28 The wicked flee when no one pursues,
But the righteous are bold as a lion.

² Because of the transgression of a land, many are its princes;
But by a man of understanding and knowledge
Right will be prolonged.

³ A poor man who oppresses the poor
Is like a driving rain which leaves no food.

⁴ Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
But such as keep the law contend with them.

⁵ Evil men do not understand justice,
But those who seek the Lord understand all.

⁶ Better is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich.

⁷ Whoever keeps the law is a discerning son,
But a companion of gluttons shames his father.

⁸ One who increases his possessions by usury and extortion
Gathers it for him who will pity the poor.

⁹ One who turns away his ear from hearing the law,
Even his prayer is an abomination.

¹⁰ Whoever causes the upright to go astray in an evil way,
He himself will fall into his own pit;
But the blameless will inherit good.

¹¹ The rich man is wise in his own eyes,
But the poor who has understanding searches him out.

¹² When the righteous rejoice, there is great glory;
But when the wicked arise, men hide themselves.

¹³ He who covers his sins will not prosper,
But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

¹⁴ Happy is the man who is always reverent,
But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

¹⁵ Like a roaring lion and a charging bear
Is a wicked ruler over poor people.

¹⁶ A ruler who lacks understanding is a great oppressor,
But he who hates covetousness will prolong his days.

¹⁷ A man burdened with bloodshed will flee into a pit;
Let no one help him.

¹⁸ Whoever walks blamelessly will be saved,
But he who is perverse in his ways will suddenly fall.

¹⁹ He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,
But he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough!

²⁰ A faithful man will abound with blessings,
But he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.

²¹ To show partiality is not good,
Because for a piece of bread a man will transgress.

²² A man with an evil eye hastens after riches,
And does not consider that poverty will come upon him.

²³ He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward
Than he who flatters with the tongue.

²⁴ Whoever robs his father or his mother,
And says, “It is no transgression,”
The same is companion to a destroyer.

²⁵ He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife,
But he who trusts in the Lord will be prospered.

²⁶ He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,
But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.

²⁷ He who gives to the poor will not lack,
But he who hides his eyes will have many curses.

²⁸ When the wicked arise, men hide themselves;
But when they perish, the righteous increase.

29 He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck,
Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

² When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.

³ Whoever loves wisdom makes his father rejoice,
But a companion of harlots wastes his wealth.

⁴ The king establishes the land by justice,
But he who receives bribes overthrows it.

⁵ A man who flatters his neighbor
Spreads a net for his feet.

⁶ By transgression an evil man is snared,
But the righteous sings and rejoices.

⁷ The righteous considers the cause of the poor,
But the wicked does not understand such knowledge.

⁸ Scoffers set a city aflame,
But wise men turn away wrath.

⁹ If a wise man contends with a foolish man,
Whether the fool rages or laughs, there is no peace.

¹⁰ The bloodthirsty hate the blameless,
But the upright seek his well-being.^[a]

¹¹ A fool vents all his feelings,^[b]
But a wise man holds them back.

¹² If a ruler pays attention to lies,
All his servants become wicked.

¹³ The poor man and the oppressor have this in common:
The Lord gives light to the eyes of both.

¹⁴ The king who judges the poor with truth,
His throne will be established forever.

¹⁵ The rod and rebuke give wisdom,
But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.

¹⁶ When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increases;
But the righteous will see their fall.

¹⁷ Correct your son, and he will give you rest;
Yes, he will give delight to your soul.

¹⁸ Where there is no revelation,^[c] the people cast off restraint;
But happy is he who keeps the law.

¹⁹ A servant will not be corrected by mere words;
For though he understands, he will not respond.

²⁰ Do you see a man hasty in his words?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

²¹ He who pampers his servant from childhood
Will have him as a son in the end.

²² An angry man stirs up strife,
And a furious man abounds in transgression.

²³ A man’s pride will bring him low,
But the humble in spirit will retain honor.

²⁴ Whoever is a partner with a thief hates his own life;
He swears to tell the truth,^[d] but reveals nothing.

