Proverbs
Chapter 1
1 The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, the king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
to understand words of understanding;
3 to receive instruction of insight,
righteousness and justice and equity;
4 to give to naive ones prudence,
to a young man knowledge and discretion
5 (a wise one will hear and increase learning,
and one who discerns will get directions),
6 to understand a proverb and a satire,
the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of Yahweh {is} the beginning of knowledge,
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8 Hear, my son, the instruction of your father
and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.
9 For, they {are} a wreath of favor for your head
and necklace chains for your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you,
do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us!
Let us lie in wait for blood.
Let us lie hidden for the innocent without cause.
12 Let us swallow them, the living ones, like Sheol,
and the whole ones like those going down to a pit.
13 We will find every precious wealth.
We will fill our houses {with} spoil.
14 Cause your lot to fall in our midst;
one purse will be for all of us.”
15 My son, do not walk in the way with them;
restrain your foot from their path.
16 For their feet run to evil,
and they hurry to pour out blood.
17 Surely in vain {is} the net spread out in the eyes of any owner of wing,
18 but they lie in wait for their blood,
lie hidden for their lives.
19 So {are} the ways of all who unjustly gain unjust gain;
it takes the life of its owner.
20 Wisdom cries out in the street,
she gives her voice in the plazas.
21 At the head of the tumultuous streets she calls out;
at the opening of the gates in the city she says her words,
22 “Until when will the naive ones love naivety
and mockers delight in mockery for themselves
and fools hate knowledge?
23 Turn to my rebuke.
Behold, I shall pour out my spirit to you,
I shall cause you to know my words.
24 Because I have called and you have refused,
I have stretched forth my hand and there was no heeding,
25 and you have let go of all my counsel,
and you did not consent to my rebuke,
26 I too will laugh in your disaster,
I will mock when your terror comes,
27 when your terror comes like a storm
and your disaster comes like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 Then they will call out to me but I will not answer,
they will diligently seek me but they will not find me,
29 for the reason that they hate knowledge
and did not choose the fear of Yahweh,
30 they did not consent to my counsel,
and they despised my every rebuke.
31 And they will eat from the fruit of their ways,
and from their schemes they will have their fill.
32 For the turning away of the naive will slay them
and ease will cause fools to perish.
33 But the one who listens to me will dwell securely
and will be at ease from the terror of evil.”
Chapter 2
1 My son, if you receive my words
and store up my commandments with you—
2 by causing your ear to be attentive to wisdom,
you incline your heart to understanding—
3 indeed, if you call out for discernment,
you lift up your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
and search for it like hidden treasures,
5 then you will understand the fear of Yahweh
and you will find the knowledge of God.
6 For Yahweh gives wisdom,
knowledge and understanding {are} from his mouth.
7 And he stores up prudence for the upright ones—
a shield for those walking with integrity,
8 to guard the paths of justice,
and he will keep the way of his faithful ones.
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity—
every good track.
10 For wisdom will enter into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your spirit.
11 Discretion will watch over you,
understanding will guard you,
12 to rescue you from the way of evil,
from a man who speaks perverse things,
13 the ones who forsake the paths of uprightness
to walk in the ways of darkness,
14 the ones who are joyful to do evil,
they rejoice in perverse things of evil,
15 whose paths {are} crooked
and who are devious in their tracks;
16 to rescue you from a strange woman,
from a foreign woman who makes her words smooth,
17 the one who forsakes the companion of her youth
and has forgotten the covenant of her God.
18 For her house sinks down to death
and her tracks to the spirits of the dead.
19 All who enter her will not return
and they will not reach the paths of life.
20 So you shall walk in the way of the good ones
and you shall keep the paths of the righteous ones.
21 For the upright ones will dwell {in} the land,
and the blameless ones will remain in it,
22 but wicked ones will be cut off from the land,
and those who act treacherously will be torn away from it.
Chapter 3
1 My son, do not forget my law,
and let your heart keep my commandments.
2 For they will add to you length of days and years of life and peace.
3 Do not let covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness leave you,
tie them on your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart,
4 and you will find favor and good insight
in the eyes of God and mankind.
5 Trust in Yahweh with all your heart
and do not lean on your understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him
and he will straighten your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your eyes,
fear Yahweh and turn from evil.
8 It will be healing for your navel
and refreshment for your bones.
9 Honor Yahweh from your wealth
and from the firstfruits of all your produce,
10 and your storehouses will be full with plenty
and your presses will burst open with new wine.
11 The instruction of Yahweh, my son, do not reject,
and do not abhor his rebuke.
12 For Yahweh rebukes whom he loves,
and like a father he is pleased with a son.
13 Blessed {is} a man who finds wisdom
and a man who obtains understanding.
14 For better {is} its gain than the gain of silver,
and its produce than gold.
15 She is more precious than corals,
and all your desired things do not compare with her.
16 Length of days {is} in her right hand,
in her left hand {are} riches and honor.
17 Her ways {are} ways of pleasantness
and all her paths {are} peace.
18 She {is} a tree of life to the ones who take hold of her,
and those who grasp her {are} blessed.
19 Yahweh founded the earth by wisdom,
established the heavens by understanding.
20 By his knowledge the depths broke open
and the clouds dripped dew.
21 My son, do not let them depart from your eyes,
guard prudence and discretion.
22 And they will be life for your spirit
and favor for your neck.
23 Then you will walk your way to security
and your foot will not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be in dread,
and you will lie down and your sleep will be pleasant.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden dread
and of the devastation of the wicked ones when it comes.
26 For Yahweh will be at your loins,
and he will keep your foot from capture.
27 Do not withhold good from its owner,
when it is in the power of your hand to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,
“Go and return, and tomorrow I will give {it},”
and it is with you.
29 Do not plot evil against your neighbor,
and he who is dwelling safely with you.
30 Do not contend with a man without cause,
if he has not done evil to you.
31 Do not be envious of a man of violence
and do not choose any of his ways.
32 For the devious one {is} an abomination to Yahweh,
but his counsel {is} the upright.
33 The curse of Yahweh {is} in the house of the wicked one,
but he blesses the abode of the righteous ones.
34 Though to the mockers he mocks,
yet to the humble he gives favor.
35 The wise ones will inherit honor,
but fools lift up dishonor.
Chapter 4
1 Hear, sons, the instruction of a father,
and listen attentively in order to know understanding.
2 For I give good instruction to you;
do not forsake my law.
3 When I was a son of my father,
the tender and only one before the face of my mother,
4 then he taught me and said to me,
“Let your heart grasp my words;
keep my commandments and live.
5 Acquire wisdom, aquire understanding;
do not forget and do not turn from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not abandon her and she will keep you;
love her and she will guard you.
7 The beginning of wisdom: acquire wisdom!
And in all your acquisition acquire understanding.
8 Exalt her and she will raise you up;
she will honor you when you embrace her.
9 She will give a wreath of favor to your head;
she will bestow to you a crown of splendor.”
10 Listen, my son, and receive my words,
and they will multiply for you the years of life.
11 I taught you in the way of wisdom;
I caused you to tread in the tracks of uprightness.
12 When you walk, your step will not be restricted;
and if you run, you will not stumble.
13 Take hold of instruction, do not let go;
guard it, for it {is} your life.
14 Do not enter in the path of wicked ones
and do not advance in the way of evil ones.
15 Avoid it, do not pass through it;
turn aside from it and pass on.
16 For they do not sleep if they do not do evil
and their sleep is robbed if they do not cause stumbling.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness
and they drink the wine of violent acts.
18 But the path of the righteous ones {is} like a light of brightness,
going and shining until the day {is} established.
19 The way of the wicked {is} like the darkness;
they do not know on what they stumble.
20 My son, listen attentively to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them turn aside from your eyes;
keep them in the midst of your heart.
22 For they {are} life to those who find them
and healing to all of his flesh.
23 Guard your heart more than all keeping,
for from it {are} the sources of life.
24 Remove the crookedness of mouth from you,
and put far away from you the deviousness of lips.
25 Cause your eyes to look to the front,
and cause your eyelids to be straight in front of you.
26 Make level the track of your foot
and all your ways will be firm.
27 Do not turn aside right or left;
cause your foot to turn away from evil.
Chapter 5
1 My son, listen attentively to my wisdom,
incline your ear to my understanding,
2 in order to keep discretion,
and your lips may guard knowledge.
3 For the lips of a strange woman drip fresh honey
and her palate {is} smoother than oil,
4 but her end {is} bitter like wormwood,
sharp like a two-edge sword.
5 Her feet are going down to death;
her steps take hold of Sheol.
6 Lest she make level the path of life,
she does not know her ways {are} unstable.
7 And now, sons, listen to me;
and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
8 Keep your way far from her
and do not come near to the opening of her house.
9 Lest you give your splendor to others
and your years to a cruel one.
10 Lest strangers be satisfied with your strength
and your toil {be} in the house of a foreigner,
11 and you groan at your end
when your flesh and your body cease.
12 And you will say, “How I hated instruction
and my heart despised rebuke!
13 And I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
and I did not incline my ear to those who taught me.
14 I was almost in all evil,
in the midst of the assembly and the congregation.”
15 Drink water from your cistern
and flowing water from the midst of your well.
16 Should your springs flow outside,
streams of water in the plazas?
17 Let them be for you, for you alone,
and not for strangers with you.
