Proverbs
Chapter 1
1 {These are} the wise sayings said by Solomon. {He was} David’s son and Israel’s king.
2 {These wise sayings are} for knowing what is wise and instructive.
{They are} for understanding insightful things that people say.
3 {These wise sayings are} for instructing someone in what is insightful,
righteous, just, and honest.
4 {They are} for making naive people prudent,
and {for making} young men knowledgeable and discreet.
5 (Wise people will listen {to these wise sayings} and learn more.
Indeed, understanding people will know {what to do} because these sayings will guide them.)
6 {These wise sayings are} for understanding wise sayings and parables.
{Indeed, they are for understanding} what wise people say and the riddles they tell.
7 Reverently fearing Yahweh is necessary for being knowledgeable.
{But} foolish people detest what is wise or instructive.
8 My son, listen carefully to what I, your father, am teaching you.
Indeed, obey the rules that your mother has commanded.
9 {Obey your parents’ teaching} because it {will make you respectable, as if it} were an attractive wreath on your head,
or beautiful necklaces around your neck.
10 My son, if sinful people tempt you {to sin with them},
refuse {to do so}.
11 Those sinful people may say, “Join us!
We will hide in wait in order to kill someone {who walks by}.
Indeed, we will hide ourselves in order to suddenly attack an innocent person for no good reason.
12 We will kill living people completely, as if we were death itself.
{We will even kill} healthy people, as if they could not escape dying.
13 We will discover many valuable treasures!
We will fill our houses with what we steal!
14 Join our gang!
We will share all the loot between us.”
15 My son, do not associate with those sinful people!
Prevent yourself from doing anything they do!
16 {Avoid those sinners} because they are eager to do wicked things.
They even rush to murder people.
17 It is useless {for a hunter} to put out a net {to trap a bird}
while the bird is watching {because the bird will avoid the net}.
18 However, {these sinful people are more foolish than birds.} They {actually} hide in wait, so that they kill themselves.
Indeed, they hide themselves to suddenly attack, so that they die.
19 That is what happens to anyone who gains wealth in an unjust manner.
What they gained unjustly will kill them.
20 Wisdom {is like a woman who} calls out {to everyone} in public.
Indeed, wisdom {is like a woman who} shouts {to people} in the crowded places.
21 Indeed, at the place where busy streets intersect she cries out.
Indeed, at the {crowded} entrance of the city gates she speaks.
22 She cries, “You naive people have loved being naive for too long!
You people who ridicule have enjoyed ridiculing to benefit yourselves for too long!
You stupid people have hated what you should know for too long!
23 Turn around {and listen} to me when I correct you!
Pay attention! I will tell you all that I am thinking.
Indeed, I will help you understand what I am saying to you.
24 I cried out {to you}, but you refused {to listen}.
Indeed, I invited you to come to me,
but no one paid any attention {to me}.
25 You ignored everything I advised {you to do}.
Indeed, you rejected what I said to correct you.
26 Therefore, as for me, I will laugh at you when disastrous things happen to you.
Indeed, I will ridicule you when you are terrified.
27 When you are terrified, as if a violent storm has arrived,
{when} disastrous things happen to you violently,
when you become distressed and anguished, {I will ridicule you!}
28 At that time, those foolish people will cry out to me {to help them},
but I will not reply {to them}.
Indeed, they will desperately try to find me,
but they will not be able to.
29 {Those foolish people will not find me} because they refuse to be knowledgeable.
They have also decided not to reverently fear Yahweh.
30 Those foolish people rejected what I advised {them to do}.
Indeed, they detested everything I said to correct them.
31 Those foolish people will suffer rightly for what they have done.
Indeed, they will suffer fully for what they have planned.
32 Ultimately, naive people will die because they refuse {to be wise}.
Indeed, being complacent will destroy stupid people.
33 By contrast, people who listen attentively to what I say will live safely.
They will not fear that something evil might happen to them.”
Chapter 2
1 My son, accept what I say.
Consider what I command {you} to be precious.
2 {Do this by} listening attentively to what is wise,
{and by} thinking seriously about what you should understand.
3 Yes, cry out to learn what you should understand.
Cry loudly to learn what you should perceive!
4 Try to find what is wise, like you would try to find silver.
Indeed, look eagerly for it, like you would look for a treasure that someone has hidden.
5 {If you do those things,} then you will understand how to reverently fear Yahweh.
You will even succeed in knowing God.
6 {This is} because Yahweh provides people with what is wise.
He tells them what they should know and understand.
7 He gives what is truly wise to upright people.
He protects people who behave honestly.
8 {He does these things} in order to guard those people who live justly,
Indeed, he keeps safe those people who are faithful to him.
9 {If you listen to me,} then you will understand what is righteous, just, and honest,
{even} the best way to behave.
10 {This is because} you will truly know what is wise,
and knowing what you should know will please you.
11 Being discreet will make you safe.
Indeed, being insightful will make you secure.
12 {Being like this will protect you} in order to save you from people who behave wickedly,
{and to save you} from people who speak perversely.
13 Those people refuse to behave righteously in order to behave wickedly.
14 They gladly do evil things.
They enjoy evil and perverse acts.
15 They behave deceptively.
Indeed, they act deviously.
16 {Being discreet and insightful will protect you also} in order to save you from adulterous women,
{and to save you} from immoral women who speak {to you} seductively.
17 Those women left the husbands they married when they were young.
They even forgot the promise they made to God {when they married}.
18 {Being discreet and insightful will rescue you} because {going to} her house will result in you dying.
Indeed, going with her will result in you going to the place where the spirits of dead people are.
19 No one who has sex with her will live again.
They will never become alive again!
