Beginning
13 A (A)wise son accepts his father’s discipline,
But a (B)scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
2 From the fruit of a man’s mouth he (C)eats what is good,
But the soul of the treacherous desires (D)violence.
3 The one who (E)guards his mouth keeps his soul;
The one who (F)opens wide his lips [a]comes to ruin.
4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
But the soul of the diligent is enriched.
5 A righteous man (G)hates a lying word,
But a wicked man [b](H)acts odiously and is humiliated.
6 Righteousness (I)guards the [c]one whose way is blameless,
But wickedness subverts the [d]sinner.
7 There is one who (J)pretends to be rich, but has nothing;
Another [e]pretends to be (K)poor, but has great wealth.
8 The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,
But the poor hears no rebuke.
9 The (L)light of the righteous is glad,
But the (M)lamp of the wicked goes out.
10 With arrogance [f]comes only quarreling,
But with those who receive counsel is wisdom.
11 Wealth obtained from empty effort dwindles,
But the one who gathers [g]with his hand abounds.
12 [h]Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But desire [i]fulfilled is a tree of life.
13 The one who (N)despises the word will be [j]in debt to it,
But the one who fears the commandment will be (O)rewarded.
14 The [k]instruction of the wise is a (P)fountain of life,
To turn aside from the (Q)snares of death.
15 (R)Good insight gives grace,
But the way of the treacherous is [l]unrelenting.
16 Every (S)prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool spreads out folly.
17 A wicked messenger falls into evil,
But (T)a faithful envoy brings healing.
18 Poverty and disgrace come to him who (U)neglects [m]discipline,
But he who keeps reproof will be honored.
19 Desire realized is pleasant to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil.
20 (V)He who walks with the wise will be wise,
But the friend of fools will suffer harm.
21 (W)Evil pursues sinners,
But the (X)righteous are repaid with good.
22 A good man (Y)leaves an inheritance to his [n]children’s children,
And the (Z)wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
23 (AA)Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor,
But [o]it is swept away by injustice.
24 He who (AB)holds back his [p]rod hates his son,
But he who loves him [q](AC)disciplines him diligently.
25 The (AD)righteous eats to the satisfaction of his soul,
But the stomach of the (AE)wicked lacks.
14 The [r](AF)wise woman builds her house,
But the woman of folly tears it down with her own hands.
2 He who (AG)walks in his uprightness fears Yahweh,
But he who is (AH)devious in his ways despises Him.
3 In the mouth of the ignorant fool is a rod of lofty pride,
But (AI)the lips of the wise will keep them.
4 Where no oxen are, the manger is clean,
But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.
5 A (AJ)faithful witness will not lie,
But a (AK)false witness (AL)breathes out lies.
6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none,
But knowledge is easy to one who has understanding.
7 Leave the (AM)presence of a fool,
As you have not known lips of knowledge there.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But (AN)the folly of fools is deceit.
9 Ignorant fools scoff at guilt,
But (AO)among the upright there is favor.
10 The heart knows its own (AP)bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its gladness.
11 The (AQ)house of the wicked will be destroyed,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There (AR)is a way which seems right to a man,
But its (AS)end is the way of death.
13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,
And the (AT)end of joy may be grief.
14 The one who turns back in his heart will be satisfied with his (AU)ways,
But a good man will (AV)be satisfied [s]with his.
15 The simple believes everything,
But the prudent one discerns his steps.
16 A wise man fears and (AW)turns away from evil,
But a fool gets angry and feels secure.
17 A quick-tempered man acts in folly,
And a man of evil schemes is hated.
18 The simple inherit folly,
But the prudent are [t]crowned with knowledge.
19 The (AX)evil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 The (AY)poor is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.
21 He who (AZ)despises his neighbor sins,
But how (BA)blessed is he who is gracious to the [u]poor.
22 Will they not wander in error who (BB)devise evil?
But lovingkindness and truth will be to those who devise good.
23 In all painful labor there is profit,
But mere words from the lips lead only to want.
24 The (BC)crown of the wise is their riches,
But the folly of fools is folly.
