16 To humans belong the plans of the heart,
    but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.

² All a person’s ways seem pure to them,
    but motives are weighed by the Lord.

³ Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
    and he will establish your plans.

⁴ The Lord works out everything to its proper end—
    even the wicked for a day of disaster.

⁵ The Lord detests all the proud of heart.
    Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.

⁶ Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
    through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.

⁷ When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way,
    he causes their enemies to make peace with them.

⁸ Better a little with righteousness
    than much gain with injustice.

⁹ In their hearts humans plan their course,
    but the Lord establishes their steps.

¹⁰ The lips of a king speak as an oracle,
    and his mouth does not betray justice.

¹¹ Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord;
    all the weights in the bag are of his making.

¹² Kings detest wrongdoing,
    for a throne is established through righteousness.

¹³ Kings take pleasure in honest lips;
    they value the one who speaks what is right.

¹⁴ A king’s wrath is a messenger of death,
    but the wise will appease it.

¹⁵ When a king’s face brightens, it means life;
    his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.

¹⁶ How much better to get wisdom than gold,
    to get insight rather than silver!

¹⁷ The highway of the upright avoids evil;
    those who guard their ways preserve their lives.

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction,
    a haughty spirit before a fall.

¹⁹ Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed
    than to share plunder with the proud.

²⁰ Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,^[a]
    and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.

²¹ The wise in heart are called discerning,
    and gracious words promote instruction.^[b]

²² Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent,
    but folly brings punishment to fools.

²³ The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent,
    and their lips promote instruction.^[c]

²⁴ Gracious words are a honeycomb,
    sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

²⁵ There is a way that appears to be right,
    but in the end it leads to death.

²⁶ The appetite of laborers works for them;
    their hunger drives them on.

²⁷ A scoundrel plots evil,
    and on their lips it is like a scorching fire.

²⁸ A perverse person stirs up conflict,
    and a gossip separates close friends.

²⁹ A violent person entices their neighbor
    and leads them down a path that is not good.

³⁰ Whoever winks with their eye is plotting perversity;
    whoever purses their lips is bent on evil.

³¹ Gray hair is a crown of splendor;
    it is attained in the way of righteousness.

³² Better a patient person than a warrior,
    one with self-control than one who takes a city.

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

17 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
    than a house full of feasting, with strife.

² A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son
    and will share the inheritance as one of the family.

³ The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
    but the Lord tests the heart.

⁴ A wicked person listens to deceitful lips;
    a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

⁵ Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker;
    whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.

⁶ Children’s children are a crown to the aged,
    and parents are the pride of their children.

⁷ Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool—
    how much worse lying lips to a ruler!

⁸ A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it;
    they think success will come at every turn.

⁹ Whoever would foster love covers over an offense,
    but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

¹⁰ A rebuke impresses a discerning person
    more than a hundred lashes a fool.

¹¹ Evildoers foster rebellion against God;
    the messenger of death will be sent against them.

¹² Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
    than a fool bent on folly.

¹³ Evil will never leave the house
    of one who pays back evil for good.

¹⁴ Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
    so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

¹⁵ Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—
    the Lord detests them both.

¹⁶ Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom,
    when they are not able to understand it?

¹⁷ A friend loves at all times,
    and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

¹⁸ One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge
    and puts up security for a neighbor.

¹⁹ Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin;
    whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.

²⁰ One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper;
    one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.

²¹ To have a fool for a child brings grief;
    there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.

²² A cheerful heart is good medicine,
    but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

²³ The wicked accept bribes in secret
    to pervert the course of justice.

²⁴ A discerning person keeps wisdom in view,
    but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.

²⁵ A foolish son brings grief to his father
    and bitterness to the mother who bore him.

²⁶ If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good,
    surely to flog honest officials is not right.

²⁷ The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,
    and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.

²⁸ Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
    and discerning if they hold their tongues.

18 An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
    and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.

² Fools find no pleasure in understanding
    but delight in airing their own opinions.

³ When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
    and with shame comes reproach.

⁴ The words of the mouth are deep waters,
    but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.

⁵ It is not good to be partial to the wicked
    and so deprive the innocent of justice.

⁶ The lips of fools bring them strife,
    and their mouths invite a beating.

⁷ The mouths of fools are their undoing,
    and their lips are a snare to their very lives.

⁸ The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
    they go down to the inmost parts.

⁹ One who is slack in his work
    is brother to one who destroys.

¹⁰ The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;
    the righteous run to it and are safe.

¹¹ The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;
    they imagine it a wall too high to scale.

¹² Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
    but humility comes before honor.

¹³ To answer before listening—
    that is folly and shame.

¹⁴ The human spirit can endure in sickness,
    but a crushed spirit who can bear?

¹⁵ The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,
    for the ears of the wise seek it out.

¹⁶ A gift opens the way
    and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.

¹⁷ In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,
    until someone comes forward and cross-examines.

¹⁸ Casting the lot settles disputes
    and keeps strong opponents apart.

¹⁹ A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city;
    disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.

²⁰ From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
    with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.

²¹ The tongue has the power of life and death,
    and those who love it will eat its fruit.

²² He who finds a wife finds what is good
    and receives favor from the Lord.

²³ The poor plead for mercy,
    but the rich answer harshly.

²⁴ One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
    but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”^[e]