18 One who separates himself seeks his own desire;
He ^[a](A)quarrels against all sound wisdom.
² A fool does not delight in understanding,
But ^(B)in revealing his own ^[b]mind.
³ When a wicked person comes, contempt also comes,
And with dishonor comes taunting.
⁴ The words of a person’s mouth are ^(C)deep waters;
^[c]The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
⁵ To ^(D)show partiality to the wicked is not good,
Nor to ^(E)suppress the righteous in judgment.
⁶ A fool’s lips ^[d]bring strife,
And his mouth invites ^(F)beatings.
⁷ A ^(G)fool’s mouth is his ruin,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.
⁸ The words of a gossiper are like dainty morsels,
And they go down into the ^[e]innermost parts of the body.
⁹ He also who is ^(H)lax in his work
^(I)Is a brother to him who destroys.
¹⁰ The ^(J)name of the Lord is a ^(K)strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and ^(L)is ^[f]safe.
¹¹ A ^(M)rich person’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own imagination.
^12 (N)Before destruction the heart of a person is haughty,
But ^(O)humility goes before honor.
¹³ One who ^(P)gives an answer before he hears,
It is foolishness and shame to him.
¹⁴ The ^(Q)spirit of a person can endure his sickness,
But as for a ^(R)broken spirit, who can endure it?
¹⁵ The ^[g](S)mind of the discerning acquires knowledge,
And the ^(T)ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
¹⁶ A person’s ^(U)gift makes room for him
And brings him before great people.
¹⁷ The first ^[h]to plead his case seems right,
Until ^[i]another comes and examines him.
¹⁸ The cast ^(V)lot puts an end to quarrels,
And ^[j]decides between the mighty ones.
¹⁹ A brother who is offended is harder to be won than a strong city,
And quarrels are like the bars of a citadel.
²⁰ With the ^[k](W)fruit of a person’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied;
^(X)He will be satisfied with the product of his lips.
^21 (Y)Death and life are in the ^[l]power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its ^(Z)fruit.
²² He who finds a ^(AA)wife finds a good thing
And ^(AB)obtains favor from the Lord.
²³ A ^(AC)poor person utters pleadings,
But a ^(AD)rich person ^(AE)answers defiantly.
²⁴ A person of too many friends comes to ^[m]ruin,
But there is ^(AF)a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

19 ^(A)Better is a poor person who ^(B)walks in his integrity
Than a person who is perverse in ^[a]speech and is a fool.
² Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge,
And one who hurries ^[b](C)his footsteps ^[c]errs.
³ The ^(D)foolishness of a person ruins his way,
And his heart ^(E)rages against the Lord.
^4 (F)Wealth adds many friends,
But a poor person is separated from his friend.
⁵ A ^(G)false witness will not go unpunished,
And one who ^(H)declares lies will not escape.
^6 (I)Many will seek the favor of a ^[d]generous person,
And every person is a friend to ^(J)him who gives gifts.
⁷ All the brothers of a poor person hate him;
How much more do his ^(K)friends abandon him!
He ^(L)pursues them with words, but they are ^[e]gone.
⁸ One who gets ^[f]wisdom loves his own soul;
One who keeps understanding will ^(M)find good.
⁹ A ^(N)false witness will not go unpunished,
And one who declares lies will perish.
¹⁰ Luxury is ^(O)not fitting for a fool;
Much less for a ^(P)slave to rule over princes.
¹¹ A person’s ^(Q)discretion makes him slow to anger,
And it is his glory ^(R)to overlook an offense.
¹² A ^(S)king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion,
But his favor is like ^(T)dew on the grass.
¹³ A ^(U)foolish son is destruction to his father,
And the ^(V)quarrels of a wife are a constant dripping.
¹⁴ House and wealth are an ^(W)inheritance from fathers,
But a prudent wife is from the Lord.
^15 (X)Laziness casts one into a deep sleep,
And ^[g]a lazy ^[h]person will suffer hunger.
¹⁶ One who ^(Y)keeps the commandment keeps his soul,
But one who ^[i]is careless of ^[j]conduct will die.
¹⁷ One who ^(Z)is gracious to a poor person lends to the Lord,
And He will repay him for his ^[k](AA)good deed.
^18 (AB)Discipline your son while there is hope,
And do not desire ^[l]his death.
