Beginning
13 A wise child hears the discipline of a father,
but a scoffer does not listen to a rebuke.
2 From the fruit of the mouth of a man, he shall eat what is good,
but the desire[a] of the treacherous, wrongdoing.
3 He who keeps his mouth guards his life;[b]
he who opens his lips, ruin belongs to him.
4 The soul[c] of the lazy craves, but there is nothing,
but the person of diligence is richly supplied.
5 The righteous hates a word of falsehood;
the wicked will bring shame and disgrace.[d]
6 Righteousness will guard the upright of way,
but wickedness will overthrow sin.
7 There is one who acts rich but has nothing;[e]
another who pretends to be poor but has wealth.
8 The ransom of the life of a man is his wealth,
but the poor does not receive a threat.
9 The light of the righteous will rejoice,
but the lamp of the wicked will die out.
10 Only by insolence is strife set up,
and wisdom is with those who take advice.
11 Wealth gained from haste[f] will dwindle,
but he who gathers little by little[g] will increase it.
12 Hope that is deferred makes the heart[h] sick,
but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
13 He who despises a word will bring destruction on himself,
but he who respects a commandment will be rewarded.
14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
in order to avoid the snares of death.
15 Good sense grants favor,
but the way of the faithless is coarse.
16 Anyone who is clever will act with intelligence,
but the fool will display folly.
17 A messenger of wickedness will fall into trouble,
but an envoy of the faithful brings healing.
18 Poverty and disgrace belong to him who ignores instruction,
but he who guards reproof will be honored.
19 A desire fulfilled[i] will be sweet to the soul,
but an abomination of fools is turning from evil.
20 Walk with the wise and be wise,
but as for the companion of fools, he will suffer harm.
21 Misfortune will pursue sinners,
but the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity.[j]
22 He who is good will leave an inheritance to his grandchildren,[k]
and stored up for the righteous is the wealth of a sinner.
23 There is much food in the field of the poor,
but it is swept away[l] by injustice.[m]
24 He who withholds his rod hates his child,
but he who loves him gives him[n] discipline.
25 The righteous eats to satisfy his life,[o]
but the belly of the wicked will lack.
14 The wisest of women[p] builds her house,
but the foolish tears it down with her hands.
2 He who walks in uprightness fears Yahweh,
but he who is devious in his ways displeases him.
3 In the mouth of a fool is the rod of pride,
but the lips of the wise preserve them.
4 When there are no[q] oxen the manger is empty,
but an abundance of crops comes by the strength of an ox.[r]
5 A faithful witness does not lie,
but he who breathes out falsehood is a witness of deceit.
6 A scoffer seeks wisdom, but there is none,
but knowledge comes easily to him who understands.[s]
7 Leave the presence of a foolish man,[t]
for you will not come to know words of knowledge.[u]
8 The wisdom of the clever is understanding his ways,
but the folly of fools is deceit.
9 Fools mock[v] the guilt offering,
but among the upright, it is favorable.
10 The heart[w] knows the bitterness of its soul,[x]
but in its joy, it will not share itself with a stranger.
11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
but the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There is a way that seems upright to[y] a man,
but its end is the way of death.
13 Even in laughter, a heart may be sad,
and the end of joy may be grief.
14 From his ways, the perverse of heart will be satisfied,
and from his own,[z] so shall a good man.
15 The simple will believe every word,
but the clever will consider his step.
16 The wise is cautious and turns from evil,
but the fool throws off restraint and is confident.
17 He who is short of temper[aa] will act foolishly,
and the man who schemes will be hated.
18 The simple are adorned with folly,
but the clever are crowned with knowledge.
19 The evil bow down before the good,
and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 The poor is disliked even by his neighbor,
but the lovers of the rich are many.
21 He who despises his neighbor is a sinner,
but he who has mercy on the poor blesses him.
22 Have they not erred, those who plan evil?
But loyalty and faithfulness belong to those who plan good.
23 In all toil, there is profit,
but the talk[ab] of lips leads only to poverty.
