22 A good reputation is preferable to riches,
    and the approval of others is better than precious silver or gold.
² Rich and poor have something in common:
    both are created by the Eternal.
³ Prudent people see trouble coming and hide,
    but the naive walk right into it and take a beating.
⁴ A humble person who fears the Eternal
    can expect to receive wealth, honor, and life.
⁵ Thorny branches and traps lie ahead for those who follow perverse paths;
    those who want to preserve themselves will steer clear of them.
⁶ Teach a child how to follow the right way;
    even when he is old, he will stay on course.
⁷ The rich lord it over the poor,
    and the borrower is the slave to the lender.
⁸ Those who sow injustice reap disaster,
    and their methods of oppression will fail.
⁹ Generous people are genuinely blessed
    because they share their food with the poor.
¹⁰ Expel a mocker, and watch the wrangling go with him;
    rivalry and rude remarks will also stop.
¹¹ Those who love a pure heart and speak with grace
    will find that the king is their friend.
¹² The Eternal keeps a watchful eye on those with knowledge,
    but He subverts the words of the faithless.
¹³ A lazy person says, “A lion! Right outside!
    I will surely die in the streets!
    Yet another good reason to stay in today.”
¹⁴ The alluring words of a seductive woman are a deep hole;
    the Eternal is incensed toward those who fall in.
¹⁵ Foolishness consumes the heart of a child,
    but corporal punishment, properly administered, drives it far away.
¹⁶ If you take advantage of the poor or coddle the rich to get ahead,
    you will end up destitute.

¹⁷ Lend an ear, listen to these words of the wise,
    and align your thoughts with my instructions
¹⁸ Because true pleasure will be yours by learning them, living them,
    and being ready to repeat them to others.
¹⁹ In order that you will trust only in the Eternal,
    I teach them to you this day—yes, even you!
²⁰ In fact, didn’t I already write down for you
    Thirty axioms of good advice and sound knowledge
²¹ To reveal to you what is reliably true
    so you can answer those who sent you with these truths you’ve learned?

²² Do not cheat poor people just because they are vulnerable
    or use shady tactics in court to crush those already suffering;
²³ For the Eternal is ready to take their case,
    and He ruins anyone who is out to ruin them.
²⁴ Do not befriend someone given to anger
    or hang around with a hothead.
²⁵ Odds are, you’ll learn his ways, become angry as well,
    and get caught in a trap.
²⁶ Do not be a person to guarantee someone else’s loan
    or put up collateral for the debts of an acquaintance;
²⁷ For if you do and you can’t repay,
    won’t you risk having your bed ripped out from under you?
²⁸ Do not steal property from your neighbors by moving the boundary markers
    your ancestors established.
²⁹ And as for those who are skilled in their work,
    they will be recognized and invited to serve kings
    rather than regular folk.

23 When sitting down to eat with a ruler,
    take a moment to think about who you are with and what you are doing.
² If you are the type who eats too much too fast,
    do whatever is necessary to curb your enthusiasm for food.
³ Also, do not eye the ruler’s delicacies,
    for the food may not be what it seems.
⁴ Do not overwork yourself just to become wealthy;
    have enough sense to know when to quit.
⁵ As soon as you become fixed on riches, they vanish.
    For suddenly they sprout wings
    and become like a soaring eagle flying high in the sky.
⁶ Do not sit down and eat the bread of a tight-fisted fellow
    or desire any of his delicacies,
⁷ For deep down he’s keeping track of the cost.
    He may say, “Eat up! Drink your fill!”
    but he does not mean a word of it.
⁸ You’ll be sick and lose what little you did eat,
    and you’ll waste your breath carrying on a pleasant conversation.
⁹ Do not waste your wisdom on a fool,
    for he doesn’t care for anything you have to say.
¹⁰ Do not shift the property line by moving the boundary markers your ancestors established
    or try to steal property from orphans
¹¹ Because their Redeemer is strong,
    and He will plead their case against you.
¹² Develop a disciplined life.
    Be attentive so you can be well informed.
¹³ Do not withhold discipline from children,
    since corporal punishment will not kill them.
¹⁴ In fact, it may be that kind of punishment
    that will save them from an early grave.
¹⁵ My son, if you live wisely,
    then my life will be fulfilled.
¹⁶ My very soul will jump for joy
    when you speak what is true and right.
¹⁷ Don’t be envious of those wrapped up in sin,
    but always maintain a healthy respect for the Eternal.
¹⁸ Your future with Him will be certain,
    and you will not have hoped in vain.
¹⁹ Listen, my son, be wise,
    and steer your life on the right course.
²⁰ Do not spend time with heavy wine drinkers
    or those who gorge themselves on meat.
²¹ For both the drunk and the glutton will end up broke,
    sleeping life away, and clothed in rags.