¹⁹ A person of great anger will suffer the penalty,
For if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.
^20 (AC)Listen to advice and accept discipline,
So that you may be wise ^[m]the rest of your days.
²¹ Many ^(AD)plans are in a person’s heart,
But the ^(AE)advice of the Lord will stand.
²² What is desirable in a person is his ^[n]kindness,
And it is better to be a poor person than a liar.
^23 [o]The ^(AF)fear of the Lord leads to life,
So that one may sleep ^(AG)satisfied, ^[p](AH)untouched by evil.
²⁴ The ^[q](AI)lazy one buries his hand ^(AJ)in the dish,
But will not even bring it back to his mouth.
^25 (AK)Strike a scoffer and the naive may become clever,
But ^(AL)rebuke one who has understanding, and he will ^[r]gain knowledge.
²⁶ He ^(AM)who assaults his father and drives his mother away
Is a shameful and disgraceful son.
²⁷ Stop listening, my son, to discipline,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge.
²⁸ A worthless witness makes a mockery of justice,
And the mouth of the wicked ^[s](AN)swallows wrongdoing.
^29 [t]Judgments are prepared for ^(AO)scoffers,
And ^(AP)beatings for the backs of fools.

20 ^(A)Wine is a mocker, ^(B)intoxicating drink a brawler,
And whoever ^[a]is intoxicated by it is not wise.
² The terror of a king is like the roaring of a lion;
One who provokes him to anger ^[b](C)forfeits his own life.
^3 (D)Avoiding strife is an honor for a person,
But any fool will ^[c]quarrel.
⁴ The ^[d](E)lazy one does not plow after the autumn,
So he ^[e]begs during the harvest and has nothing.
⁵ A plan in the heart of a person is like deep water,
But a person of understanding draws it out.
⁶ Many a person ^(F)proclaims his own loyalty,
But who can find a ^(G)trustworthy person?
⁷ A righteous person who ^(H)walks in his integrity—
^(I)How blessed are his sons after him.
^8 (J)A king who sits on the throne of justice
^[f]Disperses all evil with his eyes.
^9 (K)Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart,
I am pure from my sin”?
^10 [g](L)Differing weights and differing measures,
Both of them are abominable to the Lord.
¹¹ It is by his deeds that a boy ^[h](M)distinguishes himself,
If his conduct is pure and right.
¹² The hearing ^(N)ear and the seeing eye,
The Lord has made both of them.
^13 (O)Do not love sleep, or you will become poor;
Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with ^[i]food.
¹⁴ “Bad, bad,” says the buyer,
But when he goes his way, then he boasts.
¹⁵ There is gold, and an abundance of ^[j]jewels;
But lips of knowledge are a more precious thing.
¹⁶ Take his garment when he becomes guarantor for a stranger;
And for foreigners, seize a pledge from him.
^17 (P)Bread obtained by a lie is sweet to a person,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.
¹⁸ Prepare ^(Q)plans by consultation,
And ^(R)make war by wise guidance.
¹⁹ One who ^(S)goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets;
Therefore do not associate with ^[k](T)a gossip.
²⁰ He who ^(U)curses his father or his mother,
His ^(V)lamp will go out in time of darkness.
²¹ An inheritance gained in a hurry at the beginning
Will not be blessed in the end.
^22 (W)Do not say, “I will repay evil”;
^(X)Wait for the Lord, and He will save you.
^23 [l](Y)Differing weights are an abomination to the Lord,
And a ^[m](Z)false scale is not good.
^24 (AA)A man’s steps are ordained by the Lord;
How then can a person understand his way?
²⁵ It is a trap for a person to say carelessly, “It is holy!”
And ^(AB)after the vows to make inquiry.
²⁶ A ^(AC)wise king scatters the wicked,
And ^[n]drives a ^(AD)threshing wheel over them.
²⁷ The ^[o](AE)spirit of a person is the lamp of the Lord,
Searching all the ^[p]innermost parts of his being.
^28 [q]Loyalty and ^(AF)truth watch over the king,
And he upholds his throne by ^[r]loyalty.
²⁹ The glory of young men is their strength,
And the ^[s](AG)honor of old men is their gray hair.
^30 (AH)Bruising wounds clean away evil,
And blows cleanse the ^[t]innermost parts.