20 Therefore, behave like a good person.
Indeed, conduct yourself like a righteous person.
21 Ultimately, people who live uprightly will live in our land,
Indeed, people whom God does not blame {for acting wickedly} will stay in this land for a long time.
22 By contrast, people who act wickedly will be removed from our land.
Even people who act treacherously will be completely removed from this land!
Chapter 3
1 My son, remember the rules I have taught you!
Always be mindful to obey what I have commanded you!
2 {Do this} because {obeying} what I have commanded you will help you live for a long time with many fulfilling and peaceful years.
3 Always be faithful and trustworthy.
Let everyone see {how faithful and trustworthy you are, as if} they were a necklace you are wearing.
Remember to be faithful and trustworthy at all times.
4 As a result of doing so, both God and people will approve of you and think well of you.
5 Trust Yahweh completely,
and do not rely on what you understand.
6 Remember Yahweh whenever you do anything.
As a result {of doing so}, he will show you what you should do.
7 Do not think that you are wise.
Instead, reverently fear Yahweh and refuse to do what is evil.
8 Doing so will make your body healthy.
Indeed, {doing so} will refresh you.
9 Revere Yahweh {by giving to him} some of your riches,
{even by giving to him} some of the first {crops} from everything that you harvest.
10 {Doing so} will result in your places for storing crops becoming abundantly full {of crops}.
Even your containers for wine will overflow with fresh wine.
11 My son, do not refuse to listen when Yahweh corrects you.
Do not be resentful even when he rebukes you.
12 {Do not do so} because Yahweh only reproves the people whom he loves.
He is similar to a father who reproves the son whom he likes.
13 People who gain what is wise are happy.
Indeed, people who gain what they should understand {are truly happy}.
14 {This is} because being wise profits people more than silver {could profit them}.
Indeed, being wise benefits people more than gold {could benefit them}.
15 Being wise is more valuable than precious jewels.
There is nothing you desire that is worth as much as being wise.
16 Being wise will help you live for a long time.
Being wise will help you become wealthy and honorable.
17 Being wise will make you live pleasantly.
Indeed, in every way being wise will make you live peacefully.
18 What is wise is {like} a tree {with fruit} that keeps alive people who hold on to it,
People who are consistently wise live happily.
19 Yahweh made the world by using what is wise.
He made the sky by using what he understands.
20 According to what Yahweh understands, water flowed forth from deep {below the earth} and water fell from the clouds {above}.
21 My son, always remember to do what is prudent and discreet.
Always be mindful to do those things.
22 Doing so will help you live for a long time
and will make you {respectable, as if you had} an attractive necklace around your neck.
23 Doing so will {also} cause you to live safely.
You will not even get hurt.
24 When you lie down {to sleep}, you will not fear anything.
You will even lie down {to sleep} and sleep peacefully.
25 Do not worry about something terrible happening {to you} suddenly,
or about {what will happen} when God destroys wicked people.
26 {Do not worry} because Yahweh will make you confident.
He will not allow people to harm you.
27 Do not refrain from giving what is good to people who deserve it
when you are able to do so.
28 When you have something {that your neighbor needs}, do not tell that person,
“Go away and come back later. I will give it to you then.”
29 Do not plan to harm anyone, even someone who lives nearby and trusts you.
30 Do not argue needlessly with someone who has not harmed you.
31 Do not envy violent people.
Do not imitate anything they do.
32 {Do not do so} because Yahweh detests {such} people who act wickedly,
but he converses like a friend with people who act uprightly.
33 Yahweh causes bad things to happen to the families of wicked people,
but he causes good things to happen to the families of righteous people.
34 Yahweh is the one who ridicules people who ridicule {others},
but he approves of people who are humble.
35 People will honor wise people,
but will shame foolish people.
Chapter 4
1 Children, listen carefully to what I, your father, am teaching you.
Pay attention in order to learn what you should understand.
2 {Do this} because what I am teaching you is good.
{So} remember the rules that I am teaching you.
3 I was once my father’s boy,
{and} my mother considered me to be her delicate, only son.
4 During that time, my father taught me. He told me,
“Remember what I have told you!
Do what I have commanded you, so that you will keep on living!
5 Obtain what is wise and what you should understand!
Always remember what I have spoken to you!
6 Remember what is wise, so that it will be like a woman who keeps you safe.
Love what is wise, so that it will be like a woman who protects you.
7 Being wise is the most important thing! {So} obtain what is wise!
{Even if} it costs you everything that you own, obtain what you should understand!
8 Prize what is wise, so that you will become great.
People will honor you when you value what is wise.
9 Being wise {will make you respectable, as if it} put an attractive wreath on your head.
Indeed, being wise {will make you honorable, as if it} gave you a magnificent crown.”
10 My son, listen attentively and accept what I say.
Doing so will increase the number of years that you live.
11 I instructed you in how to act wisely.
I directed you in how to act uprightly. 12 When you do something, nothing will prevent you {from succeeding}.
Indeed, if you do anything, you will succeed.
13 Consistently remember the things I have instructed you;
keep remembering them!
Always be mindful of them, because they will keep you alive.
14 Do not do what wicked people do.
Indeed, do not act like evil people act.
15 Shun doing what is evil. Do not even consider doing it!
Refuse to act wickedly and do something else.
16 {Do not act wickedly} because {it is as if} evil people cannot even sleep unless they do something evil;
{it is as if} they cannot rest unless they hurt someone.
17 {Do not act wickedly} because evil people do wicked things as if they were eating food;
they violently hurt others as if they were drinking wine.
