On Life and Conduct

22 A (A)good name is to be more desired than great wealth;
Favor is better than silver and gold.
The rich and the poor [a]have a common bond,
The Lord is the (B)Maker of them all.
A (C)prudent person sees evil and hides himself,
But the naive proceed, and pay the penalty.
The reward of humility and [b]the fear of the Lord
Are riches, honor, and life.
(D)Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
One who guards himself will be far from them.
(E)Train up a child [c]in the way he should go,
Even when he grows older he will not abandon it.
The (F)rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.
One who (G)sows injustice will reap disaster,
And the (H)rod of his fury will perish.
One who [d]is (I)generous will be blessed,
Because he (J)gives some of his food to the poor.
10 (K)Drive out the scoffer, and strife will leave,
Even quarreling and dishonor will cease.
11 One who loves (L)purity of heart
And [e]whose speech is (M)gracious, the king is his friend.
12 The eyes of the Lord protect knowledge,
But He overthrows the words of the treacherous person.
13 The [f](N)lazy one says, “There is a lion outside;
I will be killed in the streets!”
14 The mouth of [g](O)an adulteress is a deep pit;
He who is (P)cursed of the Lord will fall [h]into it.
15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
The (Q)rod of discipline will remove it far from him.
16 One (R)who oppresses the poor to make [i]more for himself,
Or gives to the rich, (S)will only come to poverty.

17 (T)Extend your ear and hear the words of the wise,
And apply your mind to my knowledge;
18 For it will be (U)pleasant if you keep them within you,
[j]So that they may be ready on your lips.
19 So that your (V)trust may be in the Lord,
I have [k]taught you today, you indeed.
20 Have I not written to you [l](W)excellent things
Of counsels and knowledge,
21 To make you (X)know the [m]certainty of the words of truth,
So that you may [n](Y)correctly answer him who sent you?

22 (Z)Do not rob the poor because he is poor,
Nor (AA)crush the needy at the gate;
23 For the Lord will (AB)plead their case
And [o]take the life of those who rob them.

24 Do not make friends with a person given to anger,
Or go with a (AC)hot-tempered person,
25 Or you will (AD)learn his ways
And [p]find a snare for yourself.

26 Do not be among those who (AE)shake hands,
Among those who become guarantors for debts.
27 If you have nothing with which to repay,
Why should he (AF)take your bed from under you?

28 (AG)Do not move the ancient boundary
Which your fathers have set.

29 Do you see a person skilled in his work?
He will (AH)stand before kings;
He will not stand before obscure people.

On Life and Conduct

23 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
Consider carefully [q]what is before you,
And put a knife to your throat
If you are a (AI)person of great appetite.
Do not (AJ)desire his delicacies,
For it is deceptive food.

(AK)Do not weary yourself to gain wealth;
[r](AL)Stop dwelling on it.
[s]When you set your eyes on it, it is gone.
For (AM)wealth certainly makes itself wings
Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.

(AN)Do not eat the bread of [t]a (AO)selfish person;
Or desire his delicacies;
For as he [u]thinks within himself, so he is.
He says to you, “Eat and drink!”
But (AP)his heart is not with you.
You will (AQ)vomit up [v]the morsel you have eaten
And waste your [w]compliments.

(AR)Do not speak [x]to be heard by a fool,
For he will (AS)despise the wisdom of your words.

10 Do not move the ancient boundary
Or (AT)go into the fields of the fatherless,
11 For their (AU)Redeemer is strong;
(AV)He will plead their case against you.
12 Apply your heart to discipline,
And your ears to words of knowledge.

13 (AW)Do not withhold discipline from a child;
Though you strike him with the rod, he will not die.
14 You shall strike him with the rod
And (AX)rescue his soul from Sheol.

15 My son, if your heart is (AY)wise,
My own heart also will be glad,
16 And my [y]innermost being will rejoice
When your lips speak (AZ)what is right.

