11 The Lord hates traders who do not use true weights.
    He is happy when they are honest and they use true weights.
² If people are proud, they will soon become ashamed.
    But if people are humble, they become wise.
³ Good people are honest, and that shows them the right way to live.
    But wicked people are not honest, and that destroys them.
⁴ When it is time for God to punish you, money will not help you to escape.
    But if you are righteous, that will save you from death.
⁵ An honest man who is righteous has a straight path to walk on.
    But the sins of a wicked person will cause him to fall down.
⁶ When honest people are righteous, that will keep them safe.
    But the bad things that wicked people want will catch them in a trap.
⁷ When a wicked person dies, he has no hope for anything good.
    Everything that he hoped his strength would give him disappears!
⁸ Righteous people escape from trouble.
    The trouble happens to wicked people instead.
⁹ People who do not respect God say things that destroy their friends.
    But the knowledge that righteous people have keeps them safe.
¹⁰ When righteous people do well, everyone in the city is happy.
    And people shout with joy when wicked people die.
¹¹ A city becomes great when honest men bring God's blessing to it.
    But when wicked people give bad advice, they will destroy the city.
¹² When someone insults his neighbour, it shows that he is foolish.
    But a wise person stays quiet.
¹³ If a person talks too much about other people, he will soon tell their secrets.
    But someone that you can trust will not tell your secrets to other people.
¹⁴ A nation will fall if it has no wise leaders.
    But it will do well if there are people who give good advice.
¹⁵ If you promise to pay a stranger's debt, you will be sorry.
    You will be safe if you do not agree to do that.
¹⁶ A kind woman receives honour,
    but cruel men only get riches for themselves.
¹⁷ A faithful person helps himself with good things,
    but a cruel person brings trouble on himself.
¹⁸ A wicked person gets riches that soon disappear.
    But someone who lives in a good way will surely receive good things.
¹⁹ If someone continues to do what is right, he will live.
    But if someone loves to do evil things, he will die.
²⁰ The Lord hates people who have wrong thoughts.
    But he is pleased with people who live in an honest way.
²¹ Be sure about this: Evil people will receive the punishment that they deserve.
    But people who are righteous will escape.
²² A beautiful woman who turns away from wisdom
    is like a gold ring in a pig's nose.
²³ Righteous people want good things to happen.
    Wicked people only hope to cause anger.
²⁴ Somebody may share his things with other people,
    but he still becomes richer.
Somebody else may keep the things that he should give to others,
    but he still becomes poor.
²⁵ If you help other people with your money, you will do well.
    If you give water to thirsty people, you will not be thirsty yourself.
²⁶ If you refuse to sell food to hungry people, they will curse you.
    But if you sell it to them, they will praise you.
²⁷ If you try to do good things, people will respect you.
    But if you want evil things to happen, they will happen to you!
²⁸ If somebody trusts his riches to keep him safe,
    he will fall like a leaf that falls from a tree.
But a righteous person will grow strong,
    like a fresh green leaf.
²⁹ Anyone who causes trouble for his family will not receive any good thing from them.
    A foolish person like that will become the servant of a wise person.
³⁰ The good things that a righteous person does bring life.
    A person who saves people's lives shows that he is wise.
³¹ Righteous people receive what they deserve, here on this earth.
    So you can be sure that cruel and wicked people will receive their punishment.