18 May your fountain be blessed,
and get joy from the wife of your youth.
19 A doe of loves and a mountain goat of grace,
may her breasts drench you at every time;
may you continually stagger in her love.
20 And why would you stagger with a strange woman, my son,
and embrace the bosom of a foreign woman?
21 For the ways of a man {are} in front of the eyes of Yahweh,
and are making level all of his paths.
22 His iniquities seize him, the wicked one;
and he is grasped by the cords of his sin.
23 He will die because there is no instruction;
and he staggers in the abundance of his foolishness.
Chapter 6
1 My son, if you pledge to your neighbor,
you clapped your palm for a stranger,
2 you are ensnared by the words of your mouth,
you are caught by the words of your mouth,
3 then do this, my son, and rescue yourself.
Since you have come into the palm of your neighbor,
go, humble yourself and importune your neighbor.
4 Do not give sleep to your eyes
and slumber to your eyelids.
5 Rescue yourself like a gazelle from a hand,
and like a bird from the hand of the trapper.
6 Go to the ant, lazy one!
See its ways and be wise,
7 that without a commander,
officer, or ruler for it,
8 it prepares its bread in the summer,
it gathers its food in the harvest.
9 Until when, lazy one, will you lie down?
When will you rise from your sleep?
10 “A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to lie down”—
11 and your poverty will come like one who walks
and your need like a man of shield.
12 A man of worthlessness, a man of iniquity,
{is} one who walks {with} crookedness of mouth,
13 one who winks with his eyes, one who rubs with his foot,
one who points with his fingers.
14 Perverse things {are} in his heart; plotting evil at every time,
he sends forth quarrels.
15 Therefore his disaster will come suddenly,
in a moment he will be broken and without healing.
16 Six {things} {are} they, Yahweh hates,
and seven {things are} abominations of his spirit:
17 uplifted eyes, a tongue of falsehood,
and hands pouring out innocent blood,
18 a heart devising plans of iniquity,
feet hurrying to run to evil,
19 a witness of falsehood who breathes out lies
and one who sends forth quarrels between brothers.
20 Guard, my son, the command of your father
and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.
21 Bind them on your heart continually;
tie them around your neck.
22 When you go about, it will guide you;
when you lie down, it will watch over you;
and you will wake up, it will talk with you.
23 For the commandment {is} a lamp and the law {is} a light,
and the rebukes of instruction {are} the way of life,
24 to keep you from a woman of evil,
from the smoothness of the tongue of a foreign woman.
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart
and do not let her take you with her eyelashes.
26 For the price of a prostitute woman {is} as much as a loaf of bread,
but the wife of a man hunts a precious life.
27 Will a man snatch up a fire in his chest
and his clothes not be burned?
28 If a man walks on coals
then will his feet not be burned?
29 So is the one who enters into the wife of his neighbor:
every one who touches her will not be free of guilt.
30 They do not despise the thief
if he steals to satisfy his life when he is hungry.
31 But if he is found, he will restore sevenfold;
he will give all the wealth of his house.
32 One who commits adultery with a woman lacks heart;
destroying his life, he does it.
33 He will find a wound and dishonor
and his shame will not be wiped out.
34 For jealousy is the heat of a man,
and he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will not lift up the face of any ransom,
and he will not be willing if you increase the bribe.
Chapter 7
1 My son, keep my words
and store up my commandments with you.
2 Keep my commandments and live
and my law as the pupil of your eyes.
3 Tie them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You {are} my sister,”
and call to understanding, “Kinsman,”
5 in order to keep you from the strange woman,
from the foreign woman who makes her words smooth.
6 For in the window of my house,
through the window lattice I looked down.
7 And I saw among the naive,
I discerned among the sons a young man lacking sense.
8 Passing through the street beside her corner,
and he strode in the way of her house,
9 in the twilight, in the evening of the day,
in the pupil of the night and darkness.
10 And behold, a woman to meet him,
{with} the garment of a prostitute and guarded of heart.
11 (She {is} a loud and rebellious one;
her feet do not stay in her house.
12 At {one} time in the street, at {another} time in the plazas,
and beside every corner she lies in ambush.)
13 And she grabbed him and kissed him,
she strengthened her face and said to him,
14 “The sacrifices of fellowship offerings {were} on me;
today I have completed my vows.
15 Therefore, I came out to meet you,
to diligently seek your face and I found you.
16 I have spread my bed {with} coverings,
colored linen of Egypt.
17 I have sprinkled my bed
{with} myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us be saturated with loves until the morning;
let us delight ourselves with loves.
19 For the man is not in his house;
he went on a road far away.
20 He took the bag of the silver in his hand;
he will enter his house to the day of the full moon.”
21 She turned him with much of her teaching;
with the smoothness of her lips she compelled him.
22 Following after her suddenly,
like an ox he came to slaughter,
and like an anklet to the instruction of a fool,
23 until an arrow split his liver,
like a bird rushing into a trap,
and he did not know that it {was} for his life.
24 And now, sons, listen to me;
and listen attentively to the words of my mouth.
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways;
do not wander into her paths.
26 For she has caused many pierced ones to fall,
and numerous are all her slain ones.
27 Her house {is} the ways of Sheol,
descending to the rooms of death.
Chapter 8
1 Does not wisdom call out
and understanding give her voice?
2 At the heads of the heights, on the road,
the house of travelers, she stations herself.
3 To the hand of the gates, to the mouth of the city,
the entrance of the openings, she cries out.
4 “To you, men, I call;
and my voice {is} to the sons of mankind.
5 Understand prudence, naive ones,
and fools, understand heart.
6 Listen, for I will speak noble things,
and the opening of my lips {will be} upright things.
7 For my palate will utter truth,
and wickedness {is} an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth {are} in righteousness;
there is nothing twisted or perverse in them.
9 All of them {are} straightforward for the one who is discerning
and upright for those who find knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction and not silver,
and knowledge more than choice gold.
11 For wisdom is better than corals
and all desired things do not compare with her.
12 I, Wisdom, I dwell with prudence,
I find knowledge and discretion.
13 The fear of Yahweh {is} hating evil.
I hate pride and arrogance and the evil way
and the mouth of perverse things.
14 Counsel and prudence are mine;
I {am} understanding; strength is mine.
15 By me kings reign and weighty ones decree righteousness.
16 By me rulers rule,
and nobles, all judges of righteousness.
17 I love those who love me,
and those who diligently seek me will find me.
18 Riches and honor {are} with me,
lasting wealth and righteousness.
19 My fruit {is} better than gold, and than refined gold,
and my produce than choice silver.
20 I walk in the path of righteousness,
in the midst of the paths of justice,
21 to cause those who love me to inherit substance;
and I will fill their treasuries.
22 Yahweh possessed me {at} the beginning of his way,
before his works from then.
23 From eternity I was installed,
from the head, from the earliest times of the earth.
24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth,
when there were no springs made heavy with water.
25 Before the mountains were settled,
before the face of the hills, I was brought forth,
26 before he made the earth or the outside places
or the head of the dust of the world.
27 When he established the heavens, I {was} there,
when he inscribed a circle over the face of the deep.
28 When he established the clouds above,
when the springs of the deep became strong,
29 when he set for the sea its limit,
so waters do not pass over its mouth,
when he inscribed the foundations of the earth,
30 then I was beside him faithfully,
and I was a delight day {by} day,
frolicking before his face at every time.
31 Frolicking in the world of his earth,
and my delight {was} the sons of man.
32 And now, sons, listen to me,
and blessed {are} they who keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction,
and be wise, and do not let go of it.
34 Blessed {is} the man who listens to me,
watching over my doors day {by} day,
keeping the doorposts of my entrance.
35 For those who find me {are} those who find life,
and he obtains favor from Yahweh.
36 But a sinner does violence to his life;
all who hate me love death.”
Chapter 9
1 Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn out her seven pillars.
2 She has slaughtered her slaughter, she has mixed her wine,
also she has set her table.
3 She has sent out her female servants,
she calls out on the tops of the heights of the city.
4 “Whoever {is} naive, let him turn aside here,”
she says to him lacking of heart.
5 “Come, eat my bread,
and drink the wine I have mixed.
6 Forsake naive things and live;
and go straight in the way of understanding.
7 One who instructs a mocker receives shame for himself,
and one who rebukes a wicked one, his injury.
8 Do not rebuke a mocker, lest he hate you;
rebuke a wise one and he will love you.
9 Give to a wise one and he will become more wise;
cause the righteous one to know and he will increase learning.
10 The beginning of wisdom {is} the fear of Yahweh
and knowledge of the holy one {is} understanding.
11 For by me your days will become many,
and years of life will be added to you.
12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
and if you mock, you alone will bear it.”
13 The woman of foolishness {is} loud,
naive, and she does not know anything.
14 And she sits at the opening of her house,
on a seat, the heights of the city,
15 to call to those who pass over the way,
the ones going straight on their paths.
16 “Whoever {is} naive, let him turn aside here!”
And she says to him, the lacking of heart,
17 “Stolen waters are sweet,
and bread of secrecies is pleasant.”
18 And he does not know that the spirits of the dead {are} there;
her called ones are in the depths of Sheol.
Chapter 10
1 The proverbs of Solomon:
A wise son causes a father to rejoice
but a foolish son {is} the grief of his mother.
2 Treasures of wickedness do not profit,
but righteousness delivers from death.