18 As for righteous people, {they will live wisely and safely} like the light of the sun at dawn.
{They will live more and more wisely and safely as} the sun shines brighter and brighter until the brightest time of day.
19 {But} wicked people {will live dangerously} like people {who walk} in total darkness.
They do not know {what hurts them as people walking in darkness do not know} what they trip over.
20 My son, pay attention to what I am saying to you!
Listen carefully to what I say!
21 Always remember what I say!
Fully commit yourself to remembering them!
22 {Do this} because those who do so will live {for a long time},
even their whole bodies will be healthy.
23 Be extremely careful about what you think,
because what you think will control how you live.
24 Do not say anything that deceives people.
Indeed, never say anything that misleads people.
25 {Focus on doing what is right, like} someone who is always looking straight ahead.
Indeed, {act like} someone who is looking straight in front of himself.
26 Carefully consider what you do.
As a result {of doing so}, you will succeed in everything that you do.
27 Do not do anything other than what is right.
Prevent yourself from doing what is evil.
Chapter 5
1 My son, pay attention to the wise things that I tell you!
Listen carefully to what I say you should understand!
2 {Do this} so that you may remain discreet,
and you may preserve what you know when you speak.
3 {Do this} because what an adulterous woman says seems delightful like honey
and more pleasing than olive oil.
4 However, being with her will result in you being miserable, as if you had eaten a bitter plant.
{You will suffer} like a person whom someone has cut with a sharp, double-edged sword.
5 {Being with her will result in both of you dying} as if she were leading you to where dead people are.
Indeed, what she does will cause you both to die.
6 She does not want to do what will cause her to live for a long time.
She does not realize that she {lives precariously like someone who} is walking on an uneven path.
7 So now, children, pay attention to what I say!
Always remember what I have spoken to you!
8 Stay far away from an adulterous woman!
Do not even go near the door of the place where she dwells!
9 If you go to her, people will weaken you,
and a merciless person will take away {what you have gained in} the best time of your life.
10 If you go to her, people you do not know will satisfy themselves with {what you gained} when you were strong,
and a foreign person will fill his house with what you labored to gain.
11 Then you will groan when you are about to die
and have worn out your whole body.
12 Then you will say, “I hated it extremely when people corrected me!
Indeed, I scorned people when they rebuked me!
13 I did not obey the people who taught me.
Indeed, I did not listen carefully to the people who instructed me.
14 I almost utterly disgraced myself in public.”
15 {So be like} someone who only drinks water from his own well;
have sex with your wife only.
16 {Do not be like} someone who lets his water run out into the streets;
never have sex with other women!
17 Only have sex with your own wife!
Do not have sex with other women!
18 Be happy with your wife;
rejoice with the woman whom you married when you were young.
19 {She is as beautiful as} a loving deer and {as graceful as} a mountain goat.
Let her beauty always satisfy you.
Constantly be exhilarated by how she loves you.
20 My son, you should never be exhilarated by an adulterous woman!
You should never passionately caress an immoral woman!
21 {Never do that] because Yahweh fully knows what people do.
Indeed, he knows everything that people do.
22 The wicked things that wicked people do are {like} traps that catch them;
the sinful things they do are {like] ropes that tie them down.
23 Those wicked people will die because they did not discipline themselves.
They will do what kills them because they are extremely foolish.
Chapter 6
1 My son, if you guarantee to pay a loan for someone you know,
{or if} you agree to pay a loan for someone you do not know,
2 {or if} you have troubled yourself by promising something,
{and} you cannot fulfill what you promised,
3 then, my son, do this in order to save yourself {from what you have troubled yourself with}:
humbly go to that person you know and beg him {to cancel what you have promised} because he controls you.
4 Do not sleep,
do not even rest {until you go and talk to him}.
5 Save yourself {immediately},
as if you were a deer fleeing from a hunter
or a bird fleeing from a trapper.
6 You lazy person, go watch ants!
Consider what ants do so that you can be wise.
7 Absolutely no one tells ants what to do.
8 {Nevertheless,} during the right time they store their food {to eat during the winter}.
Indeed, when people harvest crops the ants collect what they will eat {later}.
9 {But} you lazy person, stop sleeping!
Wake up!
10 {You say to yourself,} “Let me sleep just a little more!
Let me lay my hands {across my chest} in order to rest comfortably for a little while longer!”
11 {Being so lazy} will result in you suddenly becoming poor and needy,
as if a thief has attacked you.
12 Worthless people who act sinfully constantly deceive people by what they say.
13 They gesture with their bodies to deceive people.
14 They are always thinking perversely while planning how to do evil things.
They cause people to argue {with each other}.
15 Because of this, disastrous things will suddenly happen to those people.
Someone will destroy them instantly and they will not be able to recover.
16 Yahweh absolutely hates six, no, seven things:
17 being proud, speaking falsely,
someone who murders a person who has not done anything wrong,
18 someone who plans ways to act sinfully,
someone who is eager to act wickedly,
19 someone who easily lies when testifying,
and someone who causes members of the same family to argue.
20 My son, be mindful to obey what I, your father, have commanded {you}.
Indeed, obey the rules that your mother has commanded.
21 Remember what we have taught you as if it were always a part of you.
Indeed, {remember these lessons as if} you wore them like a necklace.
22 What we have taught you will cause you to know what you should do each day.
It will cause you to be safe when you sleep.
It will even be instructive for you when you wake up {in the morning}.
23 {This is so} because what I have commanded {you} is {like} a lamp {for you}.
Indeed, the rules {we taught you} are {like} a light {to guide you}.
When we rebuke you while instructing you, {we do that} so that you can do what will keep you alive.
