² The ^(B)rich and the poor have this in common,
The ^(C)Lord is the maker of them all.

³ A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself,
But the simple pass on and are ^(D)punished.

⁴ By humility and the fear of the Lord
Are riches and honor and life.

⁵ Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
He who guards his soul will be far from them.

^6 (E)Train up a child in the way he should go,
^[a]And when he is old he will not depart from it.

⁷ The ^(F)rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower is servant to the lender.

⁸ He who sows iniquity will reap ^(G)sorrow,^[b]
And the rod of his anger will fail.

^9 (H)He who has a ^[c]generous eye will be ^(I)blessed,
For he gives of his bread to the poor.

^10 (J)Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave;
Yes, strife and reproach will cease.

^11 (K)He who loves purity of heart
And has grace on his lips,
The king will be his friend.

¹² The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge,
But He overthrows the words of the faithless.

^13 (L)The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside!
I shall be slain in the streets!”

^14 (M)The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit;
^(N)He who is abhorred by the Lord will fall there.

¹⁵ Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
^(O)The rod of correction will drive it far from him.

¹⁶ He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches,
And he who gives to the rich, will surely come to poverty.

²² Do not rob the ^(R)poor because he is poor,
Nor oppress the afflicted at the gate;
^23 (S)For the Lord will plead their cause,
And plunder the soul of those who plunder them.

²⁴ Make no friendship with an angry man,
And with a ^(T)furious man do not go,
²⁵ Lest you learn his ways
And set a snare for your soul.

^26 (U)Do not be one of those who ^[e]shakes hands in a pledge,
One of those who is ^[f]surety for debts;
²⁷ If you have nothing with which to pay,
Why should he take away your bed from under you?

^28 (V)Do not remove the ancient ^[g]landmark
Which your fathers have set.

²⁹ Do you see a man who ^[h]excels in his work?
He will stand before kings;
He will not stand before ^[i]unknown men.

³ Through wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established;
⁴ By knowledge the rooms are filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.

^5 (B)A wise man is strong,
Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength;
^6 (C)For by wise counsel you will wage your own war,
And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.

^7 (D)Wisdom is too lofty for a fool;
He does not open his mouth in the gate.

⁸ He who ^(E)plots to do evil
Will be called a ^[a]schemer.
⁹ The devising of foolishness is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.

¹⁰ If you ^(F)faint in the day of adversity,
Your strength is small.

^11 (G)Deliver those who are drawn toward death,
And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.
¹² If you say, “Surely we did not know this,”
Does not ^(H)He who weighs the hearts consider it?
He who keeps your soul, does He not know it?
And will He not render to each man ^(I)according to his deeds?

¹³ My son, ^(J)eat honey because it is good,
And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste;
^14 (K)So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul;
If you have found it, there is a ^[b]prospect,
And your hope will not be cut off.

¹⁵ Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
Do not plunder his resting place;
^16 (L)For a righteous man may fall seven times
And rise again,
^(M)But the wicked shall fall by calamity.

^17 (N)Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
¹⁸ Lest the Lord see it, and ^[c]it displease Him,
And He turn away His wrath from him.

^19 (O)Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the wicked;
²⁰ For there will be no prospect for the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.

²¹ My son, ^(P)fear the Lord and the king;
Do not associate with those given to change;
²² For their calamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin those two can bring?

^(Q)It is not good to ^[d]show partiality in judgment.
^24 (R)He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
Him the people will curse;
Nations will abhor him.
²⁵ But those who rebuke the wicked will have ^(S)delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.

²⁶ He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.

^27 (T)Prepare your outside work,
Make it fit for yourself in the field;
And afterward build your house.

^28 (U)Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,
^[e]For would you deceive with your lips?
^29 (V)Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me;
I will render to the man according to his work.”

³⁰ I went by the field of the lazy man,
And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
³¹ And there it was, ^(W)all overgrown with thorns;
Its surface was covered with nettles;
Its stone wall was broken down.
³² When I saw it, I considered it well;
I looked on it and received instruction:
^33 (X)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest;
^34 (Y)So shall your poverty come like ^[f]a prowler,
And your need like ^[g]an armed man.

^2 (AA)It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

³ As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,
So the heart of kings is unsearchable.

^4 (AB)Take away the dross from silver,
And it will go to the silversmith for jewelry.
⁵ Take away the wicked from before the king,
And his throne will be established in ^(AC)righteousness.

⁶ Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king,
And do not stand in the place of the great;
^7 (AD)For it is better that he say to you,
“Come up here,”
Than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince,
Whom your eyes have seen.

^8 (AE)Do not go hastily to ^[h]court;
For what will you do in the end,
When your neighbor has put you to shame?
^9 (AF)Debate your case with your neighbor,
And do not disclose the secret to another;
¹⁰ Lest he who hears it expose your shame,
And ^[i]your reputation be ruined.

¹¹ A word fitly ^(AG)spoken is like apples of gold
In settings of silver.
¹² Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold
Is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear.

^13 (AH)Like the cold of snow in time of harvest
Is a faithful messenger to those who send him,
For he refreshes the soul of his masters.

^14 (AI)Whoever falsely boasts of giving
Is like ^(AJ)clouds and wind without rain.

^15 (AK)By long forbearance a ruler is persuaded,
And a gentle tongue breaks a bone.

¹⁶ Have you found honey?
Eat only as much as you need,
Lest you be filled with it and vomit.

¹⁷ Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house,
Lest he become weary of you and hate you.

^18 (AL)A man who bears false witness against his neighbor
Is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow.

¹⁹ Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble
Is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.

²⁰ Like one who takes away a garment in cold weather,
And like vinegar on soda,
Is one who ^(AM)sings songs to a heavy heart.

^21 (AN)If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
²² For so you will heap coals of fire on his head,
^(AO)And the Lord will reward you.

²³ The north wind brings forth rain,
And ^(AP)a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.

^24 (AQ)It is better to dwell in a corner of a housetop,
Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

²⁵ As cold water to a weary soul,
So is ^(AR)good news from a far country.

²⁶ A righteous man who falters before the wicked
Is like a murky spring and a ^[j]polluted well.

²⁷ It is not good to eat much honey;
So ^(AS)to seek one’s own glory is not glory.

^28 (AT)Whoever has no rule over his own spirit
Is like a city broken down, without walls.