3 Yahweh does not let the life of the righteous one hunger
but he thrusts away the desire of the wicked ones.
4 A palm of slackness makes poverty,
but the hand of diligent ones makes rich.
5 One who gathers in the summer {is} a son who acts prudently,
but one who sleeps in the harvest {is} a son who causes shame.
6 Blessings {are} for the head of the righteous one,
but the mouth of the wicked ones covers violence.
7 The memory of the righteous one {is} for a blessing,
but the name of the wicked ones will rot.
8 The wise of heart receive commands
but the foolish of lips will be thrust down.
9 One who walks in integrity will walk securely,
but one who causes his ways to be crooked will be known.
10 One who winks an eye gives pains,
and the foolish of lips will be thrust down.
11 The mouth of the righteous one {is} a spring of life,
but the mouth of the wicked ones covers violence.
12 Hatred stirs up quarrels,
but love covers all transgressions.
13 Wisdom is found on the lips of one who is discerning,
but a rod {is} for the back of the lacking of heart.
14 Wise men store up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool {is} near ruin.
15 The wealth of the rich one {is} the city of his strength;
the ruin of lowly ones is their poverty.
16 The wage of the righteous one {is} to life;
the income of the wicked one {is} to sin.
17 One who keeps instruction {is on} a path to life
but one who rejects rebuke goes astray.
18 One who covers hate {with} lips of falsehood
and causes an evil report to go forth, he {is} a fool.
19 With a multitude of words transgression does not cease,
but one who restrains his lips {is} prudent.
20 The tongue of the righteous one {is} choice silver;
the heart of the wicked ones {is} like little.
21 The lips of the righteous one shepherd many,
but fools die for lacking heart.
22 The blessing of Yahweh, it causes to become rich,
and he does not add pain with it.
23 Doing a wicked plan {is} like laughter for a fool,
but wisdom {is} for a man of understanding.
24 The terror of the wicked one, it will come to him,
but the desire of the righteous ones will be given.
25 Like the passing over of a whirlwind, there is no wicked one,
but a righteous one {is} a foundation of eternity.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so {is} the lazy one to one who sends him.
27 The fear of Yahweh will increase days,
but the years of the wicked ones will be short.
28 The hope of the righteous ones {is} joy,
but the expectation of the wicked ones will perish.
29 The way of Yahweh {is} a stronghold for the one with integrity,
but ruin {is} for those who do iniquity.
30 A righteous one will not be shaken to eternity,
but wicked ones will not dwell in the land.
31 The mouth of the righteous one bears the fruit of wisdom,
but the tongue of the perverse ones will be cut off.
32 The lips of the righteous one know favor,
but the mouth of the wicked ones, perverse things.
Chapter 11
1 Scales of deceit {are} an abomination of Yahweh
but a full stone {is} his delight.
2 When pride comes then disgrace comes,
but {with} modest ones {is} wisdom.
3 The integrity of the upright ones will guide them
but the crookedness of the treacherous ones will destroy them.
4 Wealth will not profit in the day of wrath,
but righteousness will deliver from death.
5 The righteousness of a blameless one will make his way straight,
but a wicked one will fall by his wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright ones will deliver them,
but treacherous ones will be captured by desire.
7 In the death of a wicked man hope will perish,
and the expectation of strong ones perishes.
8 A righteous one will be drawn away from distress,
but a wicked one will enter instead of him.
9 With a mouth a godless one will destroy his neighbor,
but with knowledge righteous ones will be delivered.
10 In the good of the righteous ones a city will rejoice;
and when wicked ones perish, a shout of joy.
11 With the blessing of the upright ones a city will be exalted,
but with the mouth of the wicked ones it will be thrown down.
12 One who despises his neighbor {is} lacking of heart,
but a man of understanding will keep quiet.
13 One who goes about {in} slander is one who uncovers a secret,
but one who is faithful of spirit {is} one who covers a matter.
14 When there are no directions a people will fall,
but salvation is in an abundance of counsel.
15 He will certainly be hurt if he pledges for a stranger,
but one who hates hand claps {is} secure.
16 A woman of grace will grasp honor,
but ruthless ones will grasp riches.
17 A man of kindness {is} one who rewards his self,
but a cruel one {is} one who troubles his flesh.
18 A wicked one makes a wage of falsehood,
but one who sows righteousness, a wage of truth.
19 Thus, righteousness {is} to life,
but one who pursues evil {is} to his death.
20 The abomination of Yahweh {is} those perverse of heart,
but his delight {is} those blameless of way.
21 Hand to hand wicked ones will not be free of guilt,
but the seed of the righteous ones will slip away.
22 A ring of gold in the nose of a pig
{is} a beautiful woman that turns away from discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous ones {is} only good;
the hope of the wicked ones {is} fury.
24 There is one who scatters and increases more,
but one who withholds more than {what is} right {is} only for poverty.
25 A life of blessing will be fattened,
and the one who drenches, also he will be drenched.
26 People will curse one who withholds grain,
but a blessing {is} for the head of one who sells.
27 One who diligently seeks good seeks favor,
but one who seeks evil, it will come to him.
28 One who trusts in his riches, he will fall,
but like a leaf righteous ones will flourish.
29 One who troubles his house will inherit wind,
and a fool {will be} a servant to the wise of heart.
30 The fruit of the righteous one {is} a tree of life,
and a wise one gains lives.
31 Behold, a righteous one in the land will be repaid,
how much more a wicked one and one who sins!
Chapter 12
1 One who loves instruction loves knowledge,
but one who hates rebuke {is} stupid.
2 A good one obtains favor from Yahweh,
but a man of schemes he will condemn.
3 A man will not be established by wickedness,
but the root of the righteous ones will not be shaken.
4 A wife of strength {is} the crown of her husband,
but she who causes shame {is} like rottenness in his bones.
5 The thoughts of the righteous ones {are} justice;
the directions of the wicked ones {are} deceit.
6 The words of the wicked ones {are} an ambush of blood,
but the mouth of the upright ones will deliver them.
7 Wicked ones are overthrown and they are not,
but the house of the righteous ones will stand.
8 A man will be praised for the mouth of his insight,
but one who is twisted of heart will be to contempt.
9 Better to be lightly esteemed and his servant
than to honor oneself and {be} lacking of bread.
10 A righteous one {is} one who knows the life of his animal,
but the compassion of the wicked ones {is} cruel.
11 Bread will satisfy one who works his ground,
but one who pursues empty things {is} lacking of heart.
12 A wicked one desires the snare of evil ones,
but the root of the righteous ones will give.
13 In the transgression of lips {is} the snare of the evil one,
but a righteous one will go out from distress.
14 From the fruit of the mouth of a man will he be satisfied with good,
and the work of the hands of a man will return to him.
15 The way of a fool {is} right in his eyes,
but a wise one listens to counsel.
16 A fool, his anger is known on the day,
but a prudent one covers dishonor.
17 Who breathes out faithfulness reports {what is} right,
but a witness of falsehoods {is} deceitful.
18 There is one who speaks thoughtlessly like the thrusts of a sword,
but the tongue of the wise ones is healing.
19 A lip of truth will be established to perpetuity,
but a tongue of falsehood until I blink.
20 Deceit {is} in the heart of those who devise evil,
but joy {is} for those who advise peace.
21 Any iniquity will not be allowed to happen to the righteous one,
but wicked ones are full of evil.
22 Lips of falsehood {are} an abomination of Yahweh,
but those who do faithfulness {are} his delight.
23 A prudent man covers knowledge,
but the heart of fools proclaims folly.
24 The hand of the diligent ones will rule
but a slack one will become a forced laborer.
25 Anxiety in the heart of a man weighs it down,
but a good word causes it to rejoice.
26 A righteous one searches out from his neighbor,
but the way of wicked ones will lead them astray.
27 A negligent one will not roast his game,
but the wealth of a man {is} precious for a diligent one.
28 In the path of righteousness {is} life,
and the way of the path {is} no death.
Chapter 13
1 A wise son, the instruction of a father,
but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.
2 From the fruit of the mouth of a man he eats good,
but the appetite of the treacherous ones {is} violence.
3 One who guards his mouth {is} one who keeps his life;
one who opens his lips {is} ruin for himself.
4 A lazy one, his appetite is craving and there is nothing,
but the appetite of the diligent ones will be fattened.
5 A righteous one hates a word of falsehood,
but a wicked one causes a stink and causes shame.
6 Righteousness guards the blameless of way,
but wickedness overthrows a sinful one.
7 There is one who pretends to be rich but there is nothing at all;
one who pretends to be poor but {has} great wealth.
8 The ransom of the life of a man {is} his riches,
but one who is poor does not hear a rebuke.
9 The light of the righteous ones will rejoice,
but the lamp of the wicked ones will be extinguished.
10 Only with pride gives strife,
but {with} those who are counseled, wisdom.
11 Wealth from vanity will dwindle,
but one who gathers by hand will increase.
12 Hope delayed makes the heart sick,
but a desire fulfilled {is} a tree of life.
13 One who despises a word will be pledged to it,
but he who fears a command, he will be rewarded.
14 The teaching of the wise {is} a fountain of life,
to turn away from the snares of death.
15 Good insight gives favor,
but the way of those who act treacherously {is} permanent.
16 Every prudent one acts with knowledge,
but a fool displays folly.
17 A wicked messenger falls into evil,
but an envoy of faithfulness {is} healing.