17 (BA)Do not let your heart envy sinners,
But live in [z]the (BB)fear of the Lord [aa]always.
18 Certainly there is a [ab](BC)future,
And your (BD)hope will not be cut off.
19 Listen, my son, and (BE)be wise,
And (BF)direct your heart in the way.
20 Do not be with (BG)heavy drinkers of wine,
Or with (BH)gluttonous eaters of meat;
21 For the (BI)heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty,
And (BJ)drowsiness will clothe one with rags.

22 (BK)Listen to your father, who fathered you,
And (BL)do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 (BM)Buy truth, and do not sell it,
Get wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,
And (BN)he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.
25 Let your (BO)father and your mother be glad,
And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.

26 (BP)Give me your heart, my son,
And let your eyes [ac](BQ)delight in my ways.
27 For a prostitute is a (BR)deep pit,
And a [ad](BS)strange woman is a narrow well.
28 Certainly she (BT)lurks as a robber,
And increases the treacherous among mankind.

29 Who has (BU)woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has red eyes?
30 Those who (BV)linger long over wine,
Those who go to [ae]taste (BW)mixed wine.
31 Do not look at wine when it is red,
When it [af]sparkles in the cup,
When it (BX)goes down smoothly;
32 In the end it (BY)bites like a snake
And stings like a (BZ)viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things
And your [ag]mind will (CA)say perverse things.
34 And you will be like one who lies down in the [ah]middle of the sea,
Or like one who lies down on the top of a [ai]mast.
35 “They (CB)struck me, but I did not become [aj]ill;
They beat me, but I did not know it.
When will I awake?
I will (CC)seek [ak]another drink.”

Precepts and Warnings

24 Do not be (CD)envious of evil people,
Nor desire to (CE)be with them;
For their [al]minds plot (CF)violence,
And their lips (CG)talk of trouble.

(CH)By wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established;
And by knowledge the rooms are (CI)filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.

A (CJ)wise man is [am]strong,
And a person of knowledge [an]increases power.
For (CK)by wise guidance you will [ao]wage war,
And (CL)in an abundance of counselors there is victory.

Wisdom is (CM)too exalted for a fool,
He does not open his mouth (CN)at the gate.

One who (CO)plans to do evil,
People will call a [ap]schemer.
The (CP)devising of foolishness is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to humanity.

10 If you (CQ)show yourself lacking courage on the day of distress,
Your strength is meager.

11 (CR)Rescue those who are being taken away to death,
And those who are staggering to the slaughter, Oh hold them back!
12 If you say, “See, we did not know this,”
Does He (CS)who weighs the hearts not (CT)consider it?
And (CU)does He who (CV)watches over your soul not know it?
And will He not [aq](CW)repay a person according to his work?

13 My son, eat (CX)honey, for it is good;
Yes, the (CY)honey from the comb is sweet to your taste;
14 Know that (CZ)wisdom is the same for your soul;
If you find it, then there will be a [ar](DA)future,
And your hope will not be cut off.

15 (DB)Do not lie in ambush, you wicked person, against the home of the righteous;
Do not destroy his resting place;
16 For a (DC)righteous person falls seven times and rises again,
But the (DD)wicked stumble in time of disaster.

17 (DE)Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,
18 Otherwise, the Lord will see and [as]be displeased,
And turn His anger away from him.

19 (DF)Do not get upset because of evildoers
Or be (DG)envious of the wicked;
20 For (DH)there will be no [at](DI)future for the evil person;
The (DJ)lamp of the wicked will be put out.

21 My son, [au](DK)fear the Lord and the king;
Do not get involved with those [av]of high rank,
22 For their (DL)disaster will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin that can come from both of them?

23 These also are (DM)sayings of the wise:
To [aw](DN)show partiality in judgment is not good.
24 One (DO)who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
(DP)Peoples will curse him, nations will scold him;
25 But (DQ)for those who rebuke the wicked there will be delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
26 One who gives [ax]a right answer
Kisses the lips.

27 Prepare your work outside,
And (DR)make it ready for yourself in the field;
Afterward, then, build your house.

28 Do not be a (DS)witness against your neighbor for no reason,
And (DT)do not deceive with your lips.
29 (DU)Do not say, “I shall do the same to him as he has done to me;
I will [ay]repay the person according to his work.”

