of the righteous man;
Do no violence to his dwelling.
16Seven times the righteous man falls and gets up,
While the wicked are tripped by one misfortune.
17If your enemy falls, do not exult;
If he trips, let your heart not rejoice,
18Lest the LORD see it and be displeased,
And avert His wrath from him.
19Do not be vexed by evildoers;
Do not be incensed by the wicked;
20For there is no future for the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked goes out.
21Fear the LORD, my son, and the king,
And do not mix with dissenters,
22For disaster comes from them suddenly;
The doom both decree who can foreknow?
23These also are by the sages:
It is not right to be partial in judgment.
24He who says to the guilty, “You are innocent,”
Shall be cursed by peoples,
Damned by nations;
25But it shall go well with them who decide justly;
Blessings of good things will light upon them.
26Giving a straightforward reply
Is like giving a kiss.
27Put your external affairs in order,
Get ready what you have in the field,
Then build yourself a home.
28Do not be a witness against your fellow without good cause;
Would you mislead with your speech?
29Do not say, “I will do to him what he did to me;
I will pay the man what he deserves.”
30I passed by the field of a lazy man,
By the vineyard of a man lacking sense.
31It was all overgrown with thorns;
Its surface was covered with chickweed,
And its stone fence lay in ruins.
32I observed and took it to heart;
I saw it and learned a lesson.
33A bit more sleep, a bit more slumber,
A bit more hugging yourself in bed,
34And poverty will come b-calling upon you,-b
And want, like a man with a shield.
25 These too are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of King Hezekiah of Judah copied:
2It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
And the glory of a king to plumb a matter.
3Like the heavens in their height, like the earth in its depth,
Is the mind of kings—unfathomable.
4The dross having been separated from the silver,
A vessel emerged for the smith.
5Remove the wicked from the king’s presence,
And his throne will be established in justice.
6Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence;
Do not stand in the place of nobles.
7For it is better to be told, “Step up here,”
Than to be degraded in the presence of the great.
Do not let what your eyes have seen
8Be vented rashly in a quarrel;
Thinka of what it will effect in the end,
When your fellow puts you to shame.
9Defend your right against your fellow,
But do not give away the secrets of another,
10Lest he who hears it reproach you,
And your bad repute never end.
11Like golden apples in silver showpiecesb
Is a phrase well turned.
12Like a ring of gold, a golden ornament,
Is a wise man’s reproof in a receptive ear.
13Like the coldness of snow at harvesttime
Is a trusty messenger to those who send him;
He lifts his master’s spirits.
14Like clouds, wind—but no rain—
Is one who boasts of gifts not given.
15Through forbearance a ruler may be won over;
A gentle tongue can break bones.
16If you find honey, eat only what you need,
Lest, surfeiting yourself, you throw it up.
17Visit your neighbor sparingly,
Lest he have his surfeit of you and loathe you.
18Like a club, a sword, a sharpened arrow,
Is a man who testifies falsely against his fellow.
19Like a loose tooth and an unsteady leg,
Is a treacherous support in time of trouble.
20Disrobing on a chilly day,
Like vinegar on natron,
Is one who sings songs to a sorrowful soul.
21If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;
If he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
22You will be heaping live coals on his head,
And the LORD will reward you.
23A north wind produces rain,
And whispered words, a glowering face.
24Dwelling in the corner of a roof is better
Than a contentious woman in b-a spacious house.-b
25Like cold water to a parched throat
Is good news from a distant land.
26Like a muddied spring, a ruined fountain,
Is a righteous man fallen before a wicked one.
27It is not good to eat much honey,
b-Nor is it honorable to search for honor.-b
28Like an open city without walls
Is a man whose temper is uncurbed.
26 Like snow in summer and rain at harvesttime,
So honor is not fitting for a dullard.
2As a sparrow must flit and a swallow fly,
So a gratuitous curse must backfire.a
3A whip for a horse and a bridle for a donkey,
And a rod for the back of dullards.
4Do not answer a dullard in accord with his folly,
Else you will become like him.
5Answer a dullard in accord with his folly,
Else he will think himself wise.
6He who sends a message by a dullard
Will wear out legs and b-must put up with-b lawlessness.
7As legs hang limp on a cripple,
So is a proverb in the mouth of dullards.
8Like a pebble in a sling,
So is paying honor to a dullard.
9As a thorn comes to the hand of a drunkard,
So a proverb to the mouth of a dullard.
10c-A master can produce anything,-c
But he who hires a dullard is as one who hires transients.c
11As a dog returns to his vomit,
So a dullard repeats his folly.
