Proverbs 22

New International Version

22 A good name is more desirable than great riches;
to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.^(A)

²Rich and poor have this in common:
The Lord is the Maker of them all.^(B)

³The prudent see danger and take refuge,^(C)
but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.^(D)

⁴Humility is the fear of the Lord;
its wages are riches and honor^(E) and life.^(F)

⁵In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls,^(G)
but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.

⁶Start^(H) children off on the way they should go,^(I)
and even when they are old they will not turn from it.^(J)

⁷The rich rule over the poor,
and the borrower is slave to the lender.

⁸Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity,^(K)
and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.^(L)

⁹The generous will themselves be blessed,^(M)
for they share their food with the poor.^(N)

¹⁰Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife;
quarrels and insults are ended.^(O)

¹¹One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace
will have the king for a friend.^(P)

¹²The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,
but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.

¹³The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside!^(Q)
I’ll be killed in the public square!”

¹⁴The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit;^(R)
a man who is under the Lord’s wrath falls into it.^(S)

¹⁵Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.^(T)

¹⁶One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth
and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.

Thirty Sayings of the Wise

Saying 1

¹⁷Pay attention^(U) and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise;^(V)
    apply your heart to what I teach,^(W)
¹⁸for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
    and have all of them ready on your lips.
¹⁹So that your trust may be in the Lord,
    I teach you today, even you.
²⁰Have I not written thirty sayings for you,
    sayings of counsel and knowledge,
²¹teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth,^(X)
    so that you bring back truthful reports
    to those you serve?

Saying 2

²²Do not exploit the poor^(Y) because they are poor
and do not crush the needy in court,^(Z)
²³for the Lord will take up their case^(AA)
and will exact life for life.^(AB)

Saying 3

²⁴Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person,
do not associate with one easily angered,
²⁵or you may learn their ways
and get yourself ensnared.^(AC)

Saying 4

²⁶Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge^(AD)
or puts up security for debts;
²⁷if you lack the means to pay,
your very bed will be snatched from under you.^(AE)

Saying 5

²⁸Do not move an ancient boundary stone^(AF)
set up by your ancestors.

Saying 6

²⁹Do you see someone skilled^(AG) in their work?
They will serve^(AH) before kings;^(AI)
they will not serve before officials of low rank.

Proverbs 22

New King James Version

The Value of a Good Name

22 A ^(A)good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
Loving favor rather than silver and gold.

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

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

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

⁵Thorns 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.

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

⁸He 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.

¹²The 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.

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

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

Sayings of the Wise

¹⁷Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise,
And apply your heart to my knowledge;
¹⁸For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you;
Let them all be fixed upon your lips,
¹⁹So that your trust may be in the Lord;
I have instructed you today, even you.
²⁰Have I not written to you excellent things
Of counsels and knowledge,
²¹^(P)That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth,
^(Q)That you may answer words of truth
To those who ^[d]send to you?

²²Do 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.

²⁴Make no friendship with an angry man,
And with a ^(T)furious man do not go,
²⁵Lest 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;
²⁷If 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.

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

Footnotes

Proverbs 22:6 Even
Proverbs 22:8 trouble
Proverbs 22:9 Lit. good
Proverbs 22:21 Or send you
Proverbs 22:26 Lit. strikes
Proverbs 22:26 guaranty
Proverbs 22:28 boundary
Proverbs 22:29 is prompt in his business
Proverbs 22:29 obscure

箴言 22

Chinese New Version (Traditional)

敬畏　神得真財富

22 名譽勝過多財，

恩寵勝過金銀。

²世上有財主，也有窮人，

兩者都是耶和華所造的。

³精明人看見災禍，就躲藏起來；

愚蒙人卻往前走，自取禍害。

⁴謙卑和敬畏耶和華的賞賜，

就是財富、榮耀和生命。

⁵奸詐人的道路，滿布荊棘和網羅；

謹慎自己的，必遠離這些。

⁶教養孩童走他當行的路，

就是到老，他也不會偏離。

⁷財主管轄窮人，

欠債的作債主的奴僕。

⁸散播邪惡的，必收禍害；

他忿怒的杖終必毀掉。

⁹心存良善看人的，必蒙賜福；

因為他把自己的食物分給窮人。

¹⁰趕走好譏笑人的，紛爭就除去；

爭執和恥辱也必止息。

¹¹喜愛內心潔淨，嘴上有恩言的，

君王要作他的朋友。

¹²耶和華的眼目護衛知識，

卻傾覆奸詐人的話。

¹³懶惰人說：“外面有獅子，

我在街上必被殺害。”

¹⁴淫婦的口是深坑，

耶和華所惱恨的必陷在其中。

¹⁵愚妄束縛孩童的心，

管教的杖可以把愚妄遠遠驅除。

¹⁶欺壓窮人為要增加自己財富的，

送禮給財主的，必致窮乏。

待人處事需仁慈謹慎

¹⁷你要留心聽智慧人的言語，

專心領受我的知識。

¹⁸如果你心裡謹守，

嘴唇上常常誦念這一切，自會覺得甘美。

¹⁹我今日特別指教你，

為要使你倚靠耶和華。

²⁰我不是曾經給你們寫下（“我不是曾經給你們寫下”或譯：“我不是給你們寫了三十條”）

有關謀略和知識的事嗎？

²¹要教你認識確實的真理，

使你把真理回覆那差派你來的人。

²²你不可因為貧窮人窮乏，就搶奪他的東西，

也不可在城門口欺壓窮苦人。

²³因為耶和華必為他們伸冤，

搶奪他們的，耶和華也必奪取那人的性命。

²⁴容易發怒的人，不要與他為友；

脾氣暴躁的人，不要與他來往，

²⁵免得你效法他的行徑，

自己就陷在網羅裡。

²⁶不要替別人擊掌擔保，

也不可為欠債的作保證人。

²⁷如果你沒有甚麼可以償還，

何必使人連你睡覺的床也奪去呢？

²⁸你的祖先立定古時的地界，

你不可遷移。

²⁹你見過辦事能幹的人嗎？

他必侍立在君王面前，

必不會侍立在低微的人面前。

New International Version (NIV)