30 I passed by the field of [az]a lazy one,
And by the vineyard of a person (DV)lacking [ba]sense,
31 And behold, it was completely (DW)overgrown with weeds;
Its surface was covered with (DX)weeds,
And its stone (DY)wall was broken down.
32 When I saw, I [bb]reflected upon it;
I looked, and received instruction.
33 (DZ)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest,”
34 Then your poverty will come like [bc]a drifter,
And your need like [bd]an armed man.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:2 Lit meet together
  2. Proverbs 22:4 Or reverence for
  3. Proverbs 22:6 Lit according to his way
  4. Proverbs 22:9 Lit has a good eye
  5. Proverbs 22:11 Lit has grace on his lips
  6. Proverbs 22:13 Lit idle
  7. Proverbs 22:14 Lit strange woman
  8. Proverbs 22:14 Lit there
  9. Proverbs 22:16 Lit much
  10. Proverbs 22:18 Lit They together
  11. Proverbs 22:19 Lit made you know
  12. Proverbs 22:20 Or previous
  13. Proverbs 22:21 Lit truth
  14. Proverbs 22:21 Lit return words of truth
  15. Proverbs 22:23 Lit rob the soul
  16. Proverbs 22:25 Lit take
  17. Proverbs 23:1 Or who
  18. Proverbs 23:4 Lit Refrain from your understanding of it
  19. Proverbs 23:5 Lit Will your eyes fly upon it and it is not?
  20. Proverbs 23:6 Lit an evil eye
  21. Proverbs 23:7 Lit reckons in his soul
  22. Proverbs 23:8 Lit your
  23. Proverbs 23:8 Lit pleasant words
  24. Proverbs 23:9 Lit in the ears of a
  25. Proverbs 23:16 Lit kidneys
  26. Proverbs 23:17 Or reverence for
  27. Proverbs 23:17 Lit all the day
  28. Proverbs 23:18 Lit latter end
  29. Proverbs 23:26 Another reading is observe
  30. Proverbs 23:27 Lit foreign
  31. Proverbs 23:30 Or search out
  32. Proverbs 23:31 Lit gives its eye
  33. Proverbs 23:33 Lit heart
  34. Proverbs 23:34 Lit heart
  35. Proverbs 23:34 Or lookout
  36. Proverbs 23:35 I.e., from the effect of wounds
  37. Proverbs 23:35 Lit it yet again
  38. Proverbs 24:2 Lit hearts
  39. Proverbs 24:5 Lit in strength
  40. Proverbs 24:5 Lit strengthens power
  41. Proverbs 24:6 Lit make battle for yourself
  42. Proverbs 24:8 Or deviser of evil
  43. Proverbs 24:12 Lit bring back to
  44. Proverbs 24:14 Lit latter end
  45. Proverbs 24:18 Lit it is evil in His eyes
  46. Proverbs 24:20 Lit latter end
  47. Proverbs 24:21 Or revere
  48. Proverbs 24:21 Or who change
  49. Proverbs 24:23 Lit regard the face
  50. Proverbs 24:26 Or an honest
  51. Proverbs 24:29 Lit bring back
  52. Proverbs 24:30 Lit an idle
  53. Proverbs 24:30 Lit heart
  54. Proverbs 24:32 Lit set my heart
  55. Proverbs 24:34 Lit one who moves about
  56. Proverbs 24:34 Lit a man with a shield

22 A good name is more desirable than great riches;
    to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.(A)

Rich and poor have this in common:
    The Lord is the Maker of them all.(B)

The prudent see danger and take refuge,(C)
    but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.(D)

Humility is the fear of the Lord;
    its wages are riches and honor(E) and life.(F)

In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls,(G)
    but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.

Start(H) children off on the way they should go,(I)
    and even when they are old they will not turn from it.(J)

The rich rule over the poor,
    and the borrower is slave to the lender.

Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity,(K)
    and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.(L)

The generous will themselves be blessed,(M)
    for they share their food with the poor.(N)

10 Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife;
    quarrels and insults are ended.(O)

11 One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace
    will have the king for a friend.(P)

12 The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,
    but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.

13 The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside!(Q)
    I’ll be killed in the public square!”

14 The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit;(R)
    a man who is under the Lord’s wrath falls into it.(S)

15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
    but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.(T)

16 One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth
    and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.

Thirty Sayings of the Wise

Saying 1

17 Pay attention(U) and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise;(V)
    apply your heart to what I teach,(W)
18 for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
    and have all of them ready on your lips.
19 So that your trust may be in the Lord,
    I teach you today, even you.
20 Have I not written thirty sayings for you,
    sayings of counsel and knowledge,
21 teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth,(X)
    so that you bring back truthful reports
    to those you serve?

Saying 2

22 Do not exploit the poor(Y) because they are poor
    and do not crush the needy in court,(Z)
23 for the Lord will take up their case(AA)
    and will exact life for life.(AB)

Saying 3

24 Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person,
    do not associate with one easily angered,
25 or you may learn their ways
    and get yourself ensnared.(AC)

Saying 4

26 Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge(AD)
    or puts up security for debts;
27 if you lack the means to pay,
    your very bed will be snatched from under you.(AE)

Saying 5

28 Do not move an ancient boundary stone(AF)
    set up by your ancestors.

Saying 6

29 Do you see someone skilled(AG) in their work?
    They will serve(AH) before kings;(AI)
    they will not serve before officials of low rank.

Saying 7

23 When you sit to dine with a ruler,
    note well what[a] is before you,
and put a knife to your throat
    if you are given to gluttony.
Do not crave his delicacies,(AJ)
    for that food is deceptive.

Saying 8

Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
    do not trust your own cleverness.
Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,(AK)
    for they will surely sprout wings
    and fly off to the sky like an eagle.(AL)

Saying 9

Do not eat the food of a begrudging host,
    do not crave his delicacies;(AM)
for he is the kind of person
    who is always thinking about the cost.[b]
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
    but his heart is not with you.
You will vomit up the little you have eaten
    and will have wasted your compliments.

Saying 10

Do not speak to fools,
    for they will scorn your prudent words.(AN)

Saying 11

10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone(AO)
    or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,
11 for their Defender(AP) is strong;(AQ)
    he will take up their case against you.(AR)

Saying 12

12 Apply your heart to instruction(AS)
    and your ears to words of knowledge.

Saying 13

13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;
    if you punish them with the rod, they will not die.
14 Punish them with the rod
    and save them from death.(AT)

Saying 14

15 My son, if your heart is wise,
    then my heart will be glad indeed;
16 my inmost being will rejoice
    when your lips speak what is right.(AU)

Saying 15

17 Do not let your heart envy(AV) sinners,
    but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.
18 There is surely a future hope for you,
    and your hope will not be cut off.(AW)

Saying 16

19 Listen, my son,(AX) and be wise,
    and set your heart on the right path:
20 Do not join those who drink too much wine(AY)
    or gorge themselves on meat,
21 for drunkards and gluttons become poor,(AZ)
    and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

Saying 17

22 Listen to your father, who gave you life,
    and do not despise your mother when she is old.(BA)
23 Buy the truth and do not sell it—
    wisdom, instruction and insight as well.(BB)
24 The father of a righteous child has great joy;
    a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.(BC)
25 May your father and mother rejoice;
    may she who gave you birth be joyful!(BD)

Saying 18

26 My son,(BE) give me your heart
    and let your eyes delight in my ways,(BF)
27 for an adulterous woman is a deep pit,(BG)
    and a wayward wife is a narrow well.
28 Like a bandit she lies in wait(BH)
    and multiplies the unfaithful among men.

