think about Him in all your ways,
and He will guide you on the right paths.

A wicked man’s iniquities entrap him;
he is entangled in the ropes of his own sin.

Therefore calamity will strike him suddenly;
he will be shattered instantly—beyond recovery.

The Lord hates six things;
in fact, seven are detestable to Him:

A woman came to meet him
dressed like a prostitute,
having a hidden agenda.

She grabs him and kisses him;
she brazenly says to him,

He took a bag of money with him
and will come home at the time of the full moon.”

She seduces him with her persistent pleading;
she lures with her flattering talk.

until an arrow pierces its liver,
like a bird darting into a snare—
he doesn’t know it will cost him his life.

I was a skilled craftsman beside Him.
I was His delight every day,
always rejoicing before Him.

What the wicked dreads will come to him,
but what the righteous desire will be given to them.

Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so the slacker is to the one who sends him on an errand.

The one who searches for what is good finds favor,
but if someone looks for trouble, it will come to him.

A man will be satisfied with good
by the words of his mouth,
and the work of a man’s hands will reward him.

The one who will not use the rod hates his son,
but the one who loves him disciplines him diligently.

Whoever lives with integrity fears the Lord,
but the one who is devious in his ways despises Him.

The one who oppresses the poor person insults his Maker,
but one who is kind to the needy honors Him.

A mocker doesn’t love one who corrects him;
he will not consult the wise.

When a man’s ways please the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

A worker’s appetite works for him
because his hunger urges him on.

A violent man lures his neighbor,
leading him in a way that is not good.

An evil man seeks only rebellion;
a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

A foolish son is grief to his father
and bitterness to the one who bore him.

The one who gives an answer before he listens—
this is foolishness and disgrace for him.

A gift opens doors for a man
and brings him before the great.

The first to state his case seems right
until another comes and cross-examines him.

A man’s own foolishness leads him astray,
yet his heart rages against the Lord.

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 person’s insight gives him patience,
and his virtue is to overlook an offense.

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

A person with great anger bears the penalty;
if you rescue him, you’ll have to do it again.

A king’s terrible wrath is like the roaring of a lion;
anyone who provokes him endangers himself.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

Don’t say, “I’ll do to him what he did to me;
I’ll repay the man for what he has done.”

for it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here!”
than to demote you in plain view of a noble.

To those who send him, a trustworthy messenger
is like the coolness of snow on a harvest day;
he refreshes the life of his masters.

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;

Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness
or you’ll be like him yourself.

Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

When he speaks graciously, don’t believe him,
for there are seven abominations in his heart.

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

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

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

A rich man is wise in his own eyes,
but a poor man who has discernment sees through him.

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

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

Bloodthirsty men hate an honest person,
but the upright care about him.

Do you see a man who speaks too soon?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

A person’s pride will humble him,
but a humble spirit will gain honor.

Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

The words of King Lemuel,
an oracle that his mother taught him:

Let him drink so that he can forget his poverty
and remember his trouble no more.

She rewards him with good, not evil,
all the days of her life.