² Treasures gained dishonestly profit no one,
but righteousness rescues from death.
³ The Lord will not allow a righteous person to starve,
but he intentionally ignores the desires of a wicked person.

⁴ Lazy hands bring poverty,
but hard-working hands bring riches.
⁵ Whoever gathers in the summer is a wise son.
Whoever sleeps at harvest time brings shame.

⁶ Blessings cover the head of a righteous person,
but violence covers the mouths of wicked people.

⁷ The name of a righteous person remains blessed,
but the names of wicked people will rot away.

¹³ Wisdom is found on the lips of a person who has understanding,
but a rod is for the back of one without sense.
¹⁴ Those who are wise store up knowledge,
but the mouth of a stubborn fool invites ruin.
¹⁵ The rich person’s wealth is ⌞his⌟ strong city.
Poverty ruins the poor.
¹⁶ A righteous person’s reward is life.
A wicked person’s harvest is sin.
¹⁷ Whoever practices discipline is on the way to life,
but whoever ignores a warning strays.

¹⁸ Whoever conceals hatred has lying lips.
Whoever spreads slander is a fool.
¹⁹ Sin is unavoidable when there is much talk,
but whoever seals his lips is wise.
²⁰ The tongue of a righteous person is pure silver.
The hearts of wicked people are worthless.
²¹ The lips of a righteous person feed many,
but stubborn fools die because they have no sense.

²² It is the Lord’s blessing that makes a person rich,
and hard work adds nothing to it.
²³ Like the laughter of a fool when he carries out an evil plan,
so is wisdom to a person who has understanding.

⁴ Riches are of no help on the day of fury,
but righteousness saves from death.
⁵ The righteousness of innocent people makes their road smooth,
but wicked people fall by their own wickedness.
⁶ Decent people are saved by their righteousness,
but treacherous people are trapped by their own greed.
⁷ At the death of a wicked person, hope vanishes.
Moreover, his confidence in strength vanishes.

⁸ A righteous person is rescued from trouble,
and a wicked person takes his place.
⁹ With his talk a godless person can ruin his neighbor,
but righteous people are rescued by knowledge.

¹⁰ When righteous people prosper, a city is glad.
When wicked people die, there are songs of joy.
¹¹ With the blessing of decent people a city is raised up,
but by the words of wicked people, it is torn down.

¹² A person who despises a neighbor has no sense,
but a person who has understanding keeps quiet.
¹³ Whoever gossips gives away secrets,
but whoever is trustworthy in spirit can keep a secret.
¹⁴ A nation will fall when there is no direction,
but with many advisers there is victory.
¹⁵ Whoever guarantees a stranger’s loan will get into trouble,
but whoever hates the closing of a deal remains secure.
¹⁶ A gracious woman wins respect,
but ruthless men gain riches.
¹⁷ A merciful person helps himself,
but a cruel person hurts himself.
¹⁸ A wicked person earns dishonest wages,
but whoever spreads righteousness earns honest pay.
¹⁹ As righteousness leads to life,
so whoever pursues evil finds his own death.

²⁰ Devious people are disgusting to the Lord,
but he is delighted with those whose ways are innocent.
²¹ Certainly, an evil person will not go unpunished,
but the descendants of righteous people will escape.
²² ⌞Like⌟ a gold ring in a pig’s snout,
⌞so⌟ is a beautiful woman who lacks good taste.
²³ The desire of righteous people ends only in good,
but the hope of wicked people ends only in fury.

²⁴ One person spends freely and yet grows richer,
while another holds back what he owes and yet grows poorer.
²⁵ A generous person will be made rich,
and whoever satisfies others will himself be satisfied.^[a]
26 People will curse the one who hoards grain,
but a blessing will be upon the head of the one who sells it.

²⁷ Whoever eagerly seeks good searches for good will,
but whoever looks for evil finds it.
²⁸ Whoever trusts his riches will fall,
but righteous people will flourish like a green leaf.
²⁹ Whoever brings trouble upon his family inherits ⌞only⌟ wind,
and that stubborn fool becomes a slave to the wise in heart.
³⁰ The fruit of a righteous person is a tree of life,
and a winner of souls is wise.
³¹ If the righteous person is rewarded on earth,
how much more the wicked person and the sinner!
12 Whoever loves discipline loves to learn,
but whoever hates correction is a dumb animal.
² A good person obtains favor from the Lord,
but the Lord condemns everyone who schemes.
³ A person cannot stand firm on a foundation of wickedness,
and the roots of righteous people cannot be moved.
⁴ A wife with strength of character is the crown of her husband,
but the wife who disgraces him is like bone cancer.

⁵ The thoughts of righteous people are fair.
The advice of wicked people is treacherous.
⁶ The words of wicked people are a deadly ambush,
but the words ^[b] of decent people rescue.
⁷ Overthrow wicked people, and they are no more,
but the families of righteous people continue to stand.

⁸ A person will be praised based on his insight,
but whoever has a twisted mind will be despised.
⁹ Better to be unimportant and have a slave
than to act important and have nothing to eat.
¹⁰ A righteous person cares ⌞even⌟ about the life of his animals,
but the compassion of wicked people is ⌞nothing but⌟ cruelty.
¹¹ Whoever works his land will have plenty to eat,
but the one who chases unrealistic dreams has no sense.
¹² A wicked person delights in setting a trap for ⌞other⌟ evil people,
but the roots of righteous people produce ⌞fruit⌟.
¹³ An evil person is trapped by his own sinful talk,
but a righteous person escapes from trouble.
¹⁴ One person enjoys good things as a result of his speaking ability.
Another is paid according to what his hands have accomplished.

¹⁵ A stubborn fool considers his own way the right one,
but a person who listens to advice is wise.
¹⁶ When a stubborn fool is irritated, he shows it immediately,
but a sensible person hides the insult.

¹⁷ A truthful witness speaks honestly,
but a lying witness speaks deceitfully.
¹⁸ Careless words stab like a sword,
but the words of wise people bring healing.
¹⁹ The word of truth lasts forever,
but lies last only a moment.
²⁰ Deceit is in the heart of those who plan evil,
but joy belongs to those who advise peace.

²¹ No ⌞lasting⌟ harm comes to a righteous person,
but wicked people have lots of trouble.
²² Lips that lie are disgusting to the Lord,
but honest people are his delight.
²³ A sensible person ⌞discreetly⌟ hides knowledge,
but foolish minds preach stupidity.
²⁴ Hard-working hands gain control,
but lazy hands do slave labor.
²⁵ A person’s anxiety will weigh him down,
but an encouraging word makes him joyful.
²⁶ A righteous person looks out for his neighbor,
but the path of wicked people leads others astray.
²⁷ A lazy hunter does not catch his prey,
but a hard-working person becomes wealthy.
²⁸ Everlasting life is on the way of righteousness.
Eternal death is not along its path.