Saying 19

29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
    Who has strife? Who has complaints?
    Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 Those who linger over wine,(BI)
    who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.
31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
    when it sparkles in the cup,
    when it goes down smoothly!
32 In the end it bites like a snake
    and poisons like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange sights,
    and your mind will imagine confusing things.
34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas,
    lying on top of the rigging.
35 “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt!
    They beat me, but I don’t feel it!
When will I wake up
    so I can find another drink?”(BJ)

Saying 20

24 Do not envy(BK) the wicked,
    do not desire their company;
for their hearts plot violence,(BL)
    and their lips talk about making trouble.(BM)

Saying 21

By wisdom a house is built,(BN)
    and through understanding it is established;
through knowledge its rooms are filled
    with rare and beautiful treasures.(BO)

Saying 22

The wise prevail through great power,
    and those who have knowledge muster their strength.
Surely you need guidance to wage war,
    and victory is won through many advisers.(BP)

Saying 23

Wisdom is too high for fools;
    in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths.

Saying 24

Whoever plots evil
    will be known as a schemer.
The schemes of folly are sin,
    and people detest a mocker.

Saying 25

10 If you falter in a time of trouble,
    how small is your strength!(BQ)
11 Rescue those being led away to death;
    hold back those staggering toward slaughter.(BR)
12 If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”
    does not he who weighs(BS) the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
    Will he not repay(BT) everyone according to what they have done?(BU)

Saying 26

13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good;
    honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
14 Know also that wisdom is like honey for you:
    If you find it, there is a future hope for you,
    and your hope will not be cut off.(BV)

Saying 27

15 Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous,
    do not plunder their dwelling place;
16 for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,
    but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.(BW)

Saying 28

17 Do not gloat(BX) when your enemy falls;
    when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,(BY)
18 or the Lord will see and disapprove
    and turn his wrath away from them.(BZ)

Saying 29

19 Do not fret(CA) because of evildoers
    or be envious of the wicked,
20 for the evildoer has no future hope,
    and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.(CB)

Saying 30

21 Fear the Lord and the king,(CC) my son,
    and do not join with rebellious officials,
22 for those two will send sudden destruction(CD) on them,
    and who knows what calamities they can bring?

Further Sayings of the Wise

23 These also are sayings of the wise:(CE)

To show partiality(CF) in judging is not good:(CG)
24 Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,”(CH)
    will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.
25 But it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
    and rich blessing will come on them.

26 An honest answer
    is like a kiss on the lips.

27 Put your outdoor work in order
    and get your fields ready;
    after that, build your house.

28 Do not testify against your neighbor without cause(CI)
    would you use your lips to mislead?
29 Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me;
    I’ll pay them back for what they did.”(CJ)

30 I went past the field of a sluggard,(CK)
    past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
31 thorns had come up everywhere,
    the ground was covered with weeds,
    and the stone wall was in ruins.
32 I applied my heart to what I observed
    and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest(CL)
34 and poverty will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.(CM)

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:1 Or who
  2. Proverbs 23:7 Or for as he thinks within himself, / so he is; or for as he puts on a feast, / so he is

22 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

The rich and poor meet together: the Lord is the maker of them all.

A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.

Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.

He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.

10 Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.

11 He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.

12 The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge, and he overthroweth the words of the transgressor.

13 The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.

14 The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein.

15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

16 He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.

17 Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.

18 For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.

19 That thy trust may be in the Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.

20 Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,

21 That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?

22 Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:

23 For the Lord will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them.

24 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:

25 Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.

26 Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts.

27 If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?

28 Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.

29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

23 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:

And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.

Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

10 Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

11 For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.

12 Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

13 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

15 My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.

16 Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.

17 Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.

18 For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.

20 Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:

21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

22 Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

24 The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.

25 Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.

26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

27 For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

28 She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.

29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?

30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.

31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.

35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

24 Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.

For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.

Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:

And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.

He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.

The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.

10 If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.

11 If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain;

12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?

13 My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:

14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

15 Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place:

16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:

18 Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

19 Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked:

20 For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.

21 My son, fear thou the Lord and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:

22 For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?

23 These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

24 He that saith unto the wicked, Thou are righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him:

25 But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.

26 Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer.

27 Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.

28 Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and deceive not with thy lips.

29 Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.

30 I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;

31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.

32 Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.

33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

34 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.