¹⁰ Listen, my son,^(M) accept what I say,
    and the years of your life will be many.^(N)
11 I instruct^(O) you in the way of wisdom
    and lead you along straight paths.^(P)
12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
    when you run, you will not stumble.^(Q)
13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
    guard it well, for it is your life.^(R)
14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
    or walk in the way of evildoers.^(S)
15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
    turn from it and go on your way.
¹⁶ For they cannot rest until they do evil;^(T)
    they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
¹⁷ They eat the bread of wickedness
    and drink the wine of violence.^(U)

¹⁸ The path of the righteous^(V) is like the morning sun,^(W)
    shining ever brighter till the full light of day.^(X)
19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;^(Y)
    they do not know what makes them stumble.^(Z)

²⁰ My son,^(AA) pay attention to what I say;
    turn your ear to my words.^(AB)
21 Do not let them out of your sight,^(AC)
    keep them within your heart;
²² for they are life to those who find them
    and health to one’s whole body.^(AD)
23 Above all else, guard^(AE) your heart,
    for everything you do flows from it.^(AF)
24 Keep your mouth free of perversity;
    keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
²⁵ Let your eyes^(AG) look straight ahead;
    fix your gaze directly before you.
²⁶ Give careful thought to the^[c] paths for your feet^(AH)
    and be steadfast in all your ways.
²⁷ Do not turn to the right or the left;^(AI)
    keep your foot from evil.

17 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
    than a house full of feasting, with strife.^(A)

² A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son
    and will share the inheritance as one of the family.

³ The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,^(B)
    but the Lord tests the heart.^(C)

⁴ A wicked person listens to deceitful lips;
    a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

⁵ Whoever mocks the poor^(D) shows contempt for their Maker;^(E)
    whoever gloats over disaster^(F) will not go unpunished.^(G)

⁶ Children’s children^(H) are a crown to the aged,
    and parents are the pride of their children.

⁷ Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool—
    how much worse lying lips to a ruler!^(I)

⁸ A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it;
    they think success will come at every turn.^(J)

⁹ Whoever would foster love covers over an offense,^(K)
    but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.^(L)

¹⁰ A rebuke impresses a discerning person
    more than a hundred lashes a fool.

¹¹ Evildoers foster rebellion against God;
    the messenger of death will be sent against them.

¹² Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
    than a fool bent on folly.^(M)

¹³ Evil will never leave the house
    of one who pays back evil^(N) for good.^(O)

¹⁴ Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
    so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.^(P)

¹⁵ Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent^(Q)—
    the Lord detests them both.^(R)

¹⁶ Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom,
    when they are not able to understand it?^(S)

¹⁷ A friend loves at all times,
    and a brother is born for a time of adversity.^(T)

¹⁸ One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge
    and puts up security for a neighbor.^(U)

¹⁹ Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin;
    whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.

²⁰ One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper;
    one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.

²¹ To have a fool for a child brings grief;
    there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.^(V)

²² A cheerful heart is good medicine,
    but a crushed^(W) spirit dries up the bones.^(X)

²³ The wicked accept bribes^(Y) in secret
    to pervert the course of justice.^(Z)

²⁴ A discerning person keeps wisdom in view,
    but a fool’s eyes^(AA) wander to the ends of the earth.

²⁵ A foolish son brings grief to his father
    and bitterness to the mother who bore him.^(AB)

²⁶ If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good,^(AC)
    surely to flog honest officials is not right.

²⁷ The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,^(AD)
    and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.^(AE)

²⁸ Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
    and discerning if they hold their tongues.^(AF)

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)