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
International Standard Version
Advice for Everyday Life
22 A good reputation is more desirable than great wealth,
and favorable acceptance more than silver and gold.
2 The rich and the poor have this in common—
the Lord created both of them.
3 The prudent person sees trouble ahead and hides,
but the naïve continue on and suffer the consequences.
4 The reward of humility is the fear of the Lord,
along with wealth, honor, and life.
5 Thorns and snares lie in the path of the perverse person,
but whoever is cautious stays far away from them.
6 Train a child in the way appropriate for him,
and when he becomes older, he will not turn from it.
7 The wealthy rule over the poor,
and anyone who borrows is a slave to the lender.
8 Whoever sows wickedness reaps trouble,
and the anger he uses for a weapon[a] will be destroyed.
9 Whoever is generous[b] will be blessed,
for he shares his food with the poor.
11 Whoever loves purity[e] and gracious speech
will gain the king as his friend.
12 The Lord watches over anyone with knowledge,
but he ruins the plans[f] of the unfaithful.
13 The lazy person says, “There is a lion outside!
I will be killed in the street!”
14 The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit;
a man experiencing the Lord’s wrath will fall into it.
15 A child’s heart has a tendency to do wrong,
but the rod of discipline removes it far away from him.
16 Whoever oppresses the poor to enrich himself
and whoever gives gifts to the wealthy
will yield only loss.
Sayings of the Wise
17 Pay attention and listen to the words of the wise,
and apply your heart to my teaching,
18 for it is pleasant when you treasure them within you
and have them ready on your lips.
19 As a result, your trust will be in the Lord,
that’s why I’m teaching you today, even you.
20 Have I not written for you 30 sayings
containing counsel and knowledge,
21 to teach you true and reliable advice,
so you can give truthful answers to those who sent you?
22 Don’t rob the poor person because he is poor,
and don’t crush the helpless in court,[g]
23 for the Lord will plead their case
and ruin the lives of those who ruin them.
24 Don’t make friends with a hot-tempered man,
and do not associate with someone who is easily angered,
25 or you may learn his ways
and find yourself caught in a trap.
26 Don’t be one of those who make promises
to guarantee loans for debts.
27 If you don’t have the ability to pay,
why should your very bed be taken from under you?
28 Don’t remove an ancient boundary stone
that was set up by your ancestors.
29 Do you see a man skilled in his work?
He will work for kings, not unimportant people.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:8 Lit. rod
- Proverbs 22:9 Lit. A good eye
- Proverbs 22:10 The Heb. lacks too
- Proverbs 22:10 Or litigation
- Proverbs 22:11 Lit. purity of heart
- Proverbs 22:12 Lit. words
- Proverbs 22:22 Lit. gate
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