²² Pay attention to your father—after all, he gave you life—
    and don’t ignore your mother in her old age.
²³ Invest in truth, sock it away!
    Never cash in wisdom, guidance, or insight.
²⁴ The parents of the right-living will celebrate;
    yes, parents of children who make wise choices are happy.
²⁵ So make your parents happy;
    delight your mother—after all, she brought you into this world.

²⁶ My son, devote yourself to me fully.
    Observe my ways, and follow my directions:
²⁷ Being drawn to a prostitute is like falling down into a deep well,
    and being involved with a wicked woman is like descending into a narrow well.
    You may never get out alive.
²⁸ She waits for you, ready to ambush you like a thief
    and ready to multiply unfaithfulness among men.

²⁹ Who is wallowing in anguish? Who is full of sorrow?
    Who has conflicts? Who has complaints?
Who has bruises and can’t remember where they came from?
    Who has bloodshot eyes?
³⁰ You know who: those who stay up late finishing off the wine,
    those who can’t stop savoring spiced wines.
³¹ Look away from the enticing beauty of wine, the deep red hue;
    ignore how it shimmers in the cup
    and glides down your throat.
³² Eventually, when you least expect it, it strikes like a snake;
    it stings like viper venom.
³³ Your vision will blur, and you’ll imagine strange things;
    you will say crazy, hurtful things and regret it later.
³⁴ You will reel and stagger as if caught on a wave of seasickness,
    as a sailor who holds on to a mast for dear life.
³⁵ You will say, “They slapped me, but it didn’t hurt.
    They beat me, and I didn’t feel a thing!
Whenever I wake up from this stupor,
    I’ll have another drink!”

24 Do not envy evil people
    or seek their friendship;
²     For they are conniving and violent,
    and all they talk about is causing trouble.

³ Wisdom is required to build a house;
    understanding is necessary to make it secure.
⁴ Knowledge is needed to furnish all the rooms
    and fill them with beautiful treasures.
⁵ A wise man possesses great strength,
    and an intelligent man knows how to increase it;
⁶ For with wise guidance, you can wage a successful war,
    and with a council of many advisors, you will be victorious!
⁷ Fools can’t grab hold of wisdom; it’s out of their reach;
    they dare not open their mouths in public for no one would listen anyway.

⁸ Whoever schemes to carry out evil
    will be labeled a troublemaker.
⁹ Such foolish plans are sinful,
    and the mocker is deplored by all.

¹⁰ If you fall apart during a crisis,
    then you weren’t very strong to begin with.
¹¹ Rescue everyone you can of those being taken away and killed,
    and hold on to those innocent souls staggering toward their own slaughter.
¹² If you excuse yourself, saying, “Look, we didn’t know anything about this,”
    doesn’t God, who knows what you are really thinking, understand your motives?
Isn’t your Protector aware of why you aren’t protecting the innocent?
    Will He not repay you in kind?

¹³ My son, eat honey—it’s good for you;
    the honey that drips from the comb is sweet in your mouth.
¹⁴ Know, too, that wisdom is good for your soul:
    if you find it, your reward will be a bright future
    and an enduring hope!

¹⁵ Do not lurk outside the home of the just like a common criminal;
    do not tear up the place where he rests.
¹⁶ For a good man may fall seven times and get back up again,
    but the wicked will stumble around and fall into misfortune.

¹⁷ Do not celebrate when your enemies fall,
    and do not rejoice when they trip up;
¹⁸ Or else the Eternal will know and be upset with you,
    and He will release them from His anger.

¹⁹ Do not worry when evildoers go unpunished
    or be jealous when the wicked seem to prosper.
²⁰ Evil people will have no future;
    the life of the wicked will be snuffed out like a candle.

²¹ My son, fear both the Eternal and His anointed ruler.
    It is not wise to associate with those rebelling against them
²² Because disaster can arise from either of them without warning,
    and who knows what destruction comes down from both of them?

²³ The wise also say,
    It is not good for a judge to be partial.
²⁴ When a judge says to the guilty, “You are innocent,”
    he will be cursed by all people; he will be hated by nations.
²⁵ But those who reprimand evildoers will be celebrated,
    and good fortune will come their way.
²⁶ A straight answer is as precious
    as a kiss on the lips.

²⁷ Complete your work outside,
    and get your fields ready for next season;
    after that’s done, build your house.

²⁸ Do not testify against your neighbor without a reason;
    do not give misleading testimony.
²⁹ Do not say, “I’ll do to him what he did to me!
    I’ll repay him for what he did!”

³⁰ Once I passed by the property of a slacker,
    by the vineyard of a foolish man.
³¹ You should have seen it! The entire field was overgrown with thorns.
    Every inch was covered with weeds.
    Even the stone wall was crumbling down.
³² I took a moment to take it all in.
    The scene taught me:
³³ “A little sleep, a little rest,
    a few more minutes, a nice little nap.”
³⁴ But soon poverty will be on top of you like a robber,
    need will strike you down like a well-armed warrior.