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22 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
    and favor is better than silver or gold.(A)
The rich and the poor have this in common:
    the Lord is the maker of them all.
The clever see danger and hide,
    but the simple go on and suffer for it.
The reward for humility and fear of the Lord
    is riches and honor and life.
Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
    the cautious will keep far from them.(B)
Train children in the right way,
    and when old, they will not stray.(C)
The rich rule over the poor,
    and the borrower is the slave of the lender.(D)
Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,
    and the rod of anger will fail.(E)
Those who are generous are blessed,
    for they share their bread with the poor.(F)
10 Drive out a scoffer, and strife goes out;
    quarreling and abuse will cease.(G)
11 Those who love a pure heart and are gracious in speech
    will have the king as a friend.(H)
12 The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,
    but he overthrows the words of the faithless.(I)
13 The lazy person says, “There is a lion outside!
    I shall be killed in the streets!”(J)
14 The mouth of a loose woman[a] is a deep pit;
    he with whom the Lord is angry falls into it.
15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
    but the rod of discipline drives it far away.(K)
16 Oppressing the poor in order to enrich oneself,
    and giving to the rich, will lead only to loss.

Sayings of the Wise

17     The words of the wise:

Incline your ear and hear my words[b]
    and apply your mind to my teaching,
18 for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,
    if all of them are ready on your lips.
19 So that your trust may be in the Lord,
    I have made them known to you today, yes, to you.(L)
20 Have I not written for you thirty[c] sayings
    of admonition and knowledge,(M)
21 to show you what is right and true,
    so that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?(N)

22 Do not rob the poor because they are poor
    or crush the afflicted at the gate,(O)
23 for the Lord pleads their cause
    and despoils of life those who despoil them.(P)
24 Make no friends with those given to anger,
    and do not associate with hotheads,
25 lest you learn their ways
    and entangle yourself in a snare.
26 Do not be one of those who give pledges,
    who become surety for debts.(Q)
27 If you have nothing with which to pay,
    why should your bed be taken from under you?
28 Do not remove the ancient landmark
    that your ancestors set up.(R)
29 Do you see those who are skillful in their work?
    They will serve kings;
    they will not serve common people.(S)

Footnotes

  1. 22.14 Heb strange woman
  2. 22.17 Cn Compare Gk: Heb Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise
  3. 22.20 Cn: Heb in the past or noble

Wise and Foolish Behaviors

22 A good name is worth more than great wealth.
Respect is worth more than silver and gold.
Rich and poor have this in common:
The Lord is the maker of them all.
A sensible person sees trouble and hides,
but the naïve keep going and pay the penalty.
The outcome of humility and of the fear of the Lord
    is wealth, honor, and life.
Thorns and traps are on the road followed by the crooked.
Whoever guards his soul[a] will stay far away from them.
Dedicate[b] a child to the way he should go,
and even when he becomes old, he will not turn away from it.
A rich person rules over poor people,
and a borrower is a slave to a lender.
Whoever sows injustice reaps trouble,
and the rod that inflicts his fury will be destroyed.
A generous person will be blessed,
because he gives some of his food to the poor.
10 Drive away a scoffer, and conflict leaves.
Quarrels and insults cease.
11 A person who loves a pure heart and whose lips are gracious
    will have a king as his friend.
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over knowledge.
He overturns the words of a treacherous person.
13 A lazy person says, “There’s a lion outside!
I’ll be murdered in the streets!”
14 The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit.
The man who is under the Lord’s wrath will fall there.
15 Foolishness is bound tightly to a child’s heart.
A rod of discipline will drive it far from him.
16 Whoever oppresses the poor to become great,
and whoever gives gifts to the rich—
both are sure to suffer loss.

Sayings of the Wise

17 Open your ears and listen to the words of the wise,
and set your heart on the knowledge that I offer,
18 for it is pleasant when you keep my words deep within you,[c]
and you have them ready on your lips.
19 Today I make my words known to you—yes, to you,
so that your trust will be in the Lord.

20 Have I not written to you already[d] with advice and knowledge,
21 in order to make accurate, true words known to you,
so that you may reply with true words to those who sent you?

22 Do not rob a poor person because he is poor,
and do not crush an oppressed person in court,[e]
23 because the Lord will defend their cause,
and he will rob those who rob them of their lives.

24 Do not be friends with a hothead.
Do not go along with someone who has a hot temper.
25 If you do, you will learn his ways
and set a trap for yourself.[f]

26 Do not be among those who shake hands to guarantee debts.
27 If you do not have enough to repay,
why should your bed be taken out from under you?

28 Do not move an ancient boundary marker
    that your ancestors made.

29 Do you see a person who is efficient in his work?
He will serve kings.
He will not serve nobodies.[g]

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:5 Or his life
  2. Proverbs 22:6 Or consecrate. The Hebrew word used here is not one of the usual words for teaching or training, but it is the same word used for dedicating a temple. It adds the connotation of entrusting the child to the Lord, as Hannah did.
  3. Proverbs 22:18 Literally in your belly
  4. Proverbs 22:20 The translation already follows the main Hebrew reading (literally the day before yesterday). An alternate Hebrew reading is Have I not written to you excellent sayings? Many recent English translations emend the text to read: Have I not written to you thirty wise sayings? This change is based on the belief that thirty sayings follow this heading. The supposed divisions between these thirty sayings are marked by spacer lines in the translation.
  5. Proverbs 22:22 Literally in the city gate
  6. Proverbs 22:25 Or for your soul
  7. Proverbs 22:29 Or unimportant people