8 He who uses many words will be abhorred.
He who takes authority for himself will be hated in it.
9 There is a prosperity that a man finds in misfortunes;
and there is a gain that turns to loss.
10 There is a gift that will not profit you;
and there is a gift that pays back double.
11 There are losses because of glory;
and there is one who has lifted up his head from a low estate.
12 There is one who buys much for a little,
and pays for it again sevenfold.
13 He who is wise in words will make himself beloved;
but the pleasantries of fools will be wasted.
14 The gift of a fool will not profit you,‡
for he looks for repayment many times instead of one.
15 He will give little and insult much.
He will open his mouth like a crier.
Today he will lend, and tomorrow he will ask for it back.
Such a one is a hateful man.
16 The fool will say, “I have no friend,
and I have no thanks for my good deeds.
Those who eat my bread have an evil tongue.”
17 How often, and of how many, will he be laughed to scorn!§
18 A slip on a pavement is better than a slip with the tongue.
So the fall of the wicked will come speedily.
19 A man without grace is a tale out of season.
It will be continually in the mouth of the ignorant.
20 A parable from a fool’s mouth will be rejected;
for he won’t tell it at the proper time.
21 There is one who is hindered from sinning through lack.
When he rests, he will not be troubled.
22 There is one who destroys his soul through bashfulness.
By a foolish countenance, he will destroy it.
23 There is one who for bashfulness makes promises to his friend;
and he makes him his enemy for nothing.
24 A lie is an ugly blot on a person.
It will be continually in the mouth of the ignorant.
25 A thief is better than a man who is continually lying,
but they both will inherit destruction.
26 The destination of a liar is dishonour.
His shame is with him continually.
27 He who is wise in words will advance himself.
And one who is prudent will please great men.
28 He who tills his land will raise his harvest high.
He who pleases great men will get pardon for iniquity.
29 Favours and gifts blind the eyes of the wise,
and as a muzzle on the mouth, turn away reproofs.
30 Wisdom that is hidden, and treasure that is out of sight—
what profit is in either of them?
31 Better is a man who hides his folly
than a man who hides his wisdom. 32 †
21
1 My son, have you sinned?
Do it no more;
and ask forgiveness for your past sins.
2 Flee from sin as from the face of a snake;
for if you go near, it will bite you.
Its teeth are like lion’s teeth,
slaying people’s souls.
3 All iniquity is as a two-edged sword.
Its stroke has no healing.
4 Terror and violence will waste away riches.
So the house of an arrogant man will be laid waste.
5 Supplication from a poor man’s mouth reaches to the ears of† God,
and his judgement comes speedily.
6 One who hates reproof is in the path of the sinner.
He who fears the Lord will repent in his heart.
7 He who is mighty in tongue is known far away;
but the man of understanding knows when he slips.
8 He who builds his house with other men’s money
is like one who gathers stones for his own tomb.
9 The congregation of wicked men is as a bundle of tow
with a flame of fire at the end of them.
10 The way of sinners is paved with stones;
and at the end of it is the pit of Hades.
11 He who keeps the law becomes master of its intent.
The fulfilment of the fear of the Lord is wisdom.
12 He who is not clever will not be instructed.
There is a cleverness which makes bitterness abound.
13 The knowledge of a wise man will be made to abound as a flood,
and his counsel as a fountain of life.
14 The inward parts of a fool are like a broken vessel.
He will hold no knowledge.
15 If a man of knowledge hears a wise word,
he will commend it and add to it.
The wanton man hears it, and it displeases him,
so he throws it away behind his back.
16 The chatter of a fool is like a burden in the way,
but grace will be found on the lips of the wise.
17 The utterance of the prudent man will be sought for in the congregation.
They will ponder his words in their heart.
18 As a house that is destroyed, so is wisdom to a fool.
The knowledge of an unwise man is talk without sense.‡
19 Instruction is as fetters on the feet of an unwise man,
and as manacles on the right hand.
20 A fool lifts up his voice with laughter,
but a clever man smiles quietly.
21 Instruction is to a prudent man as an ornament of gold,
and as a bracelet upon his right arm.
