Chronological
Instructions and Warnings
27 (A)Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you (B)do not know what a day may bring forth.
2 Let a (C)stranger praise you, and not your own mouth;
A foreigner, and not your own lips.
3 A stone is heavy and the sand weighty,
But the provocation of an ignorant fool is heavier than both of them.
4 Wrath is cruelty and anger is a flood,
But (D)who can stand before jealousy?
5 Better is reproof that is (E)revealed
Than love that is hidden.
6 Faithful are the (F)wounds of a friend,
But [a]deceitful are the (G)kisses of an enemy.
7 A satisfied soul tramples the honeycomb,
But to a hungry soul any bitter thing is sweet.
8 Like a (H)bird that wanders from her nest,
So is a man who (I)wanders from his place.
9 (J)Oil and incense make the heart glad,
So counsel from the [b]soul is sweet to his friend.
10 Do not forsake your (K)friend or (L)your father’s friend,
And do not come to your brother’s house in the day of your disaster;
Better is one who dwells near than a brother far away.
11 (M)Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,
That I may (N)respond with a word to him who reproaches me.
12 A prudent man sees evil and hides,
The simple pass on and are punished.
13 (O)Take his garment when he becomes a guarantor for a stranger;
And for [c]a foreign woman seize it as a pledge.
14 (P)He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning,
It will be counted as a curse to him.
15 A (Q)constant dripping on a day of steady rain
And a contentious woman are alike;
16 He who would [d]restrain her [e]restrains the wind,
And [f]grasps oil with his right hand.
17 Iron sharpens iron,
So one man sharpens another.
18 He who guards the (R)fig tree will eat its fruit,
And he who (S)keeps watch for his master will be honored.
19 As in water face reflects face,
So the heart of man reflects man.
20 (T)Sheol and Abaddon are (U)never satisfied,
So the (V)eyes of man are never satisfied.
21 The (W)refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
And each (X)is tested by the mouth that praises him.
22 Though you (Y)pound an ignorant fool in a mortar with a pestle in the midst of crushed grain,
His [g]folly will not turn aside from him.
23 (Z)Know well the [h]condition of your flocks,
And pay attention to your herds;
24 For wealth is not forever,
Neither is a (AA)crown from generation to generation.
25 When the grass disappears and the vegetation appears,
And the herbs of the mountains are (AB)gathered in,
26 The lambs will be for your clothing,
And the goats will bring the price of a field,
27 And there will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
For the food of your household,
And sustenance for your maidens.
28 The wicked (AC)flee when there is no one pursuing,
But the righteous are [i]secure as a lion.
2 By the transgression of a land (AD)many are its princes,
But (AE)by a man who understands, who knows, so it endures.
3 A (AF)poor man who oppresses the lowly
Is a driving rain [j]which leaves no food.
4 Those who forsake the law (AG)praise the wicked,
But those who keep the law (AH)strive with them.
5 Evil men (AI)do not understand justice,
But those who seek Yahweh (AJ)understand all things.
6 (AK)Better is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than he who is crooked—[k]double dealing—though he be rich.
7 He who observes the law is a son who understands,
But he who befriends (AL)gluttons humiliates his father.
8 He who increases his wealth by (AM)interest and usury
Gathers it (AN)for him who is gracious to the lowly.
9 He who turns away his ear from listening to the law,
Even his (AO)prayer is an abomination.
10 He who leads the upright astray in an evil way
Will (AP)himself fall into his own pit,
But the (AQ)blameless will inherit good.
11 The rich man is (AR)wise in his own eyes,
But the lowly who understands [l]searches him.
12 When the (AS)righteous exult, there is great honor,
But (AT)when the wicked rise, man has to be sought out.
13 He who (AU)conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who (AV)confesses and forsakes them will receive compassion.
14 How blessed is the man who (AW)is always in dread,
But he who (AX)hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
15 Like a (AY)roaring lion and a rushing bear
Is a (AZ)wicked ruler over a poor people.
