the LORD who directs his steps.
10There is magic on the lips of the king;
He cannot err in judgment.
11Honest scales and balances are the LORD’s;
All the weights in the bag are His work.
12Wicked deeds are an abomination to kings,
For the throne is established by righteousness.
13Truthful speech wins the favor of kings;
They love those who speak honestly.
14The king’s wrath is a messenger of death,
But a wise man can appease it.
15The king’s smile means life;
His favor is like a rain cloud in spring.
16How much better to acquire wisdom than gold;
To acquire understanding is preferable to silver.
17The highway of the upright avoids evil;
He who would preserve his life watches his way.
18Pride goes before ruin,
Arrogance, before failure.
19Better to be humble and among the lowly
Than to share spoils with the proud.
20He who is adept in a matter will attain success;
Happy is he who trusts in the LORD.
21The wise-hearted is called discerning;
One whose speech is pleasing gains wisdom.
22Good sense is a fountain of life to those who have it,
And folly is the punishment of fools.
23The mind of the wise man makes his speech effective
And increases the wisdom on his lips.
24Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
Sweet to the palate and a cure for the body.
25A road may seem right to a man,
But in the end it is a road to death.
26The appetite of a laborer labors for him,
Because his hungerb c-forces him on.-c
27A scoundrel plotsc evil;
What is on his lips is like a scorching fire.
28A shifty man stirs up strife,
And a querulous one alienates his friend.
29A lawless man misleads his friend,
Making him take the wrong way.
30He closes his eyes while meditating deception;
He purses his lips while deciding upon evil.
31Gray hair is a crown of glory;
It is attained by the way of righteousness.
32Better to be forbearing than mighty,
To have self-control than to conquer a city.
33Lots are cast into the lap;
The decision depends on the LORD.
17 Better a dry crust with peace
Than a house full of feasting with strife.
2A capable servant will dominate an incompetent son
And share the inheritance with the brothers.
3For silver—the crucible;
For gold—the furnace,
And the LORD tests the mind.
4An evildoer listens to mischievous talk;
A liar gives ear to malicious words.
5He who mocks the poor affronts his Maker;
He who rejoices over another’s misfortune will not go unpunished.
6Grandchildren are the crown of their elders,
And the glory of children is their parents.
7Lofty words are not fitting for a villain;
Much less lying words for a great man.
8A bribe seems like a charm to him who uses it;
He succeeds at every turn.
9He who seeks love overlooks faults,
But he who harps on a matter alienates his friend.
10A rebuke works on an intelligent man
More than one hundred blows on a fool.
11An evil man seeks only to rebel;
A ruthless messenger will be sent against him.
12Sooner meet a bereaved she-bear
Than a fool with his nonsense.
13Evil will never depart from the house
Of him who repays good with evil.
14To start a quarrel is to open a sluice;
Before a dispute a-flares up,-a drop it.
15To acquit the guilty and convict the innocent—
Both are an abomination to the LORD.
16What good is money in the hand of a fool
To purchase wisdom, when he has no mind?
17A friend is devoted at all times;
A brother is born to share adversity.
18Devoid of sense is he who gives his hand
To stand surety for his fellow.
19He who loves transgression loves strife;
He who builds a high threshold invites broken bones.
20Man of crooked mind comes to no good,
And he who speaks duplicity falls into trouble.
21One begets a dullard to one’s own grief;
The father of a villain has no joy.
22A joyful heart makes for b- good health;-b
Despondency dries up the bones.
23The wicked man draws a bribe out of his bosom
To pervert the course of justice.
24Wisdom lies before the intelligent man;
The eyes of the dullard range to the ends of the earth.
25A stupid son is vexation for his father
And a heartache for the woman who bore him.
26To punish the innocent is surely not right,
Or to flog the great for their uprightness.
27A knowledgeable man is sparing with his words;
A man of understanding is reticent.
28Even a fool, if he keeps silent, is deemed wise;
Intelligent, if he seals his lips.
18a- He who isolates himself pursues his desires;
He disdains all competence.-a
2The fool does not desire understanding,
But only to air his thoughts.
3Comes the wicked man comes derision,
And with the rogue, contempt.
4The words a man speaks are deep waters,
A flowing stream, a fountain of wisdom.
5It is not right to be partial to the guilty
And subvert the innocent in judgment.
6The words of a fool lead to strife;
His speech invites blows.
7The fool’s speech is his ruin;
His words are a trap for him.
8The words of a querulous man are bruising;a
They penetrate one’s inmost parts.
9One who is slack in his work
Is a brother to a vandal.
10The name of the LORD is a tower of strength
To which the righteous man runs and is safe.