22 The foot of a fool rushes into a house,
but a man of experience will be ashamed of entering.
23 A foolish man peers into the door of a house,
but a man who is instructed will stand outside.
24 It is rude for someone to listen at a door,
but a prudent person will be grieved with the disgrace.
25 The lips of strangers will be grieved at these things,
but the words of prudent men will be weighed in the balance.
26 The heart of fools is in their mouth,
but the mouth of wise men is their heart.
27 When the ungodly curses an adversary,
he curses his own soul.
28 A whisperer defiles his own soul,
and will be hated wherever he travels.
22
1 A slothful man is compared to a stone that is defiled.
Everyone will hiss at him in his disgrace.
2 A slothful man is compared to the filth of a dunghill.
Anyone who picks it up will shake it out of his hand.
3 An undisciplined child is a disgrace to his father,
and a foolish daughter is born to his loss.
4 A prudent daughter will inherit a husband of her own.
She who brings shame is the grief of her father.
5 She who is arrogant brings shame on father and husband.
She will be despised by both of them.
6 Ill-timed conversation is like music in mourning,
but stripes and correction are wisdom in every season.
7 He who teaches a fool is like one who glues potsherds together,
even like one who wakes a sleeper out of a deep sleep.
8 He who teaches a fool is as one who teaches a man who slumbers.
In the end he will say, “What is it?” 9-10 †
11 Weep for the dead, for he lacks light.
Weep for a fool, for he lacks understanding.
Weep more sweetly for the dead, because he has found rest,
but the life of the fool is worse than death.
12 Mourning for the dead lasts seven days,
but for a fool and an ungodly man, it lasts all the days of his life.
13 Don’t talk much with a foolish man,
and don’t go to one who has no understanding.
Beware of him, lest you have trouble and be defiled in his onslaught.
Turn away from him, and you will find rest,
and you won’t be wearied in his madness.
14 What would be heavier than lead?
What is its name, but “Fool”?
15 Sand, salt, and a mass of iron is easier to bear
than a man without understanding.
16 Timber girded and bound into a building will not be released with shaking.
So a heart established in due season on well advised counsel will not be afraid.
17 A heart settled upon a thoughtful understanding
is as an ornament of plaster on a polished wall.
18 Fences set on a high place will not stand against the wind;
so a fearful heart in the imagination of a fool will not stand against any fear.
19 He who pricks the eye will make tears fall.
He who pricks the heart makes it show feeling.
20 Whoever casts a stone at birds scares them away.
He who insults a friend will dissolve friendship.
21 If you have drawn a sword against a friend, don’t despair,
for there may be a way back.
22 If you have opened your mouth against a friend, don’t be afraid,
for there may be reconciliation,
unless it is for insulting, arrogance, disclosing of a secret, or a treacherous blow—
for these things any friend will flee.
23 Gain trust with your neighbour in his poverty,
that in his prosperity you may have gladness.
Stay steadfast to him in the time of his affliction,
that you may be heir with him in his inheritance.‡
24 Before fire is the vapour and smoke of a furnace,
so insults precede bloodshed.
25 I won’t be ashamed to shelter a friend.
I won’t hide myself from his face.
26 If any evil happens to me because of him,
everyone who hears it will beware of him.
27 Who will set a watch over my mouth,
and a seal of shrewdness upon my lips,
that I may not fall from it, and that my tongue may not destroy me?
23
1 O Lord, Father and Master of my life,
don’t abandon me to their counsel.
Don’t let me fall because of them.
2 Who will set scourges over my thought,
and a discipline of wisdom over my heart,
that they spare me not for my errors,
and not overlook their sins?
3 Otherwise my errors might be multiplied,
and my sins abound,
I fall before my adversaries,
and my enemy rejoice over me.†
4 O Lord, Father and God of my life,
don’t give me a haughty eyes,‡
5 and turn away evil desire from me.§
6 Let neither gluttony nor lust overtake me.
Don’t give me over to a shameless mind.
7 Listen, my children, to the discipline of the mouth.
He who keeps it will not be caught.
8 The sinner will be overpowered through his lips.
By them, the insulter and the arrogant will
