Proverbs 22
New American Standard Bible
On Life and Conduct
22 A (A)good name is to be more desired than great wealth;
Favor is better than silver and gold.
2 The rich and the poor [a]have a common bond,
The Lord is the (B)Maker of them all.
3 A (C)prudent person sees evil and hides himself,
But the naive proceed, and pay the penalty.
4 The reward of humility and [b]the fear of the Lord
Are riches, honor, and life.
5 (D)Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
One who guards himself will be far from them.
6 (E)Train up a child [c]in the way he should go,
Even when he grows older he will not abandon it.
7 The (F)rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.
8 One who (G)sows injustice will reap disaster,
And the (H)rod of his fury will perish.
9 One who [d]is (I)generous will be blessed,
Because he (J)gives some of his food to the poor.
10 (K)Drive out the scoffer, and strife will leave,
Even quarreling and dishonor will cease.
11 One who loves (L)purity of heart
And [e]whose speech is (M)gracious, the king is his friend.
12 The eyes of the Lord protect knowledge,
But He overthrows the words of the treacherous person.
13 The [f](N)lazy one says, “There is a lion outside;
I will be killed in the streets!”
14 The mouth of [g](O)an adulteress is a deep pit;
He who is (P)cursed of the Lord will fall [h]into it.
15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
The (Q)rod of discipline will remove it far from him.
16 One (R)who oppresses the poor to make [i]more for himself,
Or gives to the rich, (S)will only come to poverty.
17 (T)Extend your ear and hear the words of the wise,
And apply your mind to my knowledge;
18 For it will be (U)pleasant if you keep them within you,
[j]So that they may be ready on your lips.
19 So that your (V)trust may be in the Lord,
I have [k]taught you today, you indeed.
20 Have I not written to you [l](W)excellent things
Of counsels and knowledge,
21 To make you (X)know the [m]certainty of the words of truth,
So that you may [n](Y)correctly answer him who sent you?
22 (Z)Do not rob the poor because he is poor,
Nor (AA)crush the needy at the gate;
23 For the Lord will (AB)plead their case
And [o]take the life of those who rob them.
24 Do not make friends with a person given to anger,
Or go with a (AC)hot-tempered person,
25 Or you will (AD)learn his ways
And [p]find a snare for yourself.
26 Do not be among those who (AE)shake hands,
Among those who become guarantors for debts.
27 If you have nothing with which to repay,
Why should he (AF)take your bed from under you?
28 (AG)Do not move the ancient boundary
Which your fathers have set.
29 Do you see a person skilled in his work?
He will (AH)stand before kings;
He will not stand before obscure people.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:2 Lit meet together
- Proverbs 22:4 Or reverence for
- Proverbs 22:6 Lit according to his way
- Proverbs 22:9 Lit has a good eye
- Proverbs 22:11 Lit has grace on his lips
- Proverbs 22:13 Lit idle
- Proverbs 22:14 Lit strange woman
- Proverbs 22:14 Lit there
- Proverbs 22:16 Lit much
- Proverbs 22:18 Lit They together
- Proverbs 22:19 Lit made you know
- Proverbs 22:20 Or previous
- Proverbs 22:21 Lit truth
- Proverbs 22:21 Lit return words of truth
- Proverbs 22:23 Lit rob the soul
- Proverbs 22:25 Lit take
Proverbs 22
Common English Bible
22 A good reputation is better than much wealth;
high esteem is better than silver and gold.
2 The rich and the poor have this in common:
the Lord made them both.
3 Prudent people see trouble and hide,
while the simpleminded go right to it and get punished.
4 The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord
is wealth, honor, and life.
5 Thorns and nets are in the path of the crooked;
those who guard their lives keep their distance.
6 Train children in the way they should go;
when they grow old, they won’t depart from it.
7 The wealthy rule over the poor;
a borrower is a slave to a lender.
8 Those who sow injustice will harvest evil;
the rod of their fury will come to an end.
9 Happy are generous people,
because they give some of their food to the poor.
10 Remove the mocker and conflict disappears;
judgment and shame also stop.
11 Those who love a pure heart—
their speech is gracious, and the king is their friend.
12 The Lord’s eyes protect knowledge,
but he frustrates the words of the treacherous.
13 A lazy person says, “There’s a lion in the street!
I’ll be killed in the town square!”
14 The mouth of a mysterious woman is a deep pit;
those under the Lord’s wrath will fall in it.
15 Folly is bound up in a child’s heart;
the rod of discipline removes it.
16 Oppressing the poor to get rich
and giving to the wealthy lead only to poverty.
Thirty sayings of the wise
17 Turn your ear and hear the words of the wise;
focus your mind on my knowledge.
18 It will be pleasant if you keep the words in you,
if you have them ready on your lips.
19 So that your trust will be in the Lord,
I’m teaching you today—yes, you.
20 Haven’t I written for you thirty[a] sayings
full of advice and knowledge?
21 Their purpose is to teach you true, reliable words,
so you can report back reliably to those who sent you.
22 Don’t steal from the poor, because they are poor.
Don’t oppress the needy in the gate.
23 The Lord will take up their case
and press the life out of those who oppress them.[b]
24 Don’t befriend people controlled by anger;
don’t associate with hot-tempered people;
25 otherwise, you will learn their ways
and become trapped.
26 Don’t shake hands to guarantee a loan.
27 If you can’t repay,
why should they be able to take your bed from you?
28 Don’t remove an ancient boundary marker
that your ancestors established.
29 Do you see people who work skillfully?
They will work for kings
but not work for lowly people.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:20 Heb uncertain
- Proverbs 22:23 Heb uncertain
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible