Beginning
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.
Advice About Appetites
23 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
consider carefully what is set before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
if you possess a large appetite.
3 Do not crave his delicacies,
for that food is deceptive.
4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich.
Be wise enough to restrain yourself.
5 When you cast your eyes on riches, it is gone;
for it surely sprouts wings and flies off into the sky like an eagle.
6 Do not eat the food of a stingy person,
or desire his delicacies.
7 For as he thinks within himself, so is he.
“Eat and drink”, he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the morsel you ate,
and will waste your pleasant words.
9 Do not speak in the ears of a fool,
for he will disdain the wisdom of your words.
10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone,
or encroach on fields of the fatherless,
11 for their redeemer is strong.
He will plead their case against you.
12 Apply your heart to discipline
and your ears to words of knowledge.
13 Do not withhold correction from a child.
If you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
14 Punish him with a rod,
and deliver his soul from Sheol.
Wisdom’s Path to the Future
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
then my heart also will be glad.
16 Yes, my inmost being will rejoice
when your lips speak what is right.
17 Do not let your heart envy sinners,
but always be in the fear of Adonai.
18 For surely there is a future,
and your hope will never be cut off.
19 Listen, my son, and be wise,
and guide your heart in the right way.
20 Do not join those drinking too much wine
or gorging on meat,
21 for both drunkards and gluttons will be impoverished—
grogginess will clothe them with rags.
22 Listen to your father who begot you
and do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 Acquire truth and do not sell it,
acquire wisdom, instruction and understanding.
24 The father of a righteous one rejoices greatly.
Whoever fathers a wise child delights in him.
25 Let your father and your mother be glad,
let she who bore you rejoice!
26 My son, give your heart to me,
and let your eyes observe my ways.
27 For a prostitute is a deep pit,
an adulterous woman is a narrow pit.
28 Indeed, she lies in wait like a robber,
and increases the unfaithful among men.
Lingering Long Over Wine
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has fights? Who has complaining?
Who has bruises for no reason?
Who has red eyes?
30 Those who linger long over wine,
who go looking for mixed wine.
31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup,
when it glides down smoothly.
32 In the end it bites like a serpent
and stings like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things.
Your heart will utter perverse things.
34 Then you will be like one lying down in the heart of the sea,
or sprawled on the top of a mast.
35 “They hit me! But I was not hurt.
They beat me up! But I did not feel it.
When will I wake up?
I will look for another drink.”
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.