Chronological
22 1 (A)A good name is to be chosen above great riches, and [a]loving favor is above silver and above gold.
2 (B)The rich and poor [b]meet together, the Lord is the maker of them all.
3 (C)A prudent man [c]seeth the plague, and hideth himself: but the foolish go on still, and are punished.
4 The reward of humility, and the fear of God is riches, and glory, and life.
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: but he that regardeth his soul, will depart far from them.
6 Teach a child [d]in the trade of his way, and when he is old he shall not depart from it.
7 The rich ruleth the poor, and the borrower is servant to the man that lendeth.
8 He that soweth iniquity, shall reap affliction, and the [e]rod of his anger shall fail.
9 He that hath a good [f]eye, he shall be blessed: for he giveth of his bread unto the poor.
10 Cast out the scorner, and strife shall go out: so contention and reproach shall cease.
11 He that loveth pureness of heart for the grace of his lips, the [g]king shall be his friend.
12 The eyes of the Lord preserve [h]knowledge: but he overthroweth the words of the transgressor.
13 The slothful man saith, [i]A lion is without, I shall be slain in the street.
14 The mouth of strange women is as a deep pit: he with whom the Lord is angry, [j]shall fall therein.
15 Foolishness is bound [k]in the heart of a child: but the rod of correction shall drive it away from him.
16 He that oppresseth the poor to increase himself, and giveth unto the rich, shall surely come to poverty.
17 ¶ Incline thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.
18 For it shall be pleasant, if thou keep them in thy belly, and if they be directed together in thy lips.
19 That thy confidence may be in [l]the Lord, I have showed thee this day: thou therefore take heed.
20 Have not I written unto thee [m]three times in counsels and knowledge,
21 That I might show thee the assurance of the words of truth, to answer the words of truth to them that send to thee?
22 Rob not the poor, because he is poor, neither oppress the afflicted [n]in judgment.
23 For the Lord (D)will defend their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoil them.
24 Make [o]no friendship with an angry man, neither go with the furious man,
25 Lest thou learn his ways, and receive destruction to thy soul.
26 Be not thou of them that [p]tough the hand, nor among them that are surety for debts.
27 If thou hast nothing to pay, why causest thou that he should take thy bed from under thee?
28 Thou shalt not (E)remove the ancient bounds which thy fathers have made.
29 Thou seest that a diligent man in his business standeth before Kings, and standeth not before the base sort.
23 1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, [q]consider diligently what is before thee,
2 [r]And put thy knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to the appetite.
3 Be not desirous of his dainty meats: [s]for it is a deceivable meat.
4 Travail not too much to be rich: but cease from thy [t]wisdom.
5 Wilt thou cast thine eyes upon it, which is nothing? for riches taketh her to her wings, as an Eagle, and flieth into the heaven.
6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an [u]evil eye, neither desire his dainty meats.
7 For as though he thought it in his heart: so will he say unto thee, Eat and drink: but his heart is not with thee.
8 Thou shalt vomit thy [v]morsel that thou hast eaten, and thou shalt lose thy sweet words.
9 Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
10 (F)Remove not the ancient bounds, and enter not into the fields of the fatherless.
11 For he that redeemeth them, is mighty: he will (G)defend their cause against thee.
12 Apply thine heart to instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
13 (H)Withhold not correction from the child: if thou smite him with the rod, he shall not die.
14 Thou shalt smite him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from [w]hell.
15 My son, if thine heart be wise, mine heart shall rejoice, and I also,
16 And my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak righteous things.
17 (I)Let not thine heart be envious against sinners: but let it be in the fear of the Lord continually.
18 For surely there is an end, [x]and thy hope shall not be cut off.
19 O thou my son, hear, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the [y]way.
20 Keep not company with [z]drunkards, nor with [aa]gluttons.
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall be poor, and the sleeper shall be clothed with rags.
22 Obey thy father that hath begotten thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
23 Buy [ab]the truth, but sell it not: likewise wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice, and he that begetteth a wise child, shall have joy of him.
25 Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.
26 My son, give me [ac]thine heart, and let thine eyes delight in my ways.
27 (J)For a whore is as a deep ditch, and a strange woman is as a narrow pit.
28 (K)Also she lieth in wait as for a prey, [ad]and she increaseth the transgressors among men.
29 To whom is woe? to whom is sorrow? to whom is strife? to whom is murmuring? to whom are wounds without cause? and to whom is the redness of the eyes?
30 Even to them that tarry long at the wine, to them that go, [ae]and seek mixed wine.
31 Look not thou upon the wine, when it is red, and when it showeth his color in the cup, or goeth down pleasantly.
32 In the end thereof it will bite like a serpent, and hurt like a cockatrice.
33 Thine [af]eyes shall look upon strange women, and thine heart shall speak lewd things.
34 And thou shalt be as one that sleepeth in the midst of the [ag]sea, and as he that sleepeth in the top of the mast.
35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, but I was not sick: they have beaten me, but I knew not, when I awoke: therefore will I [ah]seek it yet still.
24 1 (L)Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.
2 For their heart imagineth destruction, and their lips speak mischief.
3 Through wisdom is an house built, and with understanding it is established.
4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
5 A wise man is strong: for a man of understanding increaseth his strength.
6 (M)For with counsel thou shalt enterprise thy war, and in the multitude of them that can give counsel, is health.
7 Wisdom is high to a fool: therefore he cannot open his mouth in the [ai]gate.
8 He that imagineth to do evil, men shall call him an author of wickedness.
9 The wicked thought of a fool is sin, and the scorner is an abomination unto men.
10 If thou be [aj]faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
11 Deliver them that are drawn [ak]to death, and wilt thou not preserve them that are led to be slain?
12 If thou say, Behold, we knew not of it: he that pondereth the hearts, doth not he understand it? and he that keepeth thy soul, knoweth he it not? will he not also recompense every man according to his works?
13 My son, eat [al]honey, for it is good, and the honey comb, for it is sweet unto thy mouth.
14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul if thou find it, and there shall be an [am]end, and thine hope shall not be cut off.
15 Lay no wait, O wicked man, against the house of the righteous, and spoil not his resting place.
16 For a just man [an]falleth seven times, and riseth again: but the wicked fall into mischief.
17 Be thou not glad when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart rejoice when he stumbleth,
18 Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn his wrath [ao]from him.
19 (N)Fret not thyself because of the malicious, neither be envious at the wicked.
20 For there shall be none end of plagues to the evil man, (O)the light of the wicked shall be put out.
21 My son, fear the Lord, and the King and meddle not with them that are seditious.
22 For their destruction shall rise suddenly, and who knoweth the ruin of them [ap]both?
23 Also these things pertain to the wise, It is not good [aq]to have respect of any person in judgment.
24 He that saith to the wicked, (P)Thou art righteous, him shall the people curse, and the multitude shall abhor him.
25 But to them that rebuke him, shall be pleasure, and upon them shall come the blessing of goodness.
26 They shall kiss the lips of him that answereth upright words.
27 Prepare thy work without, and make ready thy things in the field, [ar]and after, build thine house.
28 Be not a witness against thy neighbor without cause: for wilt thou deceive with thy lips?
29 (Q)Say not, I will do to him as he hath done to me, I [as]will recompense every man according to his work.
30 I passed by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man destitute of understanding.
31 And lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.
32 Then I beheld, and I considered it well: I looked upon it, and received [at]instruction.
33 Yet a little sleep, [au]a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep.
34 So thy poverty cometh as one that traveleth by the way, and thy necessity like an armed man.
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