29 Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism
    will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery.

² When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice.
    But when the wicked are in power, they groan.

³ The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,
    but if he hangs around with prostitutes, his wealth is wasted.

⁴ A just king gives stability to his nation,
    but one who demands bribes destroys it.

⁵ To flatter friends
    is to lay a trap for their feet.

⁶ Evil people are trapped by sin,
    but the righteous escape, shouting for joy.

⁷ The godly care about the rights of the poor;
    the wicked don’t care at all.

⁸ Mockers can get a whole town agitated,
    but the wise will calm anger.

⁹ If a wise person takes a fool to court,
    there will be ranting and ridicule but no satisfaction.

¹⁰ The bloodthirsty hate blameless people,
    but the upright seek to help them.^[a]

¹¹ Fools vent their anger,
    but the wise quietly hold it back.

¹² If a ruler pays attention to liars,
    all his advisers will be wicked.

¹³ The poor and the oppressor have this in common—
    the Lord gives sight to the eyes of both.

¹⁴ If a king judges the poor fairly,
    his throne will last forever.

¹⁵ To discipline a child produces wisdom,
    but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child.

¹⁶ When the wicked are in authority, sin flourishes,
    but the godly will live to see their downfall.

¹⁷ Discipline your children, and they will give you peace of mind
    and will make your heart glad.

¹⁸ When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild.
    But whoever obeys the law is joyful.

¹⁹ Words alone will not discipline a servant;
    the words may be understood, but they are not heeded.

²⁰ There is more hope for a fool
    than for someone who speaks without thinking.

²¹ A servant pampered from childhood
    will become a rebel.

²² An angry person starts fights;
    a hot-tempered person commits all kinds of sin.

²³ Pride ends in humiliation,
    while humility brings honor.

²⁴ If you assist a thief, you only hurt yourself.
    You are sworn to tell the truth, but you dare not testify.

²⁵ Fearing people is a dangerous trap,
    but trusting the Lord means safety.

²⁶ Many seek the ruler’s favor,
    but justice comes from the Lord.

²⁷ The righteous despise the unjust;
    the wicked despise the godly.

Praise the Lord from the heavens!
    Praise him from the skies!
² Praise him, all his angels!
    Praise him, all the armies of heaven!
³ Praise him, sun and moon!
    Praise him, all you twinkling stars!
⁴ Praise him, skies above!
    Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!
⁵ Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,
    for he issued his command, and they came into being.
⁶ He set them in place forever and ever.
    His decree will never be revoked.

⁷ Praise the Lord from the earth,
    you creatures of the ocean depths,
⁸ fire and hail, snow and clouds,^[a]
    wind and weather that obey him,
⁹ mountains and all hills,
    fruit trees and all cedars,
¹⁰ wild animals and all livestock,
    small scurrying animals and birds,
¹¹ kings of the earth and all people,
    rulers and judges of the earth,
¹² young men and young women,
    old men and children.

¹³ Let them all praise the name of the Lord.
    For his name is very great;
    his glory towers over the earth and heaven!
¹⁴ He has made his people strong,
    honoring his faithful ones—
    the people of Israel who are close to him.

Praise the Lord!