18 One who lets go of instruction, poverty and shame,
but one who keeps a rebuke will be honored.
19 A desire that occurs will be pleasing to the self,
but the abomination of fools is turning away from evil.
20 One who walks {with} wise ones will be wise,
but one who associates with fools will be hurt.
21 Evil will pursue sinners,
but goodness will reward the righteous.
22 A good one will cause sons of sons to inherit,
but the strength of the one who sins is being stored up for the righteous one.
23 Much food {is} the unplowed field of those who are poor,
but there is a being swept away without justice.
24 One who withholds his rod hates his son,
but one who loves him seeks him diligently with discipline.
25 A righteous one eats to the satisfaction of his spirit,
but the stomach of the wicked ones will be empty.
Chapter 14
1 The wise ones of women, she builds her house,
but a foolish woman tears it down with her hands.
2 One who walks in his uprightness fears Yahweh
but one who is crooked in his ways despises him.
3 In the mouth of a fool {is} a rod of pride,
but the lips of the wise ones will preserve them.
4 Where there are no cattle {is} a trough of grain,
but an abundance of crops {is} by the strength of an ox.
5 A witness of faithfulness will not lie,
but a witness of falsehood breathes out lies.
6 A mocker seeks wisdom and there is none,
but knowledge is easy for one who discerns.
7 Go from before a man of foolishness,
for you will not know lips of knowledge.
8 The wisdom of a prudent one informs his way,
but the foolishness of fools {is} deceit.
9 Fools mock the guilt offering,
but between upright ones {is} favor.
10 The heart knows the bitterness of itself,
and in its joy a stranger will not share.
11 The house of the wicked ones will be destroyed,
but the tent of the upright ones will flourish.
12 There is a right way before the face of a man,
but its end {is} the ways of death.
13 A heart may be in pain even in laughter,
and the end of joy may be grief.
14 The turning away of heart will be satisfied from his ways,
but a good man from on him.
15 The naive one believes every thing,
but the prudent one discerns his step.
16 A wise one {is} one who fears and turns away from evil,
but the fool {is} one who makes himself furious and {is} being confident.
17 One short of nostrils does foolishness,
and a man of schemes is hated.
18 Naive ones inherit foolishness,
but prudent ones will wear a crown of knowledge.
19 Evil ones will bow down before the face of good ones,
and wicked ones at the gates of the righteous one.
20 One who is poor is hated even by his neighbor,
but those who love the rich {are} many.
21 One who sins despises his neighbor,
but one who favors afflicted ones {is} blessed.
22 Do not those who plan evil go astray?
But covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness {are to} those who plan good.
23 With all toil is profit,
but the word of lips {is} only for poverty.
24 The crown of the wise ones {is} their riches;
the foolishness of fools {is} foolishness.
25 A witness of truth rescues lives,
but one who breathes out lies {is} deceitful.
26 In the fear of Yahweh {is} the confidence of the strong,
and he will be a refuge for his sons.
27 The fear of Yahweh {is} a fountain of life,
to turn away from the snares of death.
28 The splendor of a king {is} in the abundance of the people,
but with the end of the populace the potentate {is} ruined.
29 One long of nose {is} abundant {in} understanding,
but one short of spirit is one who exalts foolishness. 30 A heart of healing {is} the life of the body,
but envy {is} the decay of bones.
31 One who oppresses a lowly one taunts his maker,
but one showing favor {to} a needy one honors him.
32 The wicked one will be thrust down by his evil,
but the righteous one seeks refuge in his death.
33 Wisdom will rest in the heart of one who is discerning,
but she will become known in the midst of fools.
34 Righteousness raises a nation,
but sin {is} shame for peoples.
35 The delight of a king {is} for the servant who acts prudently
but his fury will be {for} one who acts shamefully.
Chapter 15
1 A gentle answer turns back heat,
but a word of pain lifts up a nose.
2 The tongue of the wise ones makes knowledge good,
but the mouth of fools pours out foolishness.
3 The eyes of Yahweh {are} in every place,
keeping watch {on} evil ones and good ones.
4 A healing tongue {is} a tree of life,
but deceit in it {is} a crushing in the spirit.
5 A fool spurns the instruction of his father,
but one who keeps rebuke is prudent.
6 The house of the righteous one {is} much wealth,
but the produce of the wicked one is being troubled.
7 The lips of the wise ones scatter knowledge,
but the heart of fools {is} not so.
8 The sacrifice of the wicked ones {is} an abomination of Yahweh,
but the prayer of the upright ones {is} his delight.
9 An abomination of Yahweh {is} the way of the wicked one,
but he loves one who pursues righteousness.
10 Painful discipline {is} for one who forsakes the path;
one who hates rebuke will die.
11 Sheol and Abaddon {are} before Yahweh;
how much more the hearts of the sons of mankind?
12 A mocker does not love rebuking of him;
he will not go to the wise ones.
13 A joyful heart makes a face glad,
but by the pain of the heart a spirit {is} stricken.
14 The heart of one who is discerning seeks knowledge,
but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
15 All the days of the afflicted one {are} evil,
but the good of heart {has} a feast continually.
16 Better {is} a little with the fear of Yahweh
than much treasure and with it dismay.
17 Better {is} a meal of vegetables and love {is} there
than a fattened ox and with it hatred.
18 A man of heat stirs up a quarrel,
but the long of nostrils will quiet a dispute.
19 The path of the lazy one {is} like a hedge of thorn bushes,
but the path of the upright ones {is} a built-up one.
20 A wise son causes a father to rejoice,
but a foolish man despises his mother.
21 Foolishness {is} a joy to the lacking of sense,
but the man of understanding makes going straight.
22 Plans are broken with no counsel,
but with a multitude of counselors it will stand.
23 Joy {is} for the man with the answer of his mouth,
and how good {is} a word in its time.
24 The path of life {is} upward for one who is prudent,
in order to turn away from Sheol below.
25 Yahweh will tear down the house of the proud ones,
but he will set up the boundary of the widow.
26 Thoughts of evil {are} an abomination of Yahweh,
but words of pleasantness {are} pure ones.
27 One who unjustly gains unjust gain {is} one who troubles his house,
but one who hates bribes will live.
28 The heart of the righteous one considers how to answer,
but the mouth of the wicked ones pours out evil.
29 Yahweh {is} far from wicked ones,
but he hears the prayer of the righteous ones.
30 The luminary of the eyes causes the heart to rejoice;
good news fattens the bone.
31 An ear that hears the rebuke of life
will lodge among the wise.
32 One who lets go of instruction {is} one who despises his life,
but one who hears rebuke {is} one who acquires heart.
33 The fear of Yahweh {is} instruction of wisdom,
and humility {is} before the face of honor.
Chapter 16
1 The plans of the heart {are} for a man,
but the answer of the tongue {is} from Yahweh.
2 All the ways of a man {are} pure in his eyes,
but Yahweh weighs the spirits.
3 Roll your works to Yahweh
and your plans will be established.
4 Yahweh has made all for its answer
and even the wicked one for the day of evil.
5 Every high one of heart {is} an abomination of Yahweh,
hand to hand he will not be free of guilt.
6 By covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness is iniquity covered,
and by the fear of Yahweh is turning away from evil.
7 When Yahweh is pleased with the ways of a man,
he causes even his enemies to make peace with him.
8 Better {is} a little with righteousness
than much produce with no justice.
9 The heart of man plans his way,
but Yahweh establishes his step.
10 Divination {is} on the lips of a king,
in judgment his mouth will not act unfaithfully.
11 A scale and balances of justice {are} for Yahweh;
all the stones of the bag {are} his work.
12 Doing wickedness {is} an abomination of kings,
for by righteousness is a throne established.
13 The delight of kings {are} lips of righteousness,
and he loves one who speaks uprightly.
14 The heat of a king {is} messengers of death,
but a wise man will appease it.
15 In the light of the face of the king {is} life,
and his favor {is} like a spring rain cloud.
16 How better to acquire wisdom than gold,
and to acquire understanding is more choice than silver.
17 The highway of the upright ones turns from evil;
one who guards his life {is} one who protects his way.
18 Pride {is} before the face of breaking,
and a height of spirit {is} before the face of a stumbling.
19 Better to be lowly of spirit {with} afflicted ones
than to divide spoil {with} proud ones.
20 One who acts prudently concerning a matter will find good,
and ones who trusts in Yahweh, blessed is he.
21 One who is discerning will be called wise of heart,
and the sweetness of lips increases learning.
22 The prudence of its owner {is} a fountain of life,
but the instruction of fools {is} foolishness.
23 The heart of the wise makes his mouth prudent,
and on his lips it increases learning.
24 Words of pleasantness {are} a comb of honey,
sweet to the self and healing to the bone.
25 There is a right way before the face of a man
and its end {is} the ways of death.
26 The appetite of the laborer labors for him,
for his mouth presses on him.
27 A man of worthlessness digs up evil
and on his lips {it is} like a scorching fire.
28 A man of perverse things lets loose strife,
and one who whispers {is} one who separates close friends.
29 A man of violence persuades his neighbor,
and he leads him in a way {that is} not good.
30 One who winks his eyes plans perverse things;
one who compresses his lips brings evil to completion.
31 Gray hair {is} a crown of splendor;
it is found in the way of righteousness.
32 Better {is} one long of nostrils than a mighty one,
and one who rules his spirit than one who captures a city.