12If you see a man who thinks himself wise,
There is more hope for a dullard than for him.
13A lazy man says,
“There’s a cub on the road, a lion in the squares.”
14The door turns on its hinge,
And the lazy man on his bed.
15The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl;
He will not even bring it to his mouth.
16The lazy man thinks himself wiser
Than seven men who give good advice.
17A passerby who gets embroiled in someone else’s quarrel
Is like one who seizes a dog by its ears.
18Like a madmanc scattering deadly firebrands, arrows,
19Is one who cheats his fellow and says, “I was only joking.”
20For lack of wood a fire goes out,
And without a querulous man contention is stilled.
21Charcoal for embers and wood for a fire
And a contentious man for kindling strife.
22The words of a querulous man are bruising;c
They penetrate one’s inmost parts.
23Base silver laid over earthenware
Are ardent lips with an evil mind.
24An enemy dissembles with his speech,
Inwardly he harbors deceit.
25Though he be fair-spoken do not trust him,
For seven abominations are in his mind.
26His hatred may be concealed by dissimulation,
But his evil will be exposed to public view.
27He who digs a pit will fall in it,
And whoever rolls a stone, it will roll back on him.
28A lying tongue hates c-those crushed by it;-c
Smooth speech throws one down.
27 Do not boast of tomorrow,
For you do not know what the day will bring.
2Let the mouth of another praise you, not yours,
The lips of a stranger, not your own.
3A stone has weight, sand is heavy,
But a fool’s vexation outweighs them both.
4There is the cruelty of fury, the overflowing of anger,
But who can withstand jealousy?
5Open reproof is better than concealed love.
6Wounds by a loved one are long lasting;
The kisses of an enemy are profuse.
7A sated person disdains honey,
But to a hungry man anything bitter seems sweet.
8Like a sparrow wandering from its nest
Is a man who wanders from his home.
9Oil and incense gladden the heart,
And the sweetness of a friend is better than one’s own counsel.
10Do not desert your friend and your father’s friend;
Do not enter your brother’s house in your time of misfortune;
A close neighbor is better than a distant brother.
11Get wisdom, my son, and gladden my heart,
That I may have what to answer those who taunt me.
12The shrewd man saw trouble and took cover;
The simple kept going and paid the penalty.
13Seize his garment, for he stood surety for another;a
Take it as a pledge, [for he stood surety] for an unfamiliar woman.
14He who greets his fellow loudly early in the morning
Shall have it reckoned to him as a curse.
15An endless dripping on a rainy day
And a contentious wife are alike;
16As soon repress her as repress the wind,
Or declare one’s right hand to be oil.
17As iron sharpens iron
So a man sharpens the witb of his friend.
18He who tends a fig tree will enjoy its fruit,
And he who cares for his master will be honored.
19As face answers to face in water,
So does one man’s heart to another.
20Sheol and Abaddon cannot be satisfied,
Nor can the eyes of man be satisfied.
21For silver—the crucible, for gold—the furnace,
And a man is tested by his praise.
22Even if you pound the fool in a mortar
With a pestle along with grain,
His folly will not leave him.
23Mind well the looks of your flock;
Pay attention to your herds;
24For property does not last forever,
Or a crown for all generations.
25Grass vanishes, new grass appears,
And the herbage of the hills is gathered in.
26The lambs will provide you with clothing,
The he-goats, the price of a field.
27The goats’ milk will suffice for your food,
The food of your household,
And the maintenance of your maids.
28The wicked flee though no one gives chase,
But the righteous are as confident as a lion.
2When there is rebellion in the land, many are its rulers;
a-But with a man who has understanding and knowledge, stability will last.-a
3A poor man who withholds what is due to the wretched
Is like a destructive rain that leaves no food.
4Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked,
But those who heed instruction fight them.
5Evil men cannot discern judgment,
But those who seek the LORD discern all things.
6Better is a poor man who lives blamelessly
Than a rich man whose ways are crooked.
7An intelligent son heeds instruction,
But he who keeps company with gluttons disgraces his father.
8He who increases his wealth by loans at discount or interest
Amasses it for one who is generous to the poor.
9He who turns a deaf ear to instruction—
His prayer is an abomination.
10He who misleads the upright into an evil course
Will fall into his own pit,
But the blameless will prosper.
11A rich man is clever in his own eyes,
But a perceptive poor man can see through him.
12When the righteous exult there is great glory,
But when the wicked rise up men make themselves scarce.
13He who covers up his faults will not succeed;
He who confesses