24 The crown of the wise is their wealth;
the folly of fools is folly.
25 He who saves lives[ac] is a witness of truth,
but he who utters lies is a betrayer.
26 In the fear of Yahweh, there is confidence of strength,
and for his children, there will be refuge.
27 The fear of Yahweh is a fountain of life,
in order to turn from the snares of death.
28 In the multitude of people is the glory of the king,
but without a population, a prince is ruined.
29 He who is slow to anger has great understanding,
but the hasty of spirit[ad] exalts folly.
30 A heart[ae] of tranquility[af] is life to the flesh,
but causes bones of passion to rot.
31 He who oppresses the poor insults him who made him,
but he who has mercy on the poor honors him.
32 By his evildoing, the wicked will be overthrown,
and the righteous will find refuge in his death.
33 In the heart[ag] of him who has understanding, wisdom rests,
but even in the midst of fools it becomes known.
34 Righteousness will exalt a nation,
but sin is a reproach to a people.
35 The favor of a king is for the servant who deals wisely,
but his wrath will be on him who acts shamefully.
15 A soft answer will turn away wrath,
but a word of trouble will stir anger.[ah]
2 The tongue of the wise will dispense knowledge,
but the mouth of fools will pour out folly.
3 In every place, the eyes of Yahweh
keep watch over the evil and the good.
4 Gentleness[ai] of tongue is a tree of life,
but perverseness in it[aj] causes a break in spirit.
5 A fool will despise the instruction of his father,
but he who guards reproof is prudent.
6 In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
but the income of the wicked brings trouble.
7 The lips of the wise will spread knowledge,
but the heart[ak] of fools, not so.
8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination of Yahweh,
but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
9 An abomination of Yahweh is the way of the wicked,
but he who pursues righteousness he will love.
10 Severe discipline belongs to him who forsakes the way;
he who hates a rebuke will die.
11 Sheol[al] and Abaddon[am] are before Yahweh,
how much more[an] the hearts of the children of men!
12 A scoffer does not like his rebuke;[ao]
to the wise he will not go.
13 A heart[ap] of gladness will make good countenance,[aq]
but in sorrow of heart[ar] a spirit is broken.
14 The heart of him who understands will seek knowledge,
but the faces of fools, they[as] will feed on folly.
15 All the days of the poor are hard,
but goodness of heart[at] is a continuous feast.
16 Better is little with the fear of Yahweh
than great treasure and trouble with it.[au]
17 Better is a dinner of vegetables when[av] love is there
than a fattened ox and hatred with it.[aw]
18 A man who is hot-tempered will stir up strife,
but he who is slow to anger,[ax] he will calm contention.
19 The way of the lazy is like a hedge of thorns,[ay]
but the path of the upright is a highway.
20 A child of wisdom will make a father glad,
but a foolish person,[az] he despises his mother.
21 Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense,[ba]
and a person of understanding will walk upright.[bb]
22 Plans go wrong when there is no counsel,
but with many advisors it will succeed.
23 Joy belongs to a man with answers in his mouth,
and a word in its time, how good it is!
24 The path of life leads upward for him who has insight,
in order to turn away from Sheol below.
25 The house of the proud, Yahweh will tear it down,
but he will maintain the property line[bc] of the widow.
26 Plans of evil are an abomination of Yahweh,
but gracious words are pure.
27 He who makes trouble for his house is he who is greedy for unjust gain,
but he who hates bribes will live.
28 A heart[bd] of righteousness will ponder the answer,
but a mouth of wickedness will pour out deceit.
29 Yahweh is far from the wicked,
but the prayers of the righteous he will hear.
30 From the light of the eyes, the heart[be] will rejoice,
and good news will enliven the bones.[bf]
31 The ear of him who listens to admonitions of life,
in the midst of the wise it will lodge.
32 He who ignores instruction despises himself,[bg]
but he who hears admonition gains heart.[bh]
33 Fear of Yahweh is the instruction of the wise,
and before honor comes humility.
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