33 A lot is thrown down into the lap,
but all its judgment {is} from Yahweh.
Chapter 17
1 Better {is} a dry morsel and quietness with it
than a house full of sacrifices of strife.
2 A servant who acts prudently will rule over a son who acts shamefully
and in the midst of brothers he will share an inheritance.
3 The melting-pot {is} for silver and the furnace {is} for gold,
and Yahweh tests hearts.
4 One who does evil listens attentively to the lips of iniquity;
a liar listens to a tongue of destruction.
5 One who mocks one who is poor taunts his maker;
one rejoicing at calamity will not be free of guilt.
6 The crown of old ones {is} sons of sons,
and the splendor of sons {is} their fathers.
7 A lip of excess {is} not suitable for a fool;
how much less a lip of falsehood for a noble.
8 A stone of favor {is} a bribe in the eyes of its owner;
he succeeds to all that he turns.
9 One who covers transgression {is} one who seeks love,
but one who repeats a matter {is} one who separates close friends.
10 A rebuke goes down into one who is discerning
more than a hundred blows to a fool.
11 An evil one seeks only rebellion,
but a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 Meet a female bear robbed of offspring by a man
and not a fool in his foolishness!
13 One who returns evil for good,
evil will not depart from his house.
14 The beginning of a quarrel {is} the releasing of water,
so leave before the dispute breaks out.
15 One who declares the wicked one righteous and one who declares the righteous one wicked,
even the two of them {are} an abomination of Yahweh.
16 Why {is} this: a price {is} in the hand of a fool
to acquire wisdom but there is no heart?
17 At every time the friend {is} one who loves,
and a brother is born for distress.
18 A man lacking of heart {is} one who claps a palm,
plegding a pledge before the face of his neighbor.
19 One who loves transgression {is} one who loves strife;
one who makes his doorway high {is} one who seeks brokenness.
20 One perverse of heart will not find goodness,
and one who is turned away in his tongue will fall into evil.
21 One who begets a fool, {it is} to grief for him,
and the father of a fool will not rejoice.
22 A joyful heart will make healing good,
but a broken spirit dries up bone.
23 A wicked one takes a bribe from the bosom
to turn the paths of justice.
24 Wisdom {is with} the face of one who is discerning,
but the eyes of a fool {are} at the ends of the earth.
25 A son of a fool {is} a grief to his father
and bitterness to her who bore him.
26 Even to fine the righteous {is} not good,
to strike nobles {is} against uprightness.
27 One who knows knowledge {is} one who restrains his words,
and a man of understanding {is} cool of spirit.
28 Even a fool who keeps silent will be considered wise;
one who shuts his lips is being discerning.
Chapter 18
1 One who separates himself seeks for desire;
he bursts out against all prudence.
2 A fool does not delight in understanding
but rather in his heart revealing itself.
3 When wickedness comes contempt also comes,
and reproach with shame.
4 The words of the mouth of a man {are} deep waters;
a spring of wisdom {is} a bubbling stream.
5 {It is} not good to lift the face of the wicked one,
to turn aside the righteous one in the judgment.
6 The lips of a fool enter into strife,
and his mouth calls for blows.
7 The mouth of a fool {is} ruin for him,
and his lips {are} a snare of his life.
8 The words of one who whispers {are} like things swallowed greedily,
and they go down into the inner rooms of the belly.
9 Also, one who is slack in his work,
he {is} a brother to an owner of destruction.
10 The name of Yahweh {is} a tower of strength;
the righteous one runs into it and is set on high.
11 The wealth of the rich {is} a city of his strength
and like a wall set on high in his imagination.
12 Before the face of breaking the heart of a man is exalted,
but before the face of honor {is} humility.
13 One who returns a word before he listens,
it {is} folly to him and shame.
14 The spirit of a man will endure his illness,
but a broken spirit, who can lift it?
15 The heart of one who is discerning acquires knowledge,
and the ear of the wise ones seeks knowledge.
16 The gift of a man will make room for him,
and it will lead him before the face of great ones.
17 The first one with his case {is} right,
then his neighbor comes and examines him.
18 The lot causes quarrels to cease,
and it makes a separation between mighty ones.
19 A brother who has been offended {is worse} than a city of strength,
and quarrels {are} like the gate bar of a fortress.
20 From the fruit of the mouth of a man his belly is satisfied;
with the produce of his lips he is satisfied.
21 Death and life {are} in the hand of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.
22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing
and obtains favor from Yahweh.
23 One who is poor speaks pleas,
but a rich one answers harshly.
24 A man of companions {is} to be broken,
but there is one who loves, clinging more than a brother.
Chapter 19
1 Better {is} one who is poor who walks in his integrity
than one who is perverse in his lips and he {is} a fool.
2 Also, a life with no knowledge {is} not good,
and the one who hurries with feet {is} one who misses.
3 The foolishness of a man will pervert his way,
and his heart will rage against Yahweh.
4 Wealth adds many companions,
but a lowly one is separated from his companions.
5 A witness of falsehoods will not be free of guilt,
and he who breathes out lies will not slip away.
6 Many will appease the face of a noble one,
and everyone {is} a friend of a man of gift.
7 All the brothers of one who is poor hate him;
how much more do his friends keep away from him!
Pursuing with words, they are not.
8 One who acquires heart {is} one who loves his life;
one who keeps understanding {is} to find good.
9 A witness of falsehoods will not be free of guilt,
and one who breathes out lies will perish.
10 Luxury {is} not suitable for a fool;
how much less for a slave to rule over officials.
11 The insight of a man makes his nose long,
and his splendor {is} to pass over a transgression.
12 The rage of a king {is} a growling like the young lion,
but his favor {is} like dew on vegetation.
13 A son of a fool {is} destruction to his father,
and the quarrels of a wife {are} a continuous dripping.
14 A house and wealth {are} the inheritance of fathers,
but a wife who acts prudently {is} from Yahweh.
15 Laziness causes deep sleep to fall,
and the appetite of slackness is hungry.
16 One who keeps a command {is} one who keeps his life;
one who despises his ways will die.
17 One who shows favor to the lowly {is} one who lends to Yahweh,
and he will repay to him his recompense.
18 Discipline your son when there is hope,
and do not set your life to putting him to death.
19 One great of heat {is} one who lifts up a fine;
for if you rescue, then you will have to do so again.
20 Listen to counsel and accept instruction,
so that you will become wise in your end.
21 Many are the plans in the heart of a man,
but the counsel of Yahweh, it will stand.
22 The desire of a man {is} covenant faithfulness,
and better {is} one who is poor than a man of lying.
23 The fear of Yahweh {is} to life
and the satisfied one will stay overnight;
he will not be visited by evil.
24 A lazy one hides his hand in the dish;
he will not even return it to his mouth.
25 Strike a mocker and a naive one will become prudent,
and rebuking {is} for one who is discerning, he will discern knowledge.
26 One who does violence {to} a father, who causes a mother to flee,
{is} a son who causes shame and causes disgrace.
27 My son, cease to hear instruction,
stray from the words of knowledge.
28 A witness of worthlessness mocks justice
and the mouth of the wicked ones swallows iniquity.
29 Judgments are prepared for the mockers,
and blows for the back of fools.
Chapter 20
1 Wine {is} a mocker, intoxicating drink {is} one who is loud,
and everyone who goes astray by it is not wise.
2 The terror of a king {is} a growling like the young lion;
one who infuriates him {is} one who forfeits his life.
3 Cessation from strife {is} honor for a man,
but every fool breaks out.
4 A lazy one will not plow in winter,
and he begs in the harvest but there is nothing.
5 Counsel in the heart of a man {is} deep waters,
and a man of understanding will draw it out.
6 Many a man proclaims, each man, his loyalty,
but who can find a man of faithfulness?
7 A righteous one {is} one who walks about in his integrity;
blessed {are} his sons after him.
8 A king who sits on the throne of judgment
{is} one who scatters every evil with his eyes.
9 Who can say, “I have made my heart pure,
I am clean from my sin”?
10 Stone and stone, ephah and ephah,
even the two of them {are} an abomination of Yahweh.
11 Even a young man will cause himself to be recognized by his deeds,
if pure and if upright {is} his work.
12 An ear that hears and an eye that sees,
Yahweh made even the two of them.
13 Do not love sleep lest you become impoverished;
open your eyes, be satisfied with bread.
14 “Bad! Bad!” says the one who buys,
but when he leaves him, then he boasts.
15 There is gold and an abundance of corals,
but lips of knowledge {are} a vessel of preciousness.
16 Take his garment when he has pledged for a stranger,
and hold it in pledge for a foreign woman.
17 Bread of falsehood {is} sweet to a man,
but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.
18 Plans are established by counsel,
and by deliberation make war.
19 One who walks in slander {is} one who uncovers a secret,
and do not associate yourself with one who opens his lips.
20 One who curses his father and his mother,
his lamp will be extinguished in the pupil of darkness.
21 An inheritance gained quickly in the beginning,
its end will not be blessed.
22 Do not say, “I will repay evil.”
Wait for Yahweh and he will save you.
23 Stone and stone {are} an abomination of Yahweh,
and scales of deceit {are} not good.
24 The steps of a man {are} from Yahweh,
and how can a man understand his way?
25 A snare of a man: he says rashly, “{It is} holy,”
and after vows considers.
