Proverbs 22
Lexham English Bible
22 A reputation[a] is to be chosen rather than[b] great riches;
favor is better than silver and gold.[c]
2 Rich and poor have much in common;
Yahweh is the maker of all of them.
3 The clever sees danger and hides,
but the simple go on and suffer.
4 The reward of humility is the fear of Yahweh—
wealth and honor and life.
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
he who guards himself[d] will keep away from them.
6 Train the child concerning his way;[e]
even when he is old, he will not stray from it.
7 The rich will rule over the poor,
and the borrower is a slave of the lender.[f]
8 He who sows injustice will reap calamity,
and the rod of his anger will fail.
9 He who is generous[g] will be blessed,
for he gives to the poor from his own bread.
10 Drive out a scoffer and strife will go out;
quarrel and abuse will cease.
11 He who loves purity of heart
and hasgracious speech,[h] his friend is the king.
12 The eyes of Yahweh keep watch over knowledge,
but he will overthrow the words of the faithless.
13 A lazy person says “A lion in the street!
In the middle of the highway, I shall be killed!”
14 A deep pit is the mouth of an adulteress,[i]
he with whom Yahweh is angry will fall there.
15 Folly is bound up in the heart[j] of a boy;[k]
the rod of discipline will drive it[l] from him.
16 He who oppresses the poor in order to enrich himself,
or gives to the rich, will come to poverty.[m]
Words of the Wise
17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise;
you shall apply your heart[n] to my teaching.
18 For it is pleasant if you guard them within you;[o]
together they will be ready upon your lips.
19 In order for your trust to be in Yahweh,
I have made them known to you today[p]—even[q] you.
20 Have I not written for you thirty sayings
with admonitions and knowledge?
21 In order to show you what is right—sayings of truth—
in order to return a true saying to him who sent you.
22 Do not rob the poor because he is poor,
and do not crush the afflicted at the gate;
23 For Yahweh will plead their case
and despoil those who despoil them of life.[r]
24 Do not befriend an owner[s] of anger,[t]
and with a man of wrath you shall not associate;
25 lest you learn his way
and become entangled in a snare to yourself.[u]
26 Do not be with those who give a pledge[v]
by becoming[w] surety.
27 If there is nothing for you to pay,[x]
why will he take your bed from under you?
28 Do not remove an ancient boundary marker
which your ancestors[y] made.
29 A man who is skillful in his work, you shall see:
before kings, he will serve;
he will not serve before the commoners.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:1 Literally “name”
- Proverbs 22:1 Literally “from”
- Proverbs 22:1 Literally “from silver and from gold, favor is better”
- Proverbs 22:5 Or “soul,” or “life”
- Proverbs 22:6 Literally “on the mouth of his way”
- Proverbs 22:7 Literally “the borrower belonging to a man”
- Proverbs 22:9 Literally “the generous of eye”
- Proverbs 22:11 Literally “grace of his lips”
- Proverbs 22:14 Literally “a strange woman”
- Proverbs 22:15 Or “mind”
- Proverbs 22:15 Or “young man,” or “adolescent”
- Proverbs 22:15 That is, folly
- Proverbs 22:16 Literally “only loss”
- Proverbs 22:17 Or “mind”
- Proverbs 22:18 Literally “in your belly/womb”
- Proverbs 22:19 Literally “the day”
- Proverbs 22:19 Or “only”
- Proverbs 22:23 Or “soul,” or “inner self”
- Proverbs 22:24 Or “master”
- Proverbs 22:24 Literally “nostril”
- Proverbs 22:25 Or “soul,” or “inner self”
- Proverbs 22:26 Literally “strike a hand”
- Proverbs 22:26 Literally “in the becomings of”
- Proverbs 22:27 Or “complete”
- Proverbs 22:28 Or “fathers”
Proverbs 22
American Standard Version
22 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches,
And [a]loving favor rather than silver and gold.
2 The rich and the poor meet together:
Jehovah is the maker of them all.
3 A prudent man seeth the evil, and hideth himself;
But the simple pass on, and [b]suffer for it.
4 The reward of humility and the fear of Jehovah
Is riches, and honor, and life.
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse:
He that keepeth his soul shall be far from them.
6 Train up a child [c]in the way he should go,
And even when he is old he will not depart from it.
7 The rich ruleth over the poor;
And the borrower is servant to the lender.
8 He that soweth iniquity shall reap [d]calamity;
And the rod of his wrath shall fail.
9 He that hath a [e]bountiful eye shall be blessed;
For he giveth of his bread to the poor.
10 Cast out the scoffer, and contention will go out;
Yea, strife and ignominy will cease.
11 He that loveth [f]pureness of heart,
[g]For the grace of his lips the king will be his friend.
12 The eyes of Jehovah preserve him that hath knowledge;
But he overthroweth the words of the treacherous man.
13 The sluggard saith, There is a lion without;
I shall be slain in the streets.
14 The mouth of strange women is a deep pit;
He [h]that is abhorred of Jehovah shall fall therein.
15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
But the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
16 He that oppresseth the poor to increase his gain,
And he that giveth to the rich, shall come only to want.
17 Incline thine ear, and hear the words of the wise,
And apply thy heart unto my knowledge.
18 For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee,
If they be established together upon thy lips.
19 That thy trust may be in Jehovah,
I have made them known to thee this day, even to thee.
20 Have not I written unto thee [i]excellent things
[j]Of counsels and knowledge,
21 To make thee know [k]the certainty of the words of truth,
That thou mayest carry back words of truth to them that send thee?
22 Rob not the poor, [l]because he is poor;
Neither [m]oppress the afflicted in the gate:
23 For Jehovah will plead their cause,
And despoil of life those that despoil them.
24 Make no friendship with a man that is given to anger;
And with a wrathful man thou shalt not go:
25 Lest thou learn his ways,
And get a snare to thy soul.
26 Be thou not one of them that strike hands,
Or of them that are sureties for debts.
27 If thou hast not wherewith to pay,
Why should he take away thy bed from under thee?
28 Remove not the ancient landmark,
Which thy fathers have set.
29 Seest thou a man [n]diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings;
He shall not stand before [o]mean men.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:1 Or, favor is better than etc.
- Proverbs 22:3 Hebrew are mulcted.
- Proverbs 22:6 Hebrew according to his way.
- Proverbs 22:8 Or, vanity
- Proverbs 22:9 Hebrew good.
- Proverbs 22:11 Another reading is, the pure of heart.
- Proverbs 22:11 Or, Hath grace in his lips. Or, That hath grace in his lips
- Proverbs 22:14 Or, against whom Jehovah hath indignation
- Proverbs 22:20 The word is doubtful. Another reading is, heretofore
- Proverbs 22:20 Or, In
- Proverbs 22:21 Or, of a certainty the words etc.
- Proverbs 22:22 Or, for
- Proverbs 22:22 Or, crush
- Proverbs 22:29 Or, skilful
- Proverbs 22:29 Hebrew obscure.
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