-
A wise king winnows out the wicked; he drives the threshing wheel over them.
-
When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom; by paying attention to the wise they get knowledge.
-
The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.
-
One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.
-
Thirty Sayings of the Wise
Saying 1
Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach,
-
Saying 14
My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad indeed;
-
Saying 16
Listen, my son, and be wise, and set your heart on the right path:
-
The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.
-
Saying 22
The wise prevail through great power, and those who have knowledge muster their strength.
-
Further Sayings of the Wise
These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good:
-
Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is the rebuke of a wise judge to a listening ear.
-
Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.
-
Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them.
-
A sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven people who answer discreetly.
-
Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart; then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.
-
The rich are wise in their own eyes; one who is poor and discerning sees how deluded they are.
-
Mockers stir up a city, but the wise turn away anger.
-
If a wise person goes to court with a fool, the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.
-
Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.
-
“Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise:
-
The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.
-
Then I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?” I said to myself, “This too is meaningless.”
-
For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die!
-
And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.
-
Advancement Is Meaningless
Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning.
