Beginning
On Life and Conduct
22 A (A)good name is to be more desired than great wealth,
Favor is better than silver and gold.
2 The rich and the poor [a]have a common bond,
The Lord is the (B)maker of them all.
3 The (C)prudent sees the evil and hides himself,
But the [b]naive go on, and are punished for it.
4 The reward of humility and the [c]fear of the Lord
Are riches, honor and life.
5 (D)Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
He who guards himself will be far from them.
6 (E)Train up a child [d]in the way he should go,
Even when he is old he will not depart from it.
7 The (F)rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.
8 He who (G)sows iniquity will reap vanity,
And the (H)rod of his fury will perish.
9 He who [e]is (I)generous will be blessed,
For he (J)gives some of his food to the poor.
10 (K)Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go out,
Even strife and dishonor will cease.
11 He who loves (L)purity of heart
And [f]whose speech is (M)gracious, the king is his friend.
12 The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge,
But He overthrows the words of the treacherous man.
13 The (N)sluggard says, “There is a lion outside;
I will be killed in the streets!”
14 The mouth of [g](O)an adulteress is a deep pit;
He who is (P)cursed of the Lord will fall [h]into it.
15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
The (Q)rod of discipline will remove it far from him.
16 He (R)who oppresses the poor to make [i]more for himself
Or who gives to the rich, (S)will only come to poverty.
17 (T)Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise,
And apply your mind to my knowledge;
18 For it will be (U)pleasant if you keep them within you,
[j]That they may be ready on your lips.
19 So that your (V)trust may be in the Lord,
I have [k]taught you today, even you.
20 Have I not written to you [l](W)excellent things
Of counsels and knowledge,
21 To make you (X)know the [m]certainty of the words of truth
That you may [n](Y)correctly answer him who sent you?
22 (Z)Do not rob the poor because he is poor,
Or (AA)crush the afflicted at the gate;
23 For the Lord will (AB)plead their case
And [o]take the life of those who rob them.
24 Do not associate with a man given to anger;
Or go with a (AC)hot-tempered man,
25 Or you will (AD)learn his ways
And [p]find a snare for yourself.
26 Do not be among those who (AE)give [q]pledges,
Among those who become guarantors for debts.
27 If you have nothing with which to pay,
Why should he (AF)take your bed from under you?
28 (AG)Do not move the ancient boundary
Which your fathers have set.
29 Do you see a man skilled in his work?
He will (AH)stand before kings;
He will not stand before obscure men.
On Life and Conduct
23 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
Consider carefully [r]what is before you,
2 And put a knife to your throat
If you are a (AI)man of great appetite.
3 Do not (AJ)desire his delicacies,
For it is deceptive food.
4 (AK)Do not weary yourself to gain wealth,
(AL)Cease from your [s]consideration of it.
5 [t]When you set your eyes on it, it is gone.
For (AM)wealth certainly makes itself wings
Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.
6 (AN)Do not eat the bread of [u]a (AO)selfish man,
Or desire his delicacies;
7 For as he [v]thinks within himself, so he is.
He says to you, “Eat and drink!”
But (AP)his heart is not with you.
8 You will (AQ)vomit up [w]the morsel you have eaten,
And waste your [x]compliments.
10 Do not move the ancient boundary
Or (AT)go into the fields of the fatherless,
11 For their (AU)Redeemer is strong;
(AV)He will plead their case against you.
12 Apply your heart to discipline
And your ears to words of knowledge.
13 (AW)Do not hold back discipline from the child,
Although you [z]strike him with the rod, he will not die.
14 You shall [aa]strike him with the rod
And (AX)rescue his soul from Sheol.
15 My son, if your heart is (AY)wise,
My own heart also will be glad;
16 And my [ab]inmost being will rejoice
When your lips speak (AZ)what is right.
17 (BA)Do not let your heart envy sinners,
But live in the [ac](BB)fear of the Lord [ad]always.
18 Surely there is a [ae](BC)future,
And your (BD)hope will not be cut off.
19 Listen, my son, and (BE)be wise,
And (BF)direct your heart in the way.
20 Do not be with (BG)heavy drinkers of wine,
Or with (BH)gluttonous eaters of meat;
21 For the (BI)heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty,
And (BJ)drowsiness will clothe one with rags.
22 (BK)Listen to your father who begot you,
And (BL)do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 (BM)Buy truth, and do not sell it,
Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,
And (BN)he who sires a wise son will be glad in him.
25 Let your (BO)father and your mother be glad,
And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.
26 (BP)Give me your heart, my son,
And let your eyes [af](BQ)delight in my ways.
27 For a harlot is a (BR)deep pit
And an [ag](BS)adulterous woman is a narrow well.
28 Surely she (BT)lurks as a robber,
And increases the [ah]faithless among men.
29 Who has (BU)woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes?
30 Those who (BV)linger long over wine,
Those who go to [ai]taste (BW)mixed wine.
31 Do not look on the wine when it is red,
When it [aj]sparkles in the cup,
When it (BX)goes down smoothly;
32 At the last it (BY)bites like a serpent
And stings like a (BZ)viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things
And your [ak]mind will (CA)utter perverse things.
34 And you will be like one who lies down in the [al]middle of the sea,
Or like one who lies down on the top of a [am]mast.
35 “They (CB)struck me, but I did not become [an]ill;
They beat me, but I did not know it.
When shall I awake?
I will (CC)seek [ao]another drink.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.