24 {We taught you these lessons} in order to prevent you from {going to} wicked women,
{and to prevent you} from {believing} what immoral women say seductively.
25 Do not think lustfully about her beautiful body.
Do not let her seduce you by the {flirtatious} way she looks at you.
26 {Do not do so} because, although having sex with a prostitute only costs you the price of a cheap meal,
an {adulterous} married woman will cause you to die.
27 Fire will surely burn people who put it on their chests!
28 Burning coals will surely burn the feet of people who step on them!
29 It is similar with anyone who has sex with a married woman.
People will certainly punish anyone who does that.
30 Nobody hates people who steal if they steal {food} in order to feed themselves when they are hungry.
31 Nevertheless, if people catch thieves, those thieves must pay back seven times {as much as they stole to those whom they stole from}.
They must give everything that they have {in order to repay what they stole}.
32 By contrast, a man who has sex with another man’s wife does not think wisely.
What he does will kill him!
33 Someone will injure and disgrace him,
and he will always be ashamed.
34 {This is so} because the jealous husband will become furious.
He will act mercilessly when he revenges himself {on the man who had sex with his wife}.
35 That jealous husband will not accept any money {to stop being furious},
no matter how much money you offer him.
Chapter 7
1 My son, obey what I have told you.
Sincerely consider what I have commanded {you} to be precious.
2 Do what I have commanded {you}, so that you will keep on living.
Consider the rules I have taught you to be the most precious things you possess.
3 {Always remember what I have commanded you as if} it were tied around your fingers.
Remember it at all times!
4 Love what is wise as if it were your sister.
Indeed, love what you should understand as if it were a close relative.
5 {Do this} so that you will be able to stay away from adulterous women,
and {stay away} from immoral women who speak {to you} seductively.
6 {I was} once {standing} near the window {in my house},
and I looked down {from above the street} through the shutters on the window.
7 Then I observed {someone} among the naive people.
I noticed among the youths a young man who does not think wisely.
8 He walked down the street near the corner of {the road where} the adulterous woman {dwells}.
Then he walked toward the place where she dwelled.
9 (It was the time of day when night begins, {and then} it became dark.)
10 Suddenly an adulterous woman approached the young man.
She was wearing a prostitute’s clothing and intended to deceive {the young man}.
11 (That woman spoke loudly and acted rebelliously.
She never stayed at home.
12 She {often} walked around the streets and public places.
At the corner of any road she waited for someone whom she could seduce.)
13 When {she saw the young man}, she firmly took hold of him and kissed him.
She shamelessly told {him},
14 “Today {I have meat in my house, because} I sacrificed an animal {in the temple} to promise friendship {with Yahweh}.
{In this way} I did what I had vowed to do.
15 So I have come out here to meet you.
{I have come out} to look everywhere for you, and now I have found you!
16 I have covered my bed with luxurious Egyptian fabric.
17 I have put pleasant-smelling perfumes on my bed:
myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come {with me}! Let us satisfy ourselves sexually all night!
Let us enjoy ourselves sexually!
19 {Come with me} because my husband is not at home.
He has gone away on a long journey.
20 He filled a bag with money and took it with him.
He will not return home until the middle of the month.”
21 {Thus} that adulterous woman persuaded the young man by speaking so persuasively;
by speaking seductively she allured him {into doing what she wanted to do}.
22 He quickly followed her {to her home}.
He {unknowingly} went to die like an ox going to the place where its owner will kill it.
{He went to die inevitably} like a foolish person {who goes} in fetters to be punished
23 until {someone kills him by} shooting an arrow into his entrails.
{He went to die quickly} like a bird that flies into a trap.
He did not realize that going with the adulterous woman would cause him to die.
24 So now, children, pay attention to what I say!
Pay careful attention to what I have spoken to you!
25 Do not decide to do what adulterous women do.
Indeed, never act like them!
26 {Do not do so} because they have killed many men who are {now} slain.
They have slain so many men!
27 {Going to} an adulterous woman’s house is doing something that will result in that person dying.
{Doing that} will result in that person going to the place where the spirits of dead people are.
Chapter 8
1 What is wise {is surely like a woman who} calls out {to everyone}.
Indeed, what people should understand {is surely like a woman who} shouts {to people}.
2 What is wise {is like a woman who} stands at the highest place along the crowded streets {where everyone can hear her}.
3 What is wise {is like a woman who} cries out next to the gates at the entrance to a city.
4 {She proclaims:} “I am calling out to all of you!
I am speaking to all people!
5 You naive people must comprehend what is prudent.
You stupid people comprehend how to be discerning.
6 Listen {to what I say}, because I will tell you some excellent things.
I will speak to you about what is right.
7 {Listen to what I say} because I speak what is true.
I detest speaking what is evil.
8 Everything that I say is righteous.
I do not say anything that is false or deceptive.
9 Everything that I say is plain for people who understand.
{Everything that I say} is right to people who have become knowledgeable.
10 Choose what I instruct you instead of silver.
Indeed, {choose to learn} what you should know instead of the finest gold.
11 {Do this} because I am more valuable than precious jewels.
I am more valuable than anything you can desire.
12 I am what is wise. I am related to what is prudent.
I enable someone to know what is discreet.
13 Everyone who reverently fears Yahweh hates what is evil.
{I hate it when} people are proud or arrogant.
I hate it when people act wickedly and when people speak perversely.
14 I advise people and enable them to be truly wise.
I am {the wise things} that you need to understand.
I strengthen people.
15 I enable kings to rule {well}.
{I enable} rulers to make righteous laws.
16 I enable princes to govern;
and {I enable to govern} every noblemen who judges righteously.
