Chronological
19 It is better to be poor and ·honest [L walking in innocence]
than to be foolish and ·tell lies [L have crooked lips].
2 ·Enthusiasm [Desire; Zeal; Passion] without knowledge is not good.
·If you act too quickly, you might make a mistake [L Rushing feet make mistakes].
3 People’s own foolishness ·ruins their lives [L frustrates their path],
but in their ·minds [L hearts] they ·blame [rage at] the Lord.
4 Wealthy people are always finding more friends,
but the poor lose all theirs.
5 A witness who lies will not go ·free [unpunished];
liars will never escape.
6 Many people ·want to please [L seek the face of] a leader,
and everyone is friends with those who give gifts.
7 Poor people’s relatives ·avoid [L hate] them;
·even [L how much more do] their friends stay far away.
They run after them, begging,
but they are gone.
8 Those who ·get wisdom [L acquire heart] ·do themselves a favor [L love themselves],
and those who ·love learning [guard understanding] will succeed.
9 A witness who lies will not go ·free [unpunished],
liars will ·die [perish].
10 A fool should not live in luxury.
A slave should not rule over princes [Eccl. 10:5–7].
11 The ·wise [insightful] ·are patient [L hold in their anger];
they will be ·honored [praised; glorified] if they ignore ·insults [offenses].
12 An angry king is like a ·roaring [growling] lion,
but his ·kindness [favor] is like the dew on the grass.
13 A foolish ·child [son] ·brings [is a] disaster to a father,
and a ·quarreling [contentious] wife is like ·dripping water [constant dripping].
14 Houses and wealth are inherited from parents,
but a ·wise [insightful] wife is a gift from the Lord.
15 Lazy people ·sleep a lot [L fall into a deep sleep],
and idle people will go hungry.
16 Those who ·obey [guard] the commands ·protect [guard] themselves,
but those who ·are careless [L despise their way] will die.
17 Being ·kind [gracious; generous] to the poor is like lending to the Lord;
he will ·reward you for what you have done [fully repay you].
18 ·Correct [Discipline] your children while there is still hope;
do not ·let them destroy themselves [or be intent to kill them].
19 People with quick tempers will have to pay for it.
If you ·help them out once [rescue them], you will have to do it again.
20 Listen to advice and accept correction,
and in the ·end [future] you will be wise.
21 People can make all kinds of plans,
but only the Lord’s ·plan [purpose; advice] will ·happen [succeed].
22 People ·want [desire] others to be loyal,
so it is better to be poor than to be a liar.
23 Those who ·respect [fear] the Lord will live
and be satisfied, ·unbothered by trouble [sleep well and not experience harm].
24 Though the lazy person ·puts [L buries] his hand in the dish,
he won’t lift the food to his mouth.
25 ·Whip those who make fun of wisdom [L Hit/Strike a mocker], and perhaps ·foolish [naive; immature; simpleminded] people will gain some ·wisdom [prudence].
Correct those with understanding, and they will gain knowledge.
26 A child who ·robs [devastates] his father and ·sends [drives] away his mother
brings shame and disgrace on himself.
27 Don’t stop listening to correction, my child,
or you will ·forget what you have already learned [L wander from knowledgeable speeches/words].
28 An ·evil [worthless] witness ·makes fun of fairness [mocks justice],
and ·wicked people love what is evil [L the mouth of the wicked conveys guilt].
29 ·People who make fun of wisdom will be punished [L Punishments were made for mockers],
and ·the backs of foolish people will be beaten [L blows for the backs of fools].
20 Wine and ·beer [T strong drink; C an alcoholic beverage made from grain] make people ·loud [mockers] and ·uncontrolled [carousers; brawlers];
it is not wise to ·get drunk on [L be led astray by] them.
2 An angry king is like a ·roaring [growling] lion.
Making him angry may cost you your life.
3 Foolish people are always fighting,
but ·avoiding quarrels [backing away from an accusation] will bring you ·honor [glory; praise].
4 Lazy farmers don’t plow ·when they should [L in the winter];
they ·expect [look for] a harvest, but there is none.
5 People’s ·thoughts [advice; purpose] can be like a deep ·well [L waters],
but someone with understanding can ·find the wisdom there [draw it out].
6 Many people claim to be loyal,
but it is hard to find a ·trustworthy [reliable] person.
7 The ·good [righteous] people who ·live honest lives [walk about in innocence]
will be a blessing to their children.
8 When a king sits on his throne to judge,
he ·knows evil when he sees it [or scatters evil with his eyes].
9 No one can say, “I am innocent;
I ·have never done anything wrong [am cleansed from my sin].”
10 The Lord hates both these things:
·dishonest weights and dishonest measures [L stone and stone, ephah and ephah].
11 Even children are known by their behavior;
their actions show if they are ·innocent [pure] and ·good [upright].
12 The Lord has made both these things:
ears to hear and eyes to see.
13 ·If you love to sleep, you [L Do not love to sleep, or you] will be poor.
·If you stay awake [L Keep your eyes open, and], you will have plenty of food.
14 Buyers say, “·This is bad. It’s no good [L Bad, bad].”
Then they go away and brag about what they bought.
15 There is gold and plenty of ·rubies [or pearls],
but ·only a few people speak with knowledge [L the most precious jewels are knowledgeable lips].
16 Take the coat of someone who promises to pay a stranger’s debts,
and keep it until he pays what the ·stranger [L foreigner] owes.
17 ·Stolen [Fraudulent; False] food may taste sweet at first,
but later it will feel like a mouth full of gravel.
18 Get advice if you want your plans to ·work [be firm].
If you go to war, get ·the advice of others [guidance].
