Chronological
27 Do not boast about what you will do tomorrow.
You do not know what might happen.
2 Let other people praise you.
Do not boast about yourself.
3 A stone is heavy to carry and sand also weighs a lot.
But the silly acts of a fool give more pain than both of those.
4 An angry person does cruel things that can destroy people.
But a jealous person is much worse.
5 When a friend is not afraid to warn you that you are wrong,
it shows that he really loves you.
6 You can trust a friend when he says things that hurt you.
But when an enemy kisses you, he is deceiving you.
7 A person who has eaten enough food will refuse honey.
But even bitter food seems sweet to a hungry person.
8 A person who travels away from his home
is like a bird that flies away from its nest.
9 Beautiful oil and perfume may give you joy.
But good advice from a friend is even better.
10 Do not forget your friends or your father's friends.
If you are in trouble, do not ask your relatives to help you.
A friend who is a neighbour will be more help than a relative who lives far away.
11 My son, if you are wise, I will be happy.
I will be able to answer anyone who insults me.
12 A careful person can see danger and he will hide himself.
But a silly person never stops, and he walks into trouble.
13 If someone promises to pay the debts of a stranger,
take his coat as a guarantee that he will pay.
14 If you shout a blessing to your neighbour early in the morning,
he will think it is no better than a curse.
15 A wife who is always arguing with you
is as bad as rain that never stops falling.
16 Can you catch the wind? Can you hold oil in your hand?
No! And you cannot keep that woman quiet.
17 People learn from each other,
as one iron tool can make another one sharp.
18 If you take care of a fig tree, it will give you fruit to eat.
If you take care of your master, he will give you honour.
19 A man can see his face in a mirror.
But his thoughts show what he is really like.
20 The deep hole of death always wants more dead people to fill it.
In the same way, a person wants to have everything that he sees.
21 You need a hot fire to see if silver and gold are pure.
In the same way, when people praise you,
they can see what you are really like.
22 Even if you beat a fool with a big stick, as hard as you beat grain,
you will never remove all his silly ideas.
23 Always take care of your sheep and your goats, as well as your cows. 24 Your riches will not be there for ever. One family does not rule a kingdom for ever. 25 One day you will cut the grass in your fields and then new grass will grow. You will store the grass that has grown on the hills. 26 Then you will use the wool from your sheep to make clothes. You make clothes from your sheep's wool. You will sell your goats, and you will buy a field. 27 You will have enough milk from your goats to feed yourself, your family and your female servants.[a]
28 A wicked person runs away even when nobody is chasing him.
But a righteous person is as brave as a lion.
2 When the people in a country refuse to obey the law,
they will have many rulers.
But if a country has a wise ruler who understands what is right,
it will continue to be strong.
3 A poor person who is cruel to helpless people
is like a storm that destroys crops.[b]
4 People who do not obey the law praise wicked people.
But people who obey the law speak against wicked people.
5 Evil people do not understand justice.
But people who serve the Lord understand all about it.
6 It is better to be poor and live in an honest way
than to be a rich hypocrite.
7 If you obey the law, you are a wise child.
But if you make friends with greedy people,
you will make your parents ashamed.
8 If you make people pay more when you lend money to them,
you may become rich.
But someone else will enjoy your riches.
They will go to someone who is kind to poor people.
9 If you refuse to listen to God's law,
God will refuse to listen to your prayers.
10 If you cause a good person to do evil things,
your own evil trap will catch you.
But people who do nothing wrong will receive good things.
11 A rich person thinks that he knows everything.
But a poor person who understands people knows what he is really like.
12 When righteous people have power,
everybody is happy.
But when wicked people have power,
good people run away to hide.
13 Anyone who hides his sins will never do well.
But God will forgive somebody,
if he agrees that he has done wrong things,
and if he turns away from his sins.
14 If you are afraid to do wrong things, God will bless you.
But trouble will happen to anyone who refuses to obey.
