Proverbs 22
The Message
The Cure Comes Through Discipline
22 A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich;
a gracious spirit is better than money in the bank.
2 The rich and the poor shake hands as equals—
God made them both!
3 A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks;
a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered.
4 The payoff for meekness and Fear-of-God
is plenty and honor and a satisfying life.
5 The perverse travel a dangerous road, potholed and mud-slick;
if you know what’s good for you, stay clear of it.
6 Point your kids in the right direction—
when they’re old they won’t be lost.
7 The poor are always ruled over by the rich,
so don’t borrow and put yourself under their power.
8 Whoever sows sin reaps weeds,
and bullying anger sputters into nothing.
9 Generous hands are blessed hands
because they give bread to the poor.
10 Kick out the troublemakers and things will quiet down;
you need a break from bickering and griping!
11 God loves the pure-hearted and well-spoken;
good leaders also delight in their friendship.
12 God guards knowledge with a passion,
but he’ll have nothing to do with deception.
13 The loafer says, “There’s a lion on the loose!
If I go out I’ll be eaten alive!”
14 The mouth of a prostitute is a bottomless pit;
you’ll fall in that pit if you’re on the outs with God.
15 Young people are prone to foolishness and fads;
the cure comes through tough-minded discipline.
16 Exploit the poor or glad-hand the rich—whichever,
you’ll end up the poorer for it.
The Thirty Precepts of the Sages
Don’t Move Back the Boundary Lines
17-21 Listen carefully to my wisdom;
take to heart what I can teach you.
You’ll treasure its sweetness deep within;
you’ll give it bold expression in your speech.
To make sure your foundation is trust in God,
I’m laying it all out right now just for you.
I’m giving you thirty sterling principles—
tested guidelines to live by.
Believe me—these are truths that work,
and will keep you accountable
to those who sent you.
1
22-23 Don’t walk on the poor just because they’re poor,
and don’t use your position to crush the weak,
Because God will come to their defense;
the life you took, he’ll take from you and give back to them.
2
24-25 Don’t hang out with angry people;
don’t keep company with hotheads.
Bad temper is contagious—
don’t get infected.
3
26-27 Don’t gamble on the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,
pawning your house against a lucky chance.
The time will come when you have to pay up;
you’ll be left with nothing but the shirt on your back.
4
28 Don’t stealthily move back the boundary lines
staked out long ago by your ancestors.
5
29 Observe people who are good at their work—
skilled workers are always in demand and admired;
they don’t take a backseat to anyone.
Proverbs 22
Tree of Life Version
22 A good name is to be chosen rather than great wealth,
and grace rather than silver or gold.
2 Rich and poor have this in common—
Adonai is the Maker of them all.
3 A crafty person sees danger and hides,
but the naïve keep going and suffer for it.
4 The reward of humility and fear of Adonai
is riches, honor and life.
5 Thorns and snares are in the path of the perverse,
but one who guards his soul stays far from them.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go,
when he is old he will not turn from it.
7 The rich rule over the poor,
the borrower is a slave to the lender.
8 One who sows injustice will reap trouble,
and the rod of his fury will perish.
9 One with a bountiful eye will be blessed,
for he shares his bread with the poor.
10 Throw out a scoffer and strife will go out,
quarreling and disgrace will cease.
11 One who loves purity of heart and whose speech is gracious,
will have the king as his friend.
12 The eyes of Adonai guard knowledge, but He undermines
the words of the faithless.
13 The slacker says, “There’s a lion outside!
I’ll be killed in the streets.”
14 The mouth of a seducing woman is a deep pit—
into it will fall one with whom Adonai is angry.
15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child,
but a rod of discipline will drive it far from him.
16 The one who oppresses the poor to increase his own gain,
and the one who gives to the rich—both end in poverty.
17 Incline your ear and listen to the words of the wise,
and apply your heart to my knowledge.
18 For it is delightful if you keep them
within you, ready on your lips.
19 So that your trust may be in Adonai,
I made them known to you this day, even you.
20 Have I not written to you thirty sayings
of admonition and knowledge,
21 to show you true and reliable words,
that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?
22 Do not rob a poor person because he is poor,
nor crush the needy at the gate,
23 for Adonai will plead their case,
and rob life from those who plunder them.
24 Do not be friends with one given to anger
or associate with a hot-tempered person,
25 lest you learn his ways,
and entangle your soul in a snare.
26 Do not be one who shakes hands
or puts up security for debts.
27 If you do not have enough to pay,
why should your bed be taken from under you?
28 Do not move an ancient boundary stone
which your fathers set up.
29 Do you see a man skilled in his work?
He will stand before kings.
He will not stand before obscure people.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.