11The wealth of a rich man is his fortress;
a-In his fancy-a it is a protective wall.
12Before ruin a man’s heart is proud;
Humility goes before honor.
13To answer a man before hearing him out
Is foolish and disgraceful.
14A man’s spirit can sustain him through illness;
But low spirits—who can bear them?
15The mind of an intelligent man acquires knowledge;
The ears of the wise seek out knowledge.
16A man’s gift eases his way
And gives him access to the great.
17The first to plead his case seems right
Till the other party examines him.
18The lot puts an end to strife
And separates those locked in dispute.
19A brother offended is more formidable than a stronghold;
Such strife is like the bars of a fortress.
20A man’s belly is filled by the fruit of his mouth;
He will be filled by the produce of his lips.
21Death and life are in the power of the tongue;
Those who love it will eat its fruit.
22He who finds a wife has found happiness
And has won the favor of the LORD.
23The poor man speaks beseechingly;
The rich man’s answer is harsh.
24There are companions to keep one company,
And there is a friend more devoted than a brother.
19 Better a poor man who lives blamelessly
Than one who speaks perversely and is a dullard.
2A person without knowledge is surely not good;
He who moves hurriedly blunders.
3A man’s folly subverts his way,
And his heart rages against the LORD.
4Wealth makes many friends,
But a poor man loses his last friend.
5A false witness will not go unpunished;
He who testifies lies will not escape.
6Many court the favor of a great man,
And all are the friends of a dispenser of gifts.
7All the brothers of a poor man despise him;
How much more is he shunned by his friends!
a-He who pursues words—they are of no avail.-a
8He who acquires wisdom is his own best friend;
He preserves understanding and attains happiness.
9A false witness will not go unpunished;
He who testifies falsely is doomed.
10Luxury is not fitting for a dullard,
Much less that a servant rule over princes.
11A man shows intelligence by his forebearance;
It is his glory when he overlooks an offense.
12The rage of a king is like the roar of a lion;
His favor is like dew upon the grass.
13A stupid son is a calamity to his father;
The nagging of a wife is like the endless dripping of water.
14Property and riches are bequeathed by fathers,
But an efficient wife comes from the LORD.
15Laziness induces sleep,
And a negligent person will go hungry.
16He who has regard for his life pays regard to commandments;
He who is heedless of his ways will die.
17He who is generous to the poor makes a loan to the LORD;
He will repay him his due.
18Discipline your son while there is still hope,
Andb do not c-set your heart on his destruction.-c
19A hot-tempered man incurs punishment;
a-If you try to save him you will only make it worse.-a
20Listen to advice and accept discipline
In order that you may be wise in the end.
21Many designs are in a man’s mind,
But it is the LORD’s plan that is accomplished.
22a-Greed is a reproach to a man;-a
Better be poor than a liar.
23He who fears the LORD earns life;
a-He shall abide in contentment,-a
Free from misfortune.
24The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl;
He will not even bring it to his mouth.
25Beat the scoffer and the simple will become clever;
Reprove an intelligent man and he gains knowledge.
26A son who causes shame and disgrace
Plunders his father, puts his mother to flight.
27My son, cease to stray from words of knowledge
And receive discipline.
28A malicious witness scoffs at justice,
And the speech of the wicked conceals mischief.
29Punishments are in store for scoffers
And blows for the backs of dullards.
20 Wine is a scoffer, strong drink a roisterer;
He who is muddled by them will not grow wise.
2The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion;
He who provokes his anger risks his life.
3It is honorable for a man to desist from strife,
But every fool a-becomes embroiled.-a
4In winter the lazy man does not plow;
At harvesttime he seeks, and finds nothing.
5The designs in a man’s mind are deep waters,
But a man of understanding can draw them out.
6He calls many a man his loyal friend,
But who can find a faithful man?
7The righteous man lives blamelessly;
Happy are his children who come after him.
8The king seated on the throne of judgment
Can winnow out all evil by his glance.
9Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart,
I am purged of my sin”?
10False weights and false measures,
Both are an abomination to the LORD.
11A child may be dissembling in his behavior
Even though his actions are blameless and proper.
12The ear that hears, the eye that sees—
The LORD made them both.
13Do not love sleep lest you be impoverished;
Keep your eyes open and you will have plenty of food.
14“Bad, bad,” says the buyer,
But having moved off, he congratulates himself.
15Gold is plentiful, jewels abundant,
But wise speech is a precious object.
16Seize his garment, for he stood surety for another;b
Take it as a pledge, [for he stood surety] for an unfamiliar woman.
17Bread gained by fraud may be tasty to