17 I {am what is wise, and} I benefit anyone who loves me.
Anyone who earnestly tries to become wise will succeed.
18 I enable people to become rich and I cause people to honor those people.
{I enable people to have} riches that will last and {I enable people to become} righteous.
19 What I can give people is more valuable than even the purest gold and the best silver.
20 I {always} do what is righteous and just
21 in order to give wealth to people who love me.
I will fill up the places where they store valuable items.
22 Yahweh had me{, what is wise,} when he began to create {everything}.
{Indeed, he had me} before he started doing that.
23 Yahweh established me a very long time ago—at the very beginning before the world existed.
24 I began to exist before the oceans existed
and before there were springs abounding with water.
25 I began to exist before Yahweh made the mountains {and} before the hills {existed}.
26 {I began to exist} before Yahweh made the land or the fields or the first particles of dirt on the earth.
27 I existed when Yahweh made the sky
{and} when he made the boundary between the sky and the ocean’s surface.
28 {I existed} when Yahweh made the clouds above {the earth},
{and} when he made the springs flow at the bottom of the ocean.
29 {I existed} when Yahweh set boundaries for the seas,
so that the water {in the seas} would not go past those boundaries.
{I existed} when Yahweh made the boundaries of the land.
30 At that time I was {like} someone beside Yahweh who helped him create {everything}.
I made him happy every day.
I was always rejoicing when I was with him.
31 {I was} rejoicing in the whole world that Yahweh had made.
I was also happy with the people {he had made}.
32 So now, children, pay attention to what I say!
{Do this} because anyone who behaves wisely will be happy.
33 Listen to what I teach {you}, so that you will become wise.
Accept what I teach you!
34 People who listen to me will be happy,
{They are eager to listen to me like} people who wait {for me} at the door of my house every day.
{They are like} people who diligently wait {for me} at my doorway.
35 {This is true} because people who learn to be wise will live {a long time},
and Yahweh will approve of them.
36 But those who refuse to be wise hurt themselves.
All those who hate to be wise {are like people who} love death.”
Chapter 9
1 What is wise {is like a woman who} has built her own {spacious} house
and made seven pillars to support its roof.
2 {What is wise is like} a woman {who has prepared a meal for guests.
She} has prepared the meat {to eat} and wine {to drink}.
She has {fully} prepared her table for a meal.
3 {What is wise is like} a woman who sends out her maids {to invite her dinner guests}.
{What is wise is like} a woman who cries out at the highest place in the city {where everyone can hear her}.
4 She tells those who are not wise,
“Come into {my house}, all you naive people!
5 “Come {to me}! Eat the food that I have prepared,
and drink the wine that I have prepared.
6 Stop acting naively so that you can live {for a long time}.
Do what will cause you to learn what you should understand.
7 If you {try to} teach someone who ridicules {other people}, that person will ridicule you.
If you correct an evil person, that person will hurt you.
8 {So} do not correct a person who ridicules {other people}. If you do so, then that person will hate you.
{However,} if you correct a wise person, that person will love you {for doing so}.
9 If you instruct a wise person, then that person will become even wiser.
If you teach a righteous person, then that person will learn even more.
10 Reverently fearing Yahweh is necessary for being wise,
and knowing what is holy is what you should understand.
11 Surely being wise will cause you to live for many days,
and it will cause you to live for many years.
12 Any wise person benefits from being wise.
But anyone who ridicules {other people} will suffer alone for doing so.”
13 Stupid women speak loudly,
act naively, and are very ignorant.
14 They sit at the doors of the places where they dwell.
{They sit} on seats at the highest place in the city {where everyone can hear them}.
15 {They sit there} in order to cry out to the people who are walking past them.
{They cry out to} those walking down the road, who are only concerned about where they are going.
16 They tell those who are not wise,
“Come into {my house}, all you naive people!
17 {Come to me because having sex with someone to whom you are not married is} as sweet as water that you have stolen.
Indeed, {it is} as delicious as food that you eat all by yourself.”
18 But men who go to the houses of such women are not aware that those men who have gone there before have died.
{They are not aware} that the guests of such women are now in the deepest parts of the place where dead people are.
Chapter 10
1 {These are} the wise sayings {said} by Solomon:
Wise children make their fathers happy;
but stupid children make their mothers sad.
2 Riches that people acquire by acting wickedly will not benefit them;
but people who act righteously prevent themselves from dying {too soon}.
3 Yahweh prevents righteous people from starving,
but he prevents wicked people from getting what they want.
4 People who are too lazy to work become poor;
but people who work hard become rich.
5 A son who collects crops at the right time is insightful;
but a son who sleeps during the time to harvest crops is shameful.
6 God blesses righteous people;
but what wicked people say prevents others from knowing about the violent acts {that they do}.
7 People will be happy when they remember righteous people;
but people will forget wicked people like something that decays {and disappears}.
8 People who think wisely obey what people command {them to do that is good},
but people who speak foolishly destroy themselves.
9 People who behave honestly will live safely;
but God will catch people who behave deceitfully.
10 People who gesture with their eyes {to deceive people} hurt {people},
and people who speak foolishly destroy themselves.
11 What righteous people say is like a spring that enables people to live for a long time;
but what wicked people say prevents others from knowing about the violent acts {that they do}.
12 When people are hateful, they cause people to argue;
but when people are loving, they forgive people who wrong them.
13 Discerning people say what is wise,
but someone must punish people who do not think wisely.
14 Wise people sincerely consider what they should know,
but people who speak foolishly are destructive.
15 What rich people own keeps them safe like a wall keeps a city safe,
but being poor destroys poor people.