26 A wise king {is} one who scatters the wicked,
and he brings back a wheel over them.
27 The spirit of a man {is} the lamp of Yahweh,
searching all the inner rooms of the belly.
28 A king guards covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness,
and his throne is sustained by covenant faithfulness.
29 The splendor of young men {is} their strength
and the adornment of old ones {is} gray hair.
30 Strikes of a wound cleanse away evil
and blows of the inner rooms of the belly.
Chapter 21
1 The heart of a king {is} channels of water in the hand of Yahweh;
he turns it in accordance with all that he desires.
2 Every way of a man {is} right in his eyes,
but Yahweh weighs hearts.
3 To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to Yahweh than a sacrifice.
4 Height of eyes and broadness of heart,
the lamp of wicked ones, {are} sin.
5 The plans of the diligent one {are} surely to abundance,
but everyone who acts hastily {is} surely to poverty.
6 Work of treasures by a tongue of falsehood
{is} a fleeting vapor, those that seek death.
7 The violence of wicked ones will sweep them away,
for they refuse to do justice.
8 The way of a guilty man {is} crooked,
but the pure one, his work {is} upright.
9 Better to dwell on the corner of a roof
than with a woman of quarrels and a house of companionship.
10 The spirit of the wicked one craves evil;
his neighbor is not shown favor in his eyes.
11 When fining a mocker a naive one becomes wise,
and when instructing a wise one he acquires knowledge.
12 A righteous one considers the house of the wicked one;
overturning wicked ones to calamity.
13 One who shuts his ears from the outcry of a lowly one,
he also will cry out but will not be answered.
14 A gift in secrecy subdues nose,
and a bribe in the bosom, strong heat.
15 Doing justice {is} a joy for the righteous one,
but a terror to those who do iniquity.
16 A man wandering from the way of insight
will rest in the assembly of the spirits of the dead.
17 A man of poverty {is} one who loves joy;
one who loves wine and oil will not become rich.
18 A wicked one {is} a ransom for the righteous,
and one who acts treacherously instead of upright ones.
19 Better to dwell in a land of wilderness
than {with} a wife of quarrels and vexation.
20 Desirable treasure and oil {are} in the abode of a wise one,
but a foolish man swallows it up.
21 One who pursues righteousness and covenant faithfulness
will find life, righteousness, and honor.
22 A wise one ascends a city of mighty ones
and he brings down the strength of its confidence.
23 One who keeps his mouth and his tongue
{is} one who keeps his life from distress.
24 An insolent, proud one, mocker {is} his name,
acting in the overflow of insolence.
25 The desire of the lazy one causes him to die,
for his hands refuse to work.
26 All the day he desires desire for himself,
but a righteous one gives and does not withhold.
27 The sacrifice of the wicked ones {is} an abomination;
how much more when he brings it with a scheme.
28 A witness of falsehoods will perish,
but the man who listens will speak to perpetuity.
29 A man of wickedness makes firm with his face,
but an upright one, he discerns his ways. [1]
30 There is no wisdom and there is no understanding
and there is no counsel in opposition to Yahweh.
31 A horse is prepared for the day of battle,
but the salvation belongs to Yahweh.
Chapter 22
1 A name {is} to be chosen more than much riches;
favor {is} better than silver and than gold.
2 A rich one and one who is poor meet together;
Yahweh {is} the maker of all of them.
3 A prudent one sees evil and hides himself,
but naive ones pass on and they are fined.
4 The reward of humility, the fear of Yahweh,
{is} riches and honor and life.
5 Thorns, snares {are} in the way of the perverse one;
one who guards his life will stay far from them.
6 Train up the boy in accordance with the mouth of his way;
even when he is old, he will not turn aside from it.
7 A rich one rules over those who are poor,
and one who borrows {is} a slave to a man who lends.
8 One who sows injustice will reap trouble,
and the rod of his fury will come to an end.
9 The good of eye, he will be blessed,
for he gives from his bread to the lowly.
10 Drive out a mocker and strife will go out,
and judgment and dishonor will cease.
11 One who loves a pure heart,
his lips {are} gracious, the king {is} his friend.
12 The eyes of Yahweh guard knowledge,
and he overturns the words of one who is treacherous.
13 A lazy one says, “A lion {is} outside!
I will be killed in the midst of the plazas!”
14 The mouth of a strange woman {is} a deep pit;
one who is cursed of Yahweh will fall there.
15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a boy;
the rod of discipline will cause it to be far from him.
16 One who oppresses a lowly one to increase for himself,
one who gives to a rich one, will surely be to poverty.
17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise ones,
and set your heart to my knowledge.
18 For {it will be} pleasant if you keep them in your belly,
they are ready together on your lips.
19 Your trust {is} to be in Yahweh;
I have caused you to know today, even you.
20 Have I not written for you thirty things
with counsels and knowledge,
21 to cause you to know the truth of the words of trustworthiness,
to return trustworthy words to one who sent you?
22 Do not rob a lowly one because he {is} lowly,
and do not crush an afflicted one at the gate.
23 For Yahweh will plead their dispute,
and he will rob those who rob them of life.
24 Do not befriend a man of nose,
and do not go {with} a man of heat,
25 lest you learn his paths
and you take a trap for your life.
26 Do not be among those who clap a palm,
among those who pledge for loans.
27 If there is nothing for you to pay,
why should he take away your bed from under you?
28 Do not remove the ancient boundary
that your fathers made.
29 See a skilled man in his work; he will station himself before the face of kings;
he will not station himself before the face of low ones.
Chapter 23
1 When you sit to eat {with} a ruler,
consider carefully what {is} before your face,
2 and put a knife at your throat
if you {are} an owner of an appetite.
3 Do not desire his delicious morsels;
for it {is} bread of falsehoods.
4 Do not toil to gain riches;
cease from your understanding.
5 Will you cause your eyes to fly upon it, but it is not?
For it will surely make wings for itself like an eagle;
it will fly into the heavens.
6 Do not eat the bread of one evil of eye,
and do not desire his delicious morsels.
7 For like one who calculates in his spirit, so he {is}.
“Eat and drink!” he will say to you,
but his heart {is} not with you.
8 You will vomit up your morsel you ate,
and you will ruin your delightful words.
9 Do not speak in the ears of a fool,
for he will despise the insight of your words.
10 Do not move an ancient boundary,
and do not enter into the fields of orphans,
11 for one who redeems them {is} strong;
he will plead their dispute against you.
12 Bring your heart to instruction
and your ear to words of knowledge.
13 Do not withhold discipline from a boy;
if you strike him with the rod, he will not die.
14 You shall strike him with the rod
and you will rescue his life from Sheol.
15 My son, if your heart {is} wise,
my heart, even myself, will be glad,
16 and my kidneys will exult,
when your lips speak upright things.
17 Do not let your heart envy sinners,
but rather the fear of Yahweh all the day.
18 Surely there is an end
and your hope will not be cut off.
19 Listen, you my son, and be wise,
and lead your heart in the way.
20 Do not be among those who drink much wine,
among those who squander meat for themselves.
21 For one who drinks much and one who squanders will become poor,
and slumber will clothe with rags.
22 Listen to your father, this {one} begot you,
and do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 Buy truth and do not sell,
wisdom and instruction and understanding.
24 The father of a righteous one will rejoice greatly,
and one who begets a wise one, he will be glad in him.
25 May your father and your mother be glad,
and may she who bore you rejoice.
26 My son, give your heart to me,
and may your eyes watch my ways.
27 For a prostitute {is} a deep pit,
and a foreign woman {is} a narrow well.
28 Also, she lies in ambush like a robber,
and she increases those who act treacherously among man.
29 For whom {is} woe? For whom {is} sorrow? For whom {are} quarrels?
For whom {is} a lament? For whom {is} wounds without reason?
For whom {is} dullness of eyes?
30 For those who linger over wine,
for those coming to search out mixed wine.
31 Do not look at wine when it turns red,
when its eye gives in the bag,
it goes down with evenness.
32 Its end bites like a snake,
and it stings like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things,
and your heart will speak perverse things.
34 And you will be like one who lies down in the heart of the sea
and like one who lies down at the head of a mast.
35 “They hit me. I was not hurt.
They beat me. I did not know.
When I awake, I will do again, I will seek it again.”
Chapter 24
1 Do not envy men of evil,
and do not desire to be with them.
2 For their heart murmurs violence,
and their lips speak trouble.
3 A house is built by wisdom
and by understanding it is established.
4 And by knowledge the rooms are filled,
all precious and pleasant wealth.
5 A man of wisdom {is} with strength
and a man of knowledge {is} one who strengthens power.
6 For with guidance you make war for yourself
and salvation {is} with an abundance of counsel.
7 Wise things {are} too high for a fool;
in the gate he will not open his mouth.
8 One who plans to do evil,
they will call him a master of schemes.
9 A plan of foolishness {is} sin,
and a mocker {is} an abomination of mankind.
10 {If} you make yourself slack in the day of distress,
your strength {is} narrow.
11 Rescue those who are taken for death,
but do not hold back those who are staggering to the slaughter.
12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this.”
The one who weighs hearts, does he not understand,
and the one who guards your life, does he know?
And he will return to a man according to his work.
13 My son, eat honey because {it is} good
and the fresh honey {is} sweet on your palate.
14 So know wisdom for your self;
if you find it, then there will be a future
and your hope will not be cut off.