25 A truthful witness delivers souls,
But he who (BD)breathes out lies is deceitful.
26 In the [v](BE)fear of Yahweh there is strong security,
And [w]his children will have refuge.
27 The [x]fear of Yahweh is a fountain of life,
To turn aside from the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is a king’s splendor,
But in the dearth of people is a prince’s ruin.
29 He who is (BF)slow to anger has great discernment,
But he who is [y]quick-tempered raises up folly.
30 A [z](BG)tranquil heart is life to the body,
But jealousy is (BH)rottenness to the bones.
31 He (BI)who oppresses the poor reproaches (BJ)his Maker,
But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.
32 The wicked is (BK)thrust down by his own evil,
But the (BL)righteous takes refuge even in his death.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding,
But in the midst of fools it is merely made known.
34 Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.
35 The king’s favor is toward a (BM)servant who acts insightfully,
But his fury is toward him who acts shamefully.
15 A (BN)gentle answer turns away wrath,
But a [aa](BO)harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The (BP)tongue of the wise makes knowledge look good,
But the (BQ)mouth of [ab]fools pours forth [ac]folly.
3 The (BR)eyes of Yahweh are in every place,
Watching the evil and the good.
4 A tongue that brings healing is a tree of life,
But perversion in it breaks the spirit.
5 An ignorant fool spurns his father’s discipline,
But he who keeps reproof is prudent.
6 The house of the (BS)righteous has much treasure,
But in the income of the wicked there is trouble.
7 The lips of the wise disperse knowledge,
But the hearts of fools are not so.
8 The (BT)sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh,
But (BU)the prayer of the upright is His delight.
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh,
But He loves one who (BV)pursues righteousness.
10 Grievous discipline is for him who forsakes the way;
He who hates reproof will die.
11 (BW)Sheol and Abaddon lie open before Yahweh,
How much more the (BX)hearts of the sons of men!
12 A (BY)scoffer does not love one who reproves him,
He will not go to the wise.
13 A (BZ)glad heart makes a face look good,
But [ad]when the heart is (CA)pained, the (CB)spirit is broken.
14 The (CC)heart of the one who has understanding seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on folly.
15 All the days of the afflicted are evil,
But a good heart has a continual feast.
16 (CD)Better is a little with the [ae]fear of Yahweh
Than great treasure and turmoil with it.
17 (CE)Better is a [af]dish of [ag]vegetables where there is love
Than a (CF)fattened ox and hatred in it.
18 A (CG)hot-tempered man stirs up strife,
But the (CH)slow to anger (CI)quiets a dispute.
19 The way of the sluggard is as a hedge of thorns,
But the path of the upright is a highway.
20 A (CJ)wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man (CK)despises his mother.
21 Folly is gladness to him who lacks a heart of wisdom,
But a man of discernment (CL)walks straight.
22 Without consultation, [ah]plans are frustrated,
But with many counselors they [ai]succeed.
23 A (CM)man has gladness in an [aj]apt answer,
And how good is a timely (CN)word!
24 The (CO)path of life leads upward for the one who has insight
That he may turn away from Sheol below.
25 Yahweh will (CP)tear down the house of the proud,
But He will (CQ)cause the boundary of the (CR)widow to stand.
26 Evil thoughts are an abomination to Yahweh,
But pleasant words are pure.
27 He who is (CS)greedy for gain troubles his own house,
But he who (CT)hates gifts of bribery will live.
28 The heart of the righteous (CU)ponders how to answer,
But the (CV)mouth of the wicked pours forth evil things.
29 Yahweh is (CW)far from the wicked,
But He (CX)hears the prayer of the righteous.
30 [ak]Bright eyes gladden the heart;
A good report puts fat on the bones.
31 He whose ear listens to the life-giving reproof
Will lodge among the wise.
32 He who (CY)neglects discipline (CZ)despises his soul,
But he who (DA)listens to reproof acquires a heart of wisdom.
33 The [al]fear of Yahweh is the discipline [am]leading to wisdom,
And before glory comes humility.
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