16 A (BA)leader who lacks discernment abounds in oppressions,
But he who hates greedy gain will prolong his days.
17 A man (BB)oppressed with (BC)the bloodguilt of life
Will flee until [m]death; let no one uphold him.
18 He who walks blamelessly will be saved,
But he who is (BD)crooked—[n]double dealing—will fall all at once.
19 (BE)He who cultivates his ground will be (BF)satisfied with food,
But he who pursues empty things will be satisfied with poverty.
20 A (BG)faithful man will abound with blessings,
But he who (BH)makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished.
21 To [o](BI)show partiality is not good,
(BJ)Even for a piece of bread a man will transgress.
22 A man with an (BK)evil eye (BL)hurries after wealth
And does not know that want will come upon him.
23 He who (BM)reproves a man will afterward find more favor
Than he who (BN)flatters with the tongue.
24 He who (BO)robs his father or his mother
And says, “It is not a transgression,”
Is the (BP)companion of a man who destroys.
25 An [p]arrogant man (BQ)stirs up strife,
But he who (BR)trusts in Yahweh (BS)will [q]be enriched.
26 He who (BT)trusts in his own heart is a fool,
But he who walks wisely will escape.
27 He who (BU)gives to the poor will never want,
But he who [r]shuts his eyes will have many curses.
28 When the wicked rise, men hide themselves;
But when they perish, the righteous increase.
29 A man who hardens his neck after (BV)much reproof
Will (BW)suddenly be broken [s]beyond healing.
2 When the (BX)righteous [t]increase, the people are glad,
But when a wicked man rules, people groan.
3 A man who (BY)loves wisdom makes his father glad,
But he who (BZ)befriends harlots destroys his wealth.
4 By justice the (CA)king causes the land to stand,
But a man of bribes tears it down.
5 A man who (CB)flatters his neighbor
Is spreading a net for his steps.
6 By transgression an evil man is (CC)ensnared,
But the righteous (CD)sings with joy and is glad.
7 The (CE)righteous knows the cause of the poor,
The wicked does not understand that knowledge.
8 Scoffers [u](CF)set a city aflame,
But (CG)wise men turn away anger.
9 When a wise man is brought into judgment with a man who is an ignorant fool,
[v]The ignorant fool both rages and laughs, and there is no rest.
10 Men of (CH)bloodshed hate the blameless,
But the upright seek the well-being of his soul.
11 A (CI)fool [w]lets out all of his spirit,
But a (CJ)wise man holds it back.
12 If a (CK)ruler pays attention to a lying word,
All his ministers become wicked.
13 The (CL)poor man and the oppressor meet together in this—
Yahweh gives (CM)light to the eyes of both.
14 If a (CN)king judges the poor with truth,
His (CO)throne will be established forever.
15 The (CP)rod and reproof give wisdom,
But a child [x]left to himself (CQ)brings shame to his mother.
16 When the wicked [y]increase, transgression increases;
But the (CR)righteous will see their fall.
17 (CS)Discipline your son, and he will give you rest;
And he will (CT)give delight to your soul.
18 Where there is (CU)no [z]vision, the people (CV)are out of control,
But how (CW)blessed is he who keeps the law.
19 A slave will not be corrected by words alone;
For though he understands, there will be no answer.
20 Do you behold a man who is (CX)hasty in his words?
There is (CY)more hope for a fool than for him.
21 He who pampers his slave from childhood
Will in the end find him to be [aa]arrogant.
22 An (CZ)angry man stirs up strife,
And a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.
23 A man’s (DA)lofty pride will bring him low,
But a (DB)lowly spirit will take hold of glory.
24 He who [ab]divides the spoil with a thief hates his own soul;
He (DC)hears the oath but declares nothing.
25 (DD)Trembling before man [ac]brings a snare,
But he who (DE)trusts in Yahweh will be set securely on high.
26 (DF)Many seek the face of a ruler,
But (DG)justice for man comes from Yahweh.
27 An (DH)unjust man is an abomination to the righteous,
And he who is (DI)upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.
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