Praise the Lord from the heavens;^(B)
    praise him in the heights above.
² Praise him, all his angels;^(C)
    praise him, all his heavenly hosts.^(D)
3 Praise him, sun^(E) and moon;
    praise him, all you shining stars.
⁴ Praise him, you highest heavens^(F)
    and you waters above the skies.^(G)

⁵ Let them praise the name^(H) of the Lord,
    for at his command^(I) they were created,
⁶ and he established them for ever and ever—
    he issued a decree^(J) that will never pass away.

⁷ Praise the Lord^(K) from the earth,
    you great sea creatures^(L) and all ocean depths,^(M)
8 lightning and hail,^(N) snow and clouds,
    stormy winds that do his bidding,^(O)
9 you mountains and all hills,^(P)
    fruit trees and all cedars,
¹⁰ wild animals^(Q) and all cattle,
    small creatures and flying birds,
¹¹ kings^(R) of the earth and all nations,
    you princes and all rulers on earth,
¹² young men and women,
    old men and children.

¹³ Let them praise the name of the Lord,^(S)
    for his name alone is exalted;
    his splendor^(T) is above the earth and the heavens.^(U)
14 And he has raised up for his people a horn,^[b](V)
    the praise^(W) of all his faithful servants,^(X)
    of Israel, the people close to his heart.^(Y)

Praise the Lord.

18 An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
    and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.

² Fools find no pleasure in understanding
    but delight in airing their own opinions.^(A)

³ When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
    and with shame comes reproach.

⁴ The words of the mouth are deep waters,^(B)
    but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.

⁵ It is not good to be partial to the wicked^(C)
    and so deprive the innocent of justice.^(D)

⁶ The lips of fools bring them strife,
    and their mouths invite a beating.^(E)

⁷ The mouths of fools are their undoing,
    and their lips are a snare^(F) to their very lives.^(G)

⁸ The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
    they go down to the inmost parts.^(H)

⁹ One who is slack in his work
    is brother to one who destroys.^(I)

¹⁰ The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;^(J)
    the righteous run to it and are safe.^(K)

¹¹ The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;^(L)
    they imagine it a wall too high to scale.

¹² Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
    but humility comes before honor.^(M)

¹³ To answer before listening—
    that is folly and shame.^(N)

¹⁴ The human spirit can endure in sickness,
    but a crushed spirit who can bear?^(O)

¹⁵ The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,^(P)
    for the ears of the wise seek it out.

¹⁶ A gift^(Q) opens the way
    and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.

¹⁷ In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,
    until someone comes forward and cross-examines.

¹⁸ Casting the lot settles disputes^(R)
    and keeps strong opponents apart.

¹⁹ A brother wronged^(S) is more unyielding than a fortified city;
    disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.

²⁰ From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
    with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.^(T)

²¹ The tongue has the power of life and death,^(U)
    and those who love it will eat its fruit.^(V)

²² He who finds a wife finds what is good^(W)
    and receives favor from the Lord.^(X)

²³ The poor plead for mercy,
    but the rich answer harshly.

²⁴ One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
    but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.^(Y)