16 God rewards righteous people by allowing them to live {for a long time},
but God recompenses wicked people by punishing them for sinning.
17 People who heed what is instructive will live for a long time;
but people who do not let others correct them do what will destroy them.
18 People who do not admit that they hate someone speak falsely.
People who slander others are stupid.
19 People who talk a lot sin a lot;
but people who refrain from speaking {unnecessarily} are wise.
20 What righteous people say is {as valuable as} the best silver;
{but} what wicked people think is worthless.
21 What righteous people say benefits many people,
but foolish people die because they do not think wisely.
22 When people become wealthy, {it is because} Yahweh has blessed them,
and he does not make them suffer for it.
23 Stupid people enjoy doing the wicked things that they planned {to do},
but understanding people enjoy what is wise.
24 Wicked people will experience what frightens them;
but righteous people will receive what they want.
25 When something disastrous happens, it destroys wicked people,
but righteous people are {like} a foundation that lasts forever.
26 Lazy people irritate people who send them {to do something for them},
like vinegar irritates teeth and smoke irritates eyes.
27 Reverently fearing Yahweh will cause a person to live for a long time;
but wicked people will not live for a long time.
28 What righteous people hope for leads to being joyful,
but what wicked people hope for will not happen.
29 What Yahweh does protects honest people like a fortress;
but what he does destroys people who act sinfully.
30 Righteous people will always be safe,
but wicked people will never live in our land.
31 Righteous people say what is wise,
but Yahweh will stop people who speak perversely from speaking.
32 What righteous people say is favorable,
but what wicked people say is perverse.
Chapter 11
1 Yahweh detests {people} using weighing instruments in order to deceive others,
but people who use correct weights {on their weighing instruments} please him.
2 When people act proudly, they will soon disgrace themselves,
but humble people are wise.
3 Being honest will cause people who act uprightly to know what they should do,
but being deceitful will ruin people who act treacherously.
4 What people own will not help them when Yahweh judges {the world},
but acting righteously will prevent people from dying.
5 Being righteous will cause people who live blamelessly to know what they should do,
but being wicked will ruin those who act wickedly.
6 Being righteous will cause people who act uprightly to escape,
but what people who act treacherously want will cause someone to trap them.
7 When wicked people die, what they hoped for never happens,
what people who rely on how strong they are hoped for also never happens.
8 Yahweh prevents righteous people from becoming distressed;
but wicked people will become distressed instead.
9 What people who reject God say ruins people they know,
but what righteous people know will cause them to escape.
10 People in a city rejoice when the righteous people {there} prosper,
and they shout joyously when wicked people die.
11 A city becomes great when people who act uprightly bless {the people there},
but what people who act wickedly say destroys that city.
12 People who {openly} detest someone they know are not thinking wisely;
but understanding people say nothing.
13 People who gossip walk around telling {others} what is secret,
but trustworthy people will not do so.
14 Not having anyone to guide {a people group} will ruin that group,
but having many people advise {a people group} will rescue {that group}.
15 People who guarantee to pay a loan for someone they do not know will surely suffer,
but people who hate agreeing to pay a loan for someone will be safe.
16 People honor a gracious woman,
but cruel people {only} gain wealth.
17 People who are faithfully kind benefit themselves,
but cruel people hurt themselves.
18 People who act wickedly do not really gain anything,
but God truly rewards people who do what is righteous.
19 People who truly act righteously will live {for a long time},
but people who eagerly do what is evil will die.
20 Yahweh detests people who think deceitfully,
but people who act blamelessly please him.
21 Yahweh will certainly punish wicked people.
but he will not punish the offspring of righteous people.
22 Attractive women who refuse to act discreetly
are {as ridiculous as} a gold ring in a pig’s snout.
23 What righteous people want only results in what is good,
but what wicked people hope for results in {Yahweh} being angry.
24 People who generously share {what they have with others} will receive even more,
but people who keep more {of what they have} than they should will only lose it.
25 People who generously bless others will prosper;
and people who generously give others something to drink will also receive something to drink.
26 People will curse people who {selfishly} hoard food {instead of selling it},
but they will bless people who sell it {when they need it}.
27 Yahweh and others approve of people who earnestly try to do what is good,
but evil things happen to people who try to do what is evil.
28 People who depend on their money are those who will ruin themselves,
but righteous people will thrive like a green plant.
29 People who trouble their families will not inherit anything,
and people who act foolishly will serve people who think wisely.
30 What righteous people do is {like} a tree {with fruit} that keeps people alive,
and people who persuade others are wise.
31 Pay attention! Righteous people on the earth will get what they deserve;
but even more so, wicked people and sinful people will {also} get what they deserve!
Chapter 12
1 People who love other people correcting them {also} love {learning} what they should know.
But people who hate other people correcting them are stupid.
2 Yahweh approves of people who are good,
but he condemns people who plan to do what is evil.
3 People cannot live stably by acting wickedly,
but righteous people are {as stable as a} tree with immovable roots.
4 A virtuous wife causes people to praise her husband,
but a disgraceful wife {destroys her husband} like a disease that destroys his bones.
5 What righteous people plan is just,
{but} what wicked people advise is deceitful.
6 What wicked people say {causes people to die like} someone who hides in wait in order to kill someone {who walks by};
but what upright people say will enable them to escape.
7 Yahweh destroys wicked people and they will cease to exist,
but the families of righteous people will continue to exist.
8 People will praise someone according to how insightful that person is,
but people will despise someone who thinks perversely.
9 People whom others disrespect yet have servants are better
than people who think they are important yet have no food.
10 Righteous people take care of their animals,
but even when wicked people {try to} act compassionately, they act cruelly.
