² All the ways of a man are pure in his own ^(C)eyes,
But the Lord weighs the spirits.

^3 (D)Commit^[b] your works to the Lord,
And your thoughts will be established.

⁴ The ^(E)Lord has made all for Himself,
^(F)Yes, even the wicked for the day of ^[c]doom.

^5 (G)Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
Though they join ^[d]forces, none will go unpunished.

^6 (H)In mercy and truth
Atonement is provided for iniquity;
And ^(I)by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.

⁷ When a man’s ways please the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

^8 (J)Better is a little with righteousness,
Than vast revenues without justice.

^9 (K)A man’s heart plans his way,
^(L)But the Lord directs his steps.

¹⁰ Divination is on the lips of the king;
His mouth must not transgress in judgment.
^11 (M)Honest weights and scales are the Lord’s;
All the weights in the bag are His ^[e]work.
¹² It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness,
For ^(N)a throne is established by righteousness.
^13 (O)Righteous lips are the delight of kings,
And they love him who speaks what is right.
¹⁴ As messengers of death is the king’s wrath,
But a wise man will ^(P)appease it.
¹⁵ In the light of the king’s face is life,
And his favor is like a ^(Q)cloud of the latter rain.

^16 (R)How much better to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

¹⁷ The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;
He who keeps his way preserves his soul.

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before ^[f]a fall.
¹⁹ Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,
Than to divide the ^[g]spoil with the proud.

²⁰ He who heeds the word wisely will find good,
And whoever ^(S)trusts in the Lord, happy is he.

²¹ The wise in heart will be called prudent,
And sweetness of the lips increases learning.

²² Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it.
But the correction of fools is folly.

²³ The heart of the wise teaches his mouth,
And adds learning to his lips.

²⁴ Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

²⁵ There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of ^(T)death.

²⁶ The person who labors, labors for himself,
For his hungry mouth drives ^(U)him on.

^27 [h]An ungodly man digs up evil,
And it is on his lips like a burning ^(V)fire.
²⁸ A perverse man sows strife,
And ^(W)a whisperer separates the best of friends.
²⁹ A violent man entices his neighbor,
And leads him in a way that is not good.
³⁰ He winks his eye to devise perverse things;
He ^[i]purses his lips and brings about evil.

^31 (X)The silver-haired head is a crown of glory,
If it is found in the way of righteousness.

^32 (Y)He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

³³ The lot is cast into the lap,
But its every decision is from the Lord.

² A wise servant will rule over ^(B)a son who causes shame,
And will share an inheritance among the brothers.

³ The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
^(C)But the Lord tests the hearts.

⁴ An evildoer gives heed to false lips;
A liar listens eagerly to a ^[b]spiteful tongue.

^5 (D)He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker;
^(E)He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.

^6 (F)Children’s children are the crown of old men,
And the glory of children is their father.

⁷ Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool,
Much less lying lips to a prince.

⁸ A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.

^9 (G)He who covers a transgression seeks love,
But ^(H)he who repeats a matter separates friends.

^10 (I)Rebuke is more effective for a wise man
Than a hundred blows on a fool.

¹¹ An evil man seeks only rebellion;
Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

¹² Let a man meet ^(J)a bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.

¹³ Whoever ^(K)rewards evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.

¹⁴ The beginning of strife is like releasing water;
Therefore ^(L)stop contention before a quarrel starts.

^15 (M)He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.

¹⁶ Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom,
Since he has no heart for it?

^17 (N)A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.

^18 (O)A man devoid of ^[c]understanding ^[d]shakes hands in a pledge,
And becomes ^[e]surety for his friend.

¹⁹ He who loves transgression loves strife,
And ^(P)he who exalts his gate seeks destruction.

²⁰ He who has a ^[f]deceitful heart finds no good,
And he who has ^(Q)a perverse tongue falls into evil.

²¹ He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.

²² A ^(R)merry heart ^[g]does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones.

²³ A wicked man accepts a bribe ^[h]behind the back
To pervert the ways of justice.

^24 (S)Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding,
But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

²⁵ A ^(T)foolish son is a grief to his father,
And bitterness to her who bore him.

²⁶ Also, to punish the righteous is not good,
Nor to strike princes for their uprightness.

^27 (U)He who has knowledge spares his words,
And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.
^28 (V)Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace;
When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.

² A fool has no delight in understanding,
But in expressing his ^(A)own heart.

³ When the wicked comes, contempt comes also;
And with dishonor comes reproach.

^4 (B)The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
^(C)The wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook.

⁵ It is not good to show partiality to the wicked,
Or to overthrow the righteous in ^(D)judgment.

⁶ A fool’s lips enter into contention,
And his mouth calls for blows.
^7 (E)A fool’s mouth is his destruction,
And his lips are the snare of his ^(F)soul.
^8 (G)The words of a ^[b]talebearer are like ^[c]tasty trifles,
And they go down into the ^[d]inmost body.

⁹ He who is slothful in his work
Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.

¹⁰ The name of the Lord is a strong ^(H)tower;
The righteous run to it and are ^[e]safe.
¹¹ The rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own esteem.

^12 (I)Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty,
And before honor is humility.

¹³ He who answers a matter before he hears it,
It is folly and shame to him.

¹⁴ The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness,
But who can bear a broken spirit?

¹⁵ The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge,
And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

^16 (J)A man’s gift makes room for him,
And brings him before great men.

¹⁷ The first one to plead his cause seems right,
Until his neighbor comes and examines him.

¹⁸ Casting ^(K)lots causes contentions to cease,
And keeps the mighty apart.

¹⁹ A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city,
And contentions are like the bars of a castle.

^20 (L)A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth;
From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.

^21 (M)Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.

^22 (N)He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from the Lord.

²³ The poor man uses entreaties,
But the rich answers ^(O)roughly.

²⁴ A man who has friends ^[f]must himself be friendly,
^(P)But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

^(M)“For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles,
And sing to Your name.”

^(N)“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!”

^(O)“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles!
Laud Him, all you peoples!”

^(P)“There shall be a root of Jesse;
And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles,
In Him the Gentiles shall hope.”

^(AB)“To whom He was not announced, they shall see;
And those who have not heard shall understand.”