15 Do not lie in ambush like a wicked one for the abode of the righteous one;
do not assault his resting-place.
16 For a righteous one falls seven times and rises up,
but wicked ones stumble in calamity.
17 When your enemy falls, do not be glad,
and when he stumbles do not let your heart rejoice,
18 lest Yahweh see, and {it is} evil in his eyes,
and he turn back his nose from on him.
19 Do not cause yourself to be hot at evildoers;
do not envy wicked ones.
20 For a future is not for an evil one,
the lamp of the wicked ones will be extinguished.
21 My son, fear Yahweh and the king;
do not associate with ones who change.
22 For suddenly their disaster will arise,
and who {is} one who knows the destruction of the two of them?
23 These also {are} of the wise ones:
Recognizing faces in judgment {is} not good.
24 One who says to the wicked one, “You {are} righteous,”
peoples will curse him, nations will denounce him.
25 But for those who rebuke it will be delightful,
and a blessing of goodness will come over them.
26 He kisses lips
who returns honest words.
27 Prepare your work outside,
and make it ready for yourself in the field;
and after you will build your house.
28 Do not be a witness without cause against your neighbor.
And would you deceive with your lips?
29 Do not say, “Just as it was done to me, so I will do to him;
I will return to the man according to his deed.”
30 I passed over the field of a lazy man
and over the vineyard of the man lacking of heart.
31 And behold, all of it went up with thorns,
its face was covered with nettles,
and the wall of his stones was broken down.
32 And I myself looked, I set my heart,
I saw, I received instruction.
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of hands to lie down,
34 and your poverty will come walking around,
and your needs like a man of shield.
Chapter 25
1 These also {are} proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah the king of Judah copied.
2 {It is} the glory of God to hide a matter,
but the glory of kings to search out a matter.
3 Heavens for height and earth for depth,
and the heart of kings is not searchable.
4 Remove dross from silver
and a vessel goes out for the one who refines.
5 Remove a wicked one before the face of the king,
and his throne will be established by the righteous one.
6 Do not honor yourself before the face of the king,
and do not stand in the place of the great ones.
7 For, better to say to you, “Come up here,”
than to humiliate you before the face of a noble,
whom your eyes have seen.
8 Do not go out hastily to dispute,
or else what will you do in its end
when your neighbor humiliates you?
9 Dispute your dispute {with} your neighbor
and do not uncover another secret,
10 lest one who hears reproaches you,
and your evil report not turn back.
11 Apples of gold in sculptures of silver
{is} a word that is spoken in accordance with its circumstance.
12 A ring of gold and jewelry of fine gold
{is} a wise rebuke on an ear that listens.
13 Like the coolness of snow on the day of harvest
{is} a faithful messenger for those who sent him
and he brings back the life of his masters.
14 Clouds and wind but without rain
{is} the man who boasts of a gift of falsehood.
15 With length of nostrils a ruler is persuaded,
and a soft tongue breaks bone.
16 If you find honey, eat {what is} sufficient for you,
lest you become satiated with it and you vomit it up.
17 Make rare your foot from the house of your neighbor,
lest he become satiated with you and hate you.
18 A hammer and a sword and a sharp arrow
{is} a man who answers a testimony of falsehood against his neighbor.
19 A broken tooth and a shaky foot
{is} confidence in one who acts treacherously in the day of distress.
20 One who removes a garment on a cold day,
vinegar on natron,
so {is} one who sings with songs over a heart of misery.
21 If one who hates you {is} hungry, cause him to eat bread,
and if thirsty, cause him to drink water;
22 for you are heaping coals on his head,
and Yahweh will reward you.
23 The wind of the north brings forth rain,
and faces {that} are angry, a tongue of secrecy.
24 Better to dwell on the corner of a roof
than {with} a wife of quarrels and a house of companionship.
25 Cool water over a weary spirit,
so {is} good news from a distant land.
26 A spring {that is} muddied by trampling and a fountain {that is} spoiled
{is} a righteous one who shakes before the face of a wicked one.
27 To eat much honey {is} not good,
and the searching out of their honor upon honor.
28 A breached city without a wall
{is} a man who has no restraint for his spirit.
Chapter 26
1 Like the snow in the summer and like the rain in the harvest,
so honor {is} not suitable for a fool.
2 As the bird with respect to fluttering, as the swallow with respect to flying,
so an undeserved curse does not come.
3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
and a rod for the back of fools.
4 Do not answer a fool according to his foolishness,
lest you become like him, also you.
5 Answer a fool according to his foolishness,
lest he become wise in his eyes.
6 One who cuts off feet, one who drinks violence,
{is} one who sends words by the hand of a fool.
7 Legs dangle from a lame man,
so {is} a proverb in the mouth of fools.
8 Like tying a stone in a sling,
so {is} one who gives honor to a fool.
9 A thorn goes up into the hand of a drunkard,
so {is} a proverb in the mouth of fools.
10 An archer who pierces everyone,
so {is} one who hires a fool and hires those passing by.
11 Like a dog returning over its vomit
{is} a fool who repeats his foolishness.
12 See a man wise in his eyes,
{there is} more hope for a fool than him.
13 A lazy one says, “A young lion {is} in the road,
a lion {is} between the plazas!”
14 The door turns on its hinges,
and a lazy one on his bed.
15 A lazy one hides his hand in the dish;
he is weary to return it to his mouth.
16 A lazy one {is} wiser in his eyes
than seven who return discretion.
17 One who grabs the ears of a dog passing by
{is} one who infuriates himself over a dispute not for him.
18 Like a madman who shoots burning arrows and death,
19 so {is} the man who deceives his neighbor
and says, “Was I not joking?”
20 At the lack of wood a fire goes out,
and when there is no one who whispers a quarrel is silenced.
21 As charcoal {is} to burning coals and wood {is} to fire,
so a man of quarrels {is} to kindling of a dispute.
22 The words of one who whispers {are} like delicious morsels,
and they go down into the inner rooms of the belly.
23 Silver of dross covering over a clay pot
{are} burning lips and a heart of evil.
24 One who hates disguises himself with his lips
and he sets deceit in his inward part.
25 When he makes his voice gracious, do not trust in him,
for seven abominations {are} in his heart.
26 Hatred is covered by deception;
his evil will be uncovered in the assembly.
27 One who digs a pit will fall into it
and one who rolls a stone, it will come back to him.
28 A tongue of falsehood hates its oppressed ones,
and a smooth mouth makes ruin.
Chapter 27
1 Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day will bring forth.
2 Let a stranger praise you and not your mouth,
a foreigner and not your lips.
3 The heaviness of a stone and the weight of sand,
yet the vexation of a fool {is} heavier than the two of them.
4 Fierceness of heat and a flood of nose,
but who will stand before the face of jealousy?
5 Better {is} open rebuke
than hidden love.
6 Faithful {are} the wounds of one who loves,
but abundant {are} the kisses of one who hates.
7 A satiated appetite tramples fresh honey,
but for the appetite of a hungry one everything bitter {is} sweet.
8 Like a bird wandering from its nest,
so a man who wanders from his place.
9 Oil and incense make the heart glad
and the sweetness of his friend {is} from counsel of self.
10 Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father,
and do not enter the house of your brother on the day of your disaster.
Better {is} a nearby inhabitant than a distant brother.
11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad
and I shall return a word to one who taunts me.
12 A prudent one sees evil, he hides;
naive ones pass on, they are fined.
13 Take his garment when he pledges for a stranger,
and hold it in pledge on behalf of a foreign woman.
14 One who blesses his neighbor with a great voice in the rising morning,
it will be considered a curse to him!
15 Dripping continuing on a day of steady rain
and a woman of quarrels {are} the same;
16 restraining her {is} restraining the wind
and oil meets his right hand.
17 Iron sharpens against iron,
and a man sharpens the face of his neighbor.
18 One who watches a fig tree will eat its fruit
and one who guards his master will be honored.
19 As the water {is} the face to the face,
so {is} the heart of the man to the man.
20 Sheol and Abaddon are not satisfied,
and the eyes of man are not satisfied.
21 A melting-pot {is} for silver and a furnace {is} for gold,
so {is} a man for the mouth of one who praises him.
22 If you pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle, in the midst of grains,
his foolishness will not turn aside from on him.
23 Know well the face of your flock,
set your heart to the livestock.
24 For wealth {is} not to eternity,
and a crown {is} not for generation and generation.
25 The grass is uncovered and fresh grass is seen,
so the herbs of the mountains are gathered.
26 Like lambs {are} for your clothing,
so male goats {are} the price of a field.
27 And {there will be} enough milk of female goats for your food, for the food of your house,
and life for your female servants.
Chapter 28
1 The wicked flee and there is not one who pursues,
but the righteous ones are confident like a young lion.
2 By the transgression of a land many {are} its rulers,
but with a man who is discerning, who is knowledgeable, so it will endure.
3 A man who is poor and who oppresses the lowly ones
{is} a rain that washes away and there is no bread.
4 Those who forsake instruction praise a wicked one,
but those who keep instruction strive against them.
5 Men of evil do not understand justice
but those who seek Yahweh understand everything.
6 One who is poor who walks in his integrity {is} better
than one perverse of ways and he {is} rich.
7 One who keeps instruction {is} a son who is discerning,
but one who associates with those who squander shames his father.