11 People who work hard will satisfy themselves with food,
but people who waste time doing worthless things do not think wisely.
12 Wicked people want what evil people steal,
but righteous people benefit {others} like a tree with deep roots.
13 What wicked people sinfully say will destroy them,
but righteous people will not become distressed.
14 What people say will satisfy them with what is good;
what people work hard to accomplish will benefit them.
15 Foolish people think that what they are doing is {always} right;
but wise people listen to what other people advise {them to do}.
16 People know immediately when foolish people are angry;
but clever people ignore it when someone disrespects them.
17 People who easily speak truthfully speak righteously,
but witnesses who speak falsely speak deceitfully.
18 When people speak without thinking, they hurt others like someone who stabs people with a sword;
but what wise people say helps people heal.
19 What people say truthfully will last forever,
but what people say falsely will {only} last for a moment.
20 People who plan to act evilly think deceitfully,
but people who advise others to act peacefully will be joyful.
21 Bad things do not happen to righteous people,
but wicked people will experience many bad things.
22 Yahweh detests people who speak falsely,
but people who act faithfully please him.
23 Clever people conceal what they know,
but stupid people shout out foolish things.
24 People who work hard will reign {over others},
but lazy people will become slaves.
25 When people worry, they feel sad,
but when someone says what is good, those people feel happy.
26 Righteous people will guide the people they know,
but what wicked people do causes them to do what will destroy them.
27 Lazy people do not even cook the animal they caught,
but people who work hard acquire valuable riches.
28 People who do what is righteous will live {for a long time}.
Indeed, people who do so will not die {too soon}.
Chapter 13
1 Wise sons pay attention when their fathers instruct them,
but people who ridicule {other people} do not pay attention when people correct {them}.
2 What people say will enable them to eat good {food},
but people who act treacherously {only} want to act violently.
3 People who are careful about what they say enable themselves to stay alive,
{but} people who speak carelessly destroy themselves.
4 Lazy people always want something but never receive it,
but people who work hard will receive more than what they want.
5 Righteous people detest speaking falsely,
but wicked people are disgusting and disgraceful.
6 Acting righteously enables people who act blamelessly to be safe,
but acting wickedly causes sinful people to do what will destroy them.
7 Some people act as if they are wealthy while they are {actually} poor.
Other people act as if they are poor while they are {actually} wealthy.
8 Rich people {might} have to pay money {to someone who threatens them} in order to stay alive,
but poor people do not {even} listen when someone threatens them.
9 Righteous people live joyfully like a light {that shines brightly},
but wicked people {will merely die} like an oil lamp that stops burning {oil}.
10 People acting proudly only causes people to argue,
but people whom others advise are wise.
11 Riches that people gain effortlessly will diminish;
but people who gain riches by working hard will increase {their riches}.
12 People despair when they do not receive what they hope to receive,
but receiving what people want to receive is {like} a tree {with fruit} that keeps those people alive.
13 People who detest what others {try to} teach them will suffer for doing so,
but God will reward those very people who reverently fear what he has commanded.
14 What wise people teach is like a spring that enables people to live for a long time.
It enables people to avoid what could kill them.
15 People approve of people who are very insightful,
but how treacherous people live is harsh.
16 All clever people act according to what they know,
but stupid people show how foolish they are {by how they act}.
17 Bad things happen to messengers who are not reliable,
but reliable messengers help people heal.
18 People who do not let other people correct them will be poor and ashamed,
but people will respect those people who let other people rebuke them.
19 People feel pleasant when they get what they want,
but stupid people detest refusing to do what is evil.
20 People who associate with wise people will become wise {themselves},
but people who are companions of stupid people will agonize.
21 Bad things happen to sinful people,
but good things happen to righteous people.
22 Good people will leave riches for their grandchildren when they die,
but righteous people will receive the riches that sinful people have saved.
23 Poor people have fields that can produce a lot of food,
but unjust people take it all away {from them}.
24 Parents who do not physically punish {their children act as if they} hate their children,
but parents who {truly} love their children are careful to discipline them.
25 Righteous people eat enough {food} to satisfy themselves,
but wicked people are always hungry.
Chapter 14
1 The wisest women help their families thrive,
but foolish women ruin their families by what they do.
2 People who behave uprightly reverently fear Yahweh,
but people who behave deceptively detest Yahweh.
3 What foolish people say causes someone to punish them for being proud,
but what wise people say keeps them alive.
4 Where there are not any oxen {to feed in the barn}, the feeding container is clean;
but oxen work to produce a lot of crops.
5 Honest witnesses do not lie,
but dishonest witnesses lie easily.
6 People who ridicule {other people} try to become wise and fail to do so,
but understanding people can easily learn what they should know.
7 Stay away from stupid people
because you will not learn anything from what they say.
8 Clever people know what to do because they are wise,
but stupid people deceive themselves because they are foolish.
9 Foolish people scorn making amends with God after sinning,
but Yahweh approves of upright people.
10 Only miserable people know how miserable they are,
and joyful people cannot share what they feel with someone they do not know.
11 The families of wicked people will die out,
but the families of upright people will thrive.
12 People think they know the right way to behave,
but people who behave that way will ultimately die.
13 People who are laughing may still be suffering,
and people who feel joyful may ultimately feel sad.
14 People who refuse {to live righteously} will receive from Yahweh what they deserve;
and good people {will also receive from Yahweh} what they deserve.
15 Naive people believe whatever people say,
but clever people think carefully about what they do.
16 Wise people are afraid of {doing what is evil} and refuse to do what is evil,
but foolish people make themselves angry and are overconfident.
17 People who quickly become angry act foolishly,
and people hate people who plan to do what is evil.
