept discipline,
That you may be wise the rest of your days.

What is desirable in a man is his kindness,
And it is better to be a poor man than a liar.

The fear of the Lord leads to life,
So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.

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

Cease listening, my son, to discipline,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge.

The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion;
He who provokes him to anger forfeits his own life.

Differing weights and differing measures,
Both of them are abominable to the Lord.

Do not love sleep, or you will become poor;
Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food.

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

He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets,
Therefore do not associate with a gossip.

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

Differing weights are an abomination to the Lord,
And a false scale is not good.

It is a trap for a man to say rashly, “It is holy!”
And after the vows to make inquiry.

To do righteousness and justice
Is desired by the Lord more than sacrifice.

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

The violence of the wicked will drag them away,
Because they refuse to act with justice.

It is better to live in a corner of a roof
Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

The righteous one considers the house of the wicked,
Turning the wicked to ruin.

He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor
Will also cry himself and not be answered.

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

It is better to live in a desert land
Than with a contentious and vexing woman.

The desire of the sluggard puts him to death,
For his hands refuse to work;

All day long he is craving,
While the righteous gives and does not hold back.

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

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

A good name is to be more desired than great wealth,
Favor is better than silver and gold.

He who is generous will be blessed,
For he gives some of his food to the poor.

He who oppresses the poor to make more for himself
Or who gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.

Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise,
And apply your mind to my knowledge;

Have I not written to you excellent things
Of counsels and knowledge,

To make you know the certainty of the words of truth
That you may correctly answer him who sent you?

Do not rob the poor because he is poor,
Or crush the afflicted at the gate;

Do not associate with a man given to anger;
Or go with a hot-tempered man,

Do not be among those who give pledges,
Among those who become guarantors for debts.

If you have nothing with which to pay,
Why should he take your bed from under you?

Do not move the ancient boundary
Which your fathers have set.

Do you see a man skilled in his work?
He will stand before kings;
He will not stand before obscure men.

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

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

Do not desire his delicacies,
For it is deceptive food.

Do not weary yourself to gain wealth,
Cease from your consideration of it.

Do not eat the bread of a selfish man,
Or desire his delicacies;

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 speak in the hearing of a fool,
For he will despise the wisdom of your words.

Do not move the ancient boundary
Or go into the fields of the fatherless,

Apply your heart to discipline
And your ears to words of knowledge.

Do not hold back discipline from the child,
Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die.

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

Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine,
Or with gluttonous eaters of meat;

For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty,
And drowsiness will clothe one with rags.

Listen to your father who begot you,
And do not despise your mother when she is old.

Buy truth, and do not sell it,
Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.

Let your father and your mother be glad,
And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.

Those who linger long over wine,
Those who go to taste mixed wine.

Do not look on the wine when it is red,
When it sparkles in the cup,
When it goes down smoothly;

Do not be envious of evil men,
Nor desire to be with them;

Wisdom is too exalted for a fool,
He does not open his mouth in the gate.

One who plans to do evil,
Men will call a schemer.

The devising of folly is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.

If you are slack in the day of distress,
Your strength is limited.

Deliver those who are being taken away to death,
And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back.

If you say, “See, we did not know this,”
Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts?
And does He not know it who keeps your soul?
And will He not render to man according to his work?

My son, eat honey, for it is good,
Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste;

Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
Do not destroy his resting place;

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;

Do not fret because of evildoers
Or be envious of the wicked;