8 One who makes his wealth abundant by interest and usury
gathers it for one who shows favor to lowly ones.
9 One who turns his ear away from hearing instruction,
even his prayer {is} an abomination.
10 One who leads upright ones astray in the way of evil
he will fall into his pits
but blameless ones will inherit good.
11 A rich man {is} wise in his eyes,
but a lowly one who understands will search him out.
12 {There is} great splendor when righteous ones rejoice,
but a man is searched for when wicked ones arise.
13 One who covers his transgressions will not prosper,
but one who confesses and forsakes will be shown mercy.
14 Blessed {is} a man who trembles continually,
but one who hardens his heart will fall into evil.
15 A lion growling and a bear charging
{is} a wicked ruler over a lowly people.
16 A leader lacking understanding {is} with great oppressions;
one who hates unjust gain will lengthen days.
17 A man who oppresses by the blood of life
will flee as far as a pit;
they will not support him.
18 One who walks blamelessly will be saved,
but one who is crooked in ways will fall into one.
19 One who works his land will be satisfied {with} bread,
but one who pursues empty things will be satisfied {with} poverty.
20 A man of faithfulness {has} an abundance of blessings,
but one who hurries to become rich will not be free of guilt.
21 Recognizing faces {is} not good,
but on account of a bit of bread a man will rebel.
22 A man of an evil eye {is} one who hurries to the wealth,
but he does not know that poverty will come to him.
23 One who rebukes a man afterward will find favor
more than one who makes the tongue smooth.
24 One who robs his father and his mother and says, “There is no transgression,”
he {is} the companion of a man of destruction.
25 One wide of spirit stirs up strife,
but one who trusts in Yahweh will be made fat.
26 One who trusts in his heart, he {is} a fool,
but one who walks in wisdom, he will slip away.
27 One who gives to the one who is poor has no need,
but one who hides his eyes has an abundance of curses.
28 When wicked ones arise a man will hide himself,
but when they perish righteous ones will increase.
Chapter 29
1 A man of rebukes who stiffens the neck
will suddenly be broken and there will be no healing.
2 When the righteous ones increase, the people rejoice,
but when a wicked man rules, the people groan.
3 A man who loves wisdom makes his father rejoice,
but one who associates with prostitutes destroys wealth.
4 The king by justice causes the land to stand,
but a man of contributions tears it down.
5 A man who makes smooth for his neighbor
{is} one who spreads a net for his feet.
6 A snare {is} in the transgression of an evil man,
but the righteous one sings and rejoices.
7 A righteous one {is} one who knows the cause of lowly ones;
a wicked one does not understand knowledge.
8 Men of mockery inflame a city,
but wise ones turn away nose.
9 A wise man judges a foolish man,
but he trembles and laughs and there is no rest.
10 Men of bloodshed hate a blameless one,
but upright ones seek his life.
11 A fool brings forth all his spirit,
but a wise one soothes it backwards.
12 One who rules who listens attentively to a word of falsehood,
all his servants {are} wicked.
13 One who is poor and the man of oppression meet together;
he who enlightens the eyes of them both {is} Yahweh.
14 A king who judges lowly ones by truth,
his throne will be established to perpetuity.
15 A rod and rebukes give wisdom
but a boy who is sent away {is} one who causes his mother shame.
16 When wicked ones increase, transgression increases,
but righteous ones will look at their overthrow.
17 Discipline your son and he will cause you to rest
and he will give delights to your spirit.
18 When there is no prophetic vision, the people are let loose,
but one who keeps instruction, blessed is he.
19 A servant will not be corrected with words,
for he understands but there is no answer.
20 Do you see a man who hastens his words;
{there is} more hope for a fool than him.
21 {If} one pampers his servant from youth,
then his end will be insolence.
22 A man of nose stirs up strife
and an owner of heat, much transgression.
23 The pride of a man will make him low,
but one lowly of spirit will grasp honor.
24 One who shares with a thief {is} one who hates his life;
he will hear an oath but will not tell.
25 The anxiety of a man gives a snare,
but the one who trusts in Yahweh will be set on high.
26 Many {are} those who seek the face of a ruler,
but justice of a man {is} from Yahweh.
27 A man of injustice {is} an abomination of righteous ones,
but the upright of way {is} an abomination of a wicked one.
Chapter 30
1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the burden:
The declaration of the man to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:
2 Surely, I {am} more stupid than a man,
and the understanding of mankind {is} not mine.
3 And I have not learned wisdom,
nor do I know the knowledge of the holy one.
4 Who has ascended {to} heaven and descended?
Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of his hands?
Who has bound up waters in a cloak?
Who has raised up all the ends of the earth?
What {is} his name and what {is} the name of his son? Surely you know!
5 Every word of God is tested;
he {is} a shield for those who take refuge in him.
6 Do not add upon his words,
lest he rebuke you and you be shown a liar.
7 Two things I ask from with you,
do not withhold from me before I die:
8 Put emptiness and the word of a lie far away from me.
Do not give to me poverty or riches,
cause me to tear the bread of my portion.
9 Lest I be satiated and I deny and say, “Who {is} Yahweh?”
And lest I become dispossessed and I steal
and I seize the name of my God.
10 Do not slander a slave to his master,
lest he curse you and you be guilty.
11 {There is} a generation, it curses its father
and does not bless its mother.
12 {There is} a generation pure in its eyes,
but it is not washed from its filth.
13 {There is} a generation, how its eyes are raised up,
and its eyelids are lifted up!
14 {There is} a generation, its teeth {are} swords
and its jaws {are} knives
for devouring afflicted ones from the earth and poor ones from mankind.
15 Two daughters {are} for the leech, “Give! Give!”
There are three, they are not satisfied;
four, they do not say, “Enough”:
16 Sheol, and the barrenness of the womb,
a land not satisfied with water,
and a fire does not say, “Enough!”
17 An eye mocks a father
and despises the obedience of a mother,
the ravens of the valley will peck it out
and the sons of the vulture will eat it.
18 Three things, they {are} too marvelous for me,
and four, I do not understand them:
19 the way of the eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship in the heart of the sea;
and the way of a man with a young woman.
20 Thus {is} the way of a woman who commits adultery:
she devours and wipes her mouth
and says, “I have not done iniquity.”
21 Under three things the earth trembles,
and under four it is not able to bear:
22 under a slave when he becomes king,
and a fool when he is satisfied with bread,
23 under a hated woman when she is married,
and a female servant when she disposseses her mistress.
24 Four things, they {are} small things of the earth
but they {are} wise things being made wise:
25 The ants {are} not a strong nation,
but they prepare their food in the summer.
26 Rock badgers {are} not a mighty nation,
but they set their house in the rock.
27 There is no king for the locust,
but all of them go out divided {into groups}.
28 You can catch a lizard with hands,
yet it {is} in the palaces of the king.
29 Three things, they are doing well of step,
and four are doing well of walking:
30 a lion {is} mighty among the animals
and it will not turn away from the face of anything,
31 one girded of loins, or a male goat,
and a king against whom one does not rise up.
32 If you have been foolish by lifting up yourself,
or if you have devised evil, a hand be to mouth!
33 For the squeezing of milk brings forth butter
and the squeezing of the nose brings forth blood,
and the squeezing of nostrils brings forth strife.
Chapter 31
1 The words of Lemuel the king, a burden that his mother had instructed him:
2 Why, my son? And why, son of my womb?
And why, son of my vows?
3 Do not give your strength to women
or your ways to wipe out kings.
4 {It is} not for kings, Lemuel, {it is} not for kings to drink wine
or for rulers, or intoxicating drink.
5 Lest, he drink and forget {what} has been decreed
and pervert the cause of all the sons of the afflicted one.
6 Give intoxicating drink to one who is perishing
and wine to those bitter of spirit.
7 He will drink and will forget his poverty
and he will not remember his trouble again.
8 Open your mouth for the mute,
for the cause of all the sons of the passing away one.
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously,
and plead the cause of the afflicted one and poor one.
10 A woman of strength, who can find?
And her worth {is} far more than corals.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her
and he will not lack spoil.
12 She does him good and not evil
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and linens
and works with the delight of her palms.
14 She is like the ships of one who travels about;
she brings her food from far away.
15 And she rises while still night
and gives food to her house
and a portion to her female servants.
16 She considers a field and gets it;
from the fruit of her palms she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds her loins with strength
and she makes her arms firm.
18 She perceives that her gain {is} good;
her lamp does not go out in the night.
19 She stretches out her hands at the distaff
and her palms grasp the spindle.
20 She spreads out her palms to the afflicted one,
and she stretches out her hands to the poor one.
21 She does not fear for her house because of the snow,
for all her house is clothed {with} scarlet.
22 She makes for herself coverings,
fine linen and purple for her garment.
23 Her husband {is} one who is known at the gates,
when he sits with the elders of the land.
24 She makes a linen garment and sells,
and she gives a sash to the Canaanite.
25 Strength and splendor {are} her clothing,
and she laughs at a day to come.
26 Her mouth opens with wisdom,
and the instruction of covenant faithfulness {is} on her tongue.
27 Watching closely the goings on of her house,
and she does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her sons rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also praises her.
29 “Many daughters have done valiantly,
but you have ascended over all of them.”
30 Charm {is} falsehood and beauty {is} vain;
a woman fearful of Yahweh, she will be praised.
31 Give to her from the fruit of her hands
and let her works praise her in the gates.