²⁵ The fear of man brings a snare,
But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.

²⁶ Many seek the ruler’s favor,
But justice for man comes from the Lord.

²⁷ An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous,
And he who is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.

² Surely I am more stupid than any man,
And do not have the understanding of a man.
³ I neither learned wisdom
Nor have knowledge of the Holy One.

⁴ Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son’s name,
If you know?

⁵ Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
⁶ Do not add to His words,
Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

⁷ Two things I request of You
(Deprive me not before I die):
⁸ Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches—
Feed me with the food allotted to me;
⁹ Lest I be full and deny You,
And say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or lest I be poor and steal,
And profane the name of my God.

¹⁰ Do not malign a servant to his master,
Lest he curse you, and you be found guilty.

¹¹ There is a generation that curses its father,
And does not bless its mother.
¹² There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.
¹³ There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are lifted up.
¹⁴ There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
And whose fangs are like knives,
To devour the poor from off the earth,
And the needy from among men.

¹⁵ The leech has two daughters—
Give and Give!
There are three things that are never satisfied,
Four never say, “Enough!”:
¹⁶ The grave,^[e]
The barren womb,
The earth that is not satisfied with water—
And the fire never says, “Enough!”

¹⁷ The eye that mocks his father,
And scorns obedience to his mother,
The ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young eagles will eat it.

¹⁸ There are three things which are too wonderful for me,
Yes, four which I do not understand:
¹⁹ The way of an eagle in the air,
The way of a serpent on a rock,
The way of a ship in the midst of the sea,
And the way of a man with a virgin.

²⁰ This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, “I have done no wickedness.”

²¹ For three things the earth is perturbed,
Yes, for four it cannot bear up:
²² For a servant when he reigns,
A fool when he is filled with food,
²³ A hateful woman when she is married,
And a maidservant who succeeds her mistress.

²⁴ There are four things which are little on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
²⁵ The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
²⁶ The rock badgers^[f] are a feeble folk,
Yet they make their homes in the crags;
²⁷ The locusts have no king,
Yet they all advance in ranks;
²⁸ The spider^[g] skillfully grasps with its hands,
And it is in kings’ palaces.

²⁹ There are three things which are majestic in pace,
Yes, four which are stately in walk:
³⁰ A lion, which is mighty among beasts
And does not turn away from any;
³¹ A greyhound,^[h]
A male goat also,
And a king whose troops are with him.^[i]

³² If you have been foolish in exalting yourself,
Or if you have devised evil, put your hand on your mouth.
³³ For as the churning of milk produces butter,
And wringing the nose produces blood,
So the forcing of wrath produces strife.

² What, my son?
And what, son of my womb?
And what, son of my vows?
³ Do not give your strength to women,
Nor your ways to that which destroys kings.

⁴ It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
It is not for kings to drink wine,
Nor for princes intoxicating drink;
⁵ Lest they drink and forget the law,
And pervert the justice of all the afflicted.
⁶ Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
And wine to those who are bitter of heart.
⁷ Let him drink and forget his poverty,
And remember his misery no more.

⁸ Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.^[j]
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy.

² “Vanity^[m] of vanities,” says the Preacher;
“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

³ What profit has a man from all his labor
In which he toils under the sun?
⁴ One generation passes away, and another generation comes;
But the earth abides forever.
⁵ The sun also rises, and the sun goes down,
And hastens to the place where it arose.
⁶ The wind goes toward the south,
And turns around to the north;
The wind whirls about continually,
And comes again on its circuit.
⁷ All the rivers run into the sea,
Yet the sea is not full;
To the place from which the rivers come,
There they return again.
⁸ All things are full of labor;
Man cannot express it.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing,
Nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun.
¹⁰ Is there anything of which it may be said,
“See, this is new”?
It has already been in ancient times before us.
¹¹ There is no remembrance of former things,
Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come
By those who will come after.

¹⁵ What is crooked cannot be made straight,
And what is lacking cannot be numbered.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much grief,
And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.