15 A wicked ruler brings danger to poor people.
He is as dangerous as an angry lion or a hungry bear.
16 If a ruler is cruel, it shows that he is not wise.
But a ruler who refuses bribes will rule for a long time.
17 Someone who is guilty of murder will be running until he dies.
Nobody should help him to escape.
18 If you live in an honest way, you will be safe.
But the hypocrite will suddenly fall into trouble.
19 A farmer who works hard will have plenty of food to eat.
But anyone who works only on useless things will always be poor.
20 A faithful person will receive many blessings.
But anyone who hurries to become rich will only receive punishment.
21 When you judge people, you must always be fair. That is the right thing to do.
But even a small bribe can make some people do the wrong thing.
22 Greedy people hurry to become rich.
They do not know that they will soon be poor.
23 If you warn someone that he has done a wrong thing,
he will thank you in the end.
He will like you more than if you only say sweet words to him.
24 If anyone cheats his parents,
he may say that he has done nothing wrong.
But a person like that is as bad as a robber.
25 Greedy people cause a lot of trouble.
But someone who trusts the Lord will enjoy many good things.
26 If you trust your own thoughts, you are a fool.
But if you live in a wise way, you will be safe from danger.
27 If you give things to poor people, you will still have enough for yourself.
But everyone will curse you if you refuse to help poor people.
28 When wicked people become powerful,
everyone runs away to hide.
But when wicked people lose their power,
righteous people do well again.
29 You may warn a proud person many times, but he will not listen to you.
Trouble will suddenly happen to him and he will not escape.
2 When righteous people are doing well, everyone is happy.
But when wicked people rule, everyone is sad.
3 A man who loves wisdom makes his father happy.
But anyone who is a friend of prostitutes is wasting his father's money.
4 A king who rules with justice makes his country strong.
But a king who takes lots of taxes destroys his country.
5 If you always praise your friends with sweet words,
that will be a trap that you walk into yourself.
6 The sin of an evil person becomes a trap that catches him.
But a righteous person sings with joy.
7 Righteous people want poor people to receive justice.
But wicked people do not understand things like that.
8 People who insult their friends bring trouble to a city.
But wise people stop arguments.
9 If a wise person accuses a foolish person in court,
there will be no agreement.
The fool will only laugh or he will become angry.
10 Murderers hate honest people.
They try to kill any good person.
11 Foolish people cannot control their anger.
But wise people are patient.
12 When a ruler listens to lies,
all his officers will be wicked.
13 The Lord gives light to all people so that they can see.
He does that for poor people and also those who are cruel to them.
14 If a king judges poor people in a true way,
he will always have the power to rule.
15 If you want your children to be wise,
warn them and punish them when they do wrong things.
If you let them do anything that they want to do,
they will make their mother ashamed.
16 When wicked people receive more power, there is also more sin.
But those wicked people will fall while righteous people watch.
17 Warn your children when they do wrong things,
so that you have peace in your mind.
They will make you very happy.
18 If people do not hear God's message,
there is no law to control them.
But if someone obeys God's law,
he is in a happy place.
19 You must use more than words to show a servant what is right.
Even if he understands what you say, he will not obey you.
20 Do you know anyone who speaks before he thinks?
A foolish person is more likely to become wise than that person.
21 You may give a servant everything that he wants from his birth.
But if you do that, he will be useless in the end.
22 An angry person causes arguments.
When he is angry, he causes many sins to happen.
23 A person's pride will bring shame to him.
But a humble person will receive honour.
24 If you help a robber, you are bringing punishment on yourself.
If you tell the truth in court, or if you keep quiet,
you will receive your punishment.[c]
25 If you are afraid of what people think about you,
you will never feel safe.
But if you trust in the Lord,
he will keep you safe.
26 Many people want the king to be their friend.
But only the Lord can give you true justice.
27 Righteous people hate wicked people.
Wicked people also hate people who live in a good way.
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