19 Gossips ·can’t keep [reveal] secrets,
so avoid people who ·talk too much [L are foolish with their lips].
20 Those who curse their father or mother
will be like a light going out in darkness [Job 18:6; 21:17].
21 Wealth inherited quickly in the beginning
will ·do you no good [not bless you] in the end.
22 Don’t say, “I’ll pay you back for the wrong you did.”
Wait for the Lord, and he will ·make things right [save you; Rom. 12:17–20].
23 The Lord ·hates [detests] ·dishonest weights [L stone and stone],
and ·dishonest [fraudulent] scales ·do not please him [L are not good].
24 The Lord decides ·what a person will do [L the steps of a person];
·no one understands what his life is all about [L how can people understand their path?].
25 It’s ·dangerous [L a trap] to ·promise something to God too quickly [speak rashly about holy things].
·After you’ve thought about it, it may be too late [L And to think about it after you made a vow; Lev. 7:16–17; 22:18–23; Judg. 11:29–40; Eccl. 5:1–7].
26 A wise king ·sorts out [winnows; scatters] the evil people,
and he ·punishes them as they deserve [L rolls a threshing sledge over them].
27 The lamp of the Lord looks deep inside people
and searches through ·their thoughts [L all their inner parts].
28 Loyalty and ·truth [faithfulness] ·keep a king in power [protect a king];
he ·continues to rule [supports his throne] if he is loyal.
29 The young glory in their strength,
and the old are honored for their gray hair.
30 ·Hard punishment [L Blows and bruises] ·will get rid of [cleanses away] evil,
and ·whippings [beatings] ·can change an evil heart [L the inner parts].
21 ·The Lord can control a king’s mind as he controls a river [L The heart of a king is a canal/stream in the hand of the Lord];
he can ·direct [turn; incline] it as he pleases.
2 ·You may believe you are doing right [L Every person’s path seems right/straight in their own eyes],
but the Lord ·judges your reasons [L weighs your heart].
3 Doing what is ·right [righteous] and ·fair [just]
is more ·important [preferable] to the Lord than sacrifices [1 Sam. 15:22; Is. 1:11–17; Hos. 6:6; Mic. 6:6–8].
4 Proud ·looks [L eyes], ·proud thoughts [L arrogant heart],
·and evil actions [L the lamp/or tillage of the wicked] are sin [Ps. 131:1].
5 The plans of hard-working people earn a profit,
but those who ·act too quickly [hurry] become poor.
6 ·Wealth [L Those who work for treasures] that comes from ·telling lies [L a lying tongue]
·vanishes like a mist [pursues vapor/meaninglessness/emptiness] and ·leads to [seeks] death.
7 The violence of the wicked will ·destroy them [sweep them away],
because they refuse to ·do what is right [act with justice].
8 Guilty people live dishonest lives,
but ·honest people do right [virtuous people are pure].
9 It is better to live in a corner on the roof [C living space in biblical times]
than inside the house with a ·quarreling [contentious] wife.
10 Evil people ·only want [desire] to harm others.
Their neighbors get no ·mercy [favor; grace] from them.
11 If you punish ·those who make fun of wisdom [mockers], a ·foolish [immature; naive; simpleminded] person may gain some wisdom.
But if you teach the wise, they will get knowledge.
12 The righteous [C either God or righteous people] watch the house of the wicked
and ·bring ruin on every evil person [turn the wicked toward trouble].
13 Whoever ·ignores [L closes their ears to] the poor when they cry for help
will also ·cry for help [call out] and not be answered.
14 A secret gift will calm an angry person;
a ·present [or bribe] given in secrecy will quiet great anger [Ex. 23:8; Deut. 16:19; 27:25; Ps. 15:5; Eccl. 7:7; Is. 1:23].
15 When justice is done, ·good [righteous] people are happy,
but evil people are ruined.
16 ·Whoever does not use good sense [L People who wander from the path of insight]
will ·end up [rest] among the ·dead [departed; shades].
17 Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;
whoever loves wine and ·perfume [oil] will never be rich.
18 Wicked people ·will suffer instead of [L are a ransom for] ·good [righteous] people,
and ·those who cannot be trusted [the unfaithful] will suffer instead of those ·who do right [with integrity/virtue].
19 It is better to live ·alone in the desert [in a desolate land]
than with a ·quarreling [contentious] and ·complaining [angry] wife.
20 Wise people’s houses are full of ·the best foods [or precious treasure] and olive oil,
but fools ·waste [consume; L swallow] everything they have.
21 Whoever ·tries to live right and be loyal [L pursues righteousness and loyalty]
finds life, ·success [righteousness], and honor.
22 A wise person ·can defeat [L went up against] a city full of warriors
and tear down the defenses they trust in [Eccl. 9:13–16].
23 Those who ·are careful about what they say [L guard their mouth and tongue]
·keep themselves out of [guard themselves from] trouble.
24 People who act with stubborn pride
are called “proud,” “bragger,” and “mocker.”
25 Lazy people’s ·desire for sleep [L longings] will kill them,
because ·they refuse to work [L their hands refuse to do anything; 2 Thess. 3:10].
26 All day long they wish for more,
but ·good [righteous] people give without holding back.
27 The Lord ·hates [detests] sacrifices brought by evil people,
particularly when they offer them for ·the wrong [scheming] reasons.
28 A lying witness will ·be forgotten [perish],
but a truthful witness will speak on.
29 Wicked people ·are stubborn [L put on a bold/impudent face],
but ·good people think carefully about what they do [L the virtuous establish their path].
30 There is no wisdom, understanding, or advice
that can succeed against the Lord.
31 You can get the horses ready for the day of battle,
but it is the Lord who gives the victory [Ps. 33:16–17].
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