18 Naive people will act foolishly,
but clever people will learn what they should know.
19 Evil people will {respectfully} bow in front of good people,
and wicked people will bow at the doors {of the houses} where righteous people {dwell}.
20 Even the people whom poor people know hate them,
but many people love rich people.
21 Sinful people scorn the people they know,
but people who are kind to suffering people are happy.
22 People who plan to act evilly certainly act deceptively,
but people are faithful and trustworthy to people who plan to do what is good.
23 Whenever people work hard, they will earn money,
but when people {only} talk, they will only remain poor.
24 Wise people will acquire wealth,
but stupid people {only} act more foolishly because they are foolish.
25 Truthful witnesses save people from dying,
but people who lie easily are deceptive.
26 Strong people are confident because they reverently fear Yahweh.
Those people will protect their children.
27 Reverently fearing Yahweh is like a spring that enables people to live for a long time.
It enables people to avoid what could kill them.
28 Kings who rule over many people are glorious,
but rulers who have no people {to rule over} have nothing.
29 People who do not become angry quickly understand a lot,
but people who quickly become angry show everyone how foolish they are.
30 Feeling peaceful makes a person’s body healthy,
but envying others {makes a person’s body unhealthy, like something that} rots a person’s bones.
31 People who make poor people suffer despise Yahweh who made them,
but people who are kind to needy people respect Yahweh.
32 Wicked people destroy themselves by doing evil things,
but righteous people feel safe {even} when they die.
33 Understanding people think wisely,
and even foolish people know about what is wise.
34 Acting righteously makes a country great,
but acting sinfully disgraces a people group.
35 Insightful servants please their kings,
but kings are furious with disgraceful people.
Chapter 15
1 Replying gently to angry people will calm them,
but speaking harshly will make them angrier.
2 What wise people say makes others appreciate what they should know,
but stupid people constantly say what is foolish.
3 Yahweh sees everything that is happening;
he observes both evil people and good people.
4 What people say soothingly is {like} a tree {with fruit} that keeps people alive,
but what people say deceitfully makes people despair.
5 Foolish people detest what their fathers say to correct them,
but people who let others rebuke them are clever.
6 Righteous people have houses that contain a lot of riches,
but what wicked people gain troubles them.
7 What wise people say informs others of what they should know,
but what foolish people think does not do that.
8 Yahweh detests what wicked people offer {to him},
but he is pleased with what upright people pray.
9 Yahweh detests what wicked people do,
but he loves people who diligently try to act righteously.
10 Yahweh will severely punish people who refuse to live righteously,
{and} people who hate other people correcting them will perish.
11 Yahweh knows everything about the place where dead people are.
So he surely knows everything that everyone thinks!
12 People who ridicule others despise anyone who corrects them;
they avoid wise people.
13 People smile when they are happy,
but feeling sad can make people despair.
14 Understanding people try to learn what they should know,
but stupid people satisfy themselves with what is foolish.
15 What happens every day that suffering people live makes them wretched,
but cheerful people live like people who are always feasting.
16 It is better for someone to have a few things while reverently fearing Yahweh,
than for someone to have a lot of riches while worrying.
17 It is better for someone to have a small meal where people love each other,
than to have a large meal where people hate each other.
18 People who easily become angry cause people to argue,
but people who do not become angry quickly will stop people from arguing.
19 Lazy people live unproductively like {people that have} a thorny plant {blocking their paths},
but upright people live productively {like people who are walking on} a road that is easy to walk on.
20 Wise children make their fathers happy,
but stupid children detest their mothers.
21 People who are not wise enjoy acting foolishly,
but understanding people act rightly.
22 What people plan fails when no one advises them,
but what people plan succeeds when many people advise them.
23 People rejoice when they answer someone aptly.
It is so good to say something at the right time!
24 How insightful people live causes them to live for a long time
in order for them to avoid going to the place where dead people are.
25 Yahweh will destroy what proud people own,
but he protects the {few} things that widows own.
26 Yahweh detests the evil things that people think,
but the pleasing things that people say are pure.
27 People who gain wealth in an unjust manner trouble their families,
but people who refuse bribes will live {for a long time}.
28 Righteous people think carefully about how to reply to people,
but wicked people constantly say what is evil.
29 Yahweh does not listen to wicked people,
but he listens to what righteous people pray.
30 People feel happy when they see someone smile,
{and} people feel healthy when they hear something good.
31 People who listen when others rebuke them in a way that will keep them alive will become wise.
32 People who refuse to let others correct them {act as if they} despise themselves,
but people who listen when others rebuke them think wisely.
33 Reverently fearing Yahweh makes people wise,
and people must be humble before other people respect them.
Chapter 16
1 People make plans out of their longings deep within them,
but it is Yahweh who tells him what will happen.
2 A person sees nothing wrong with what he does,
but Yahweh measures every part of what a person does according to his purposes.
3 When you work, give all your ideas and your labor to Yahweh,
and your plans will be successful.
4 When Yahweh made everything, he made them so they would all accomplish something for him.
He has even made the wicked for the day when there is great trouble.
5 Yahweh hates those whose pride comes from deep within them.
But you can be sure of this: They will still be punished for their pride.
6 Love and faithfulness will cover over sin and forgive sin.
When people give Yahweh the respect he deserves,
they will be able to turn away from doing what is evil.
7 When a person pleases Yahweh by the way he lives his life,
he even causes that person’s enemies to get along with him.
8 It is better to have a little money and to follow what is right,
than to have a large amount of money and to live by spreading injustice.
9 From deep within a person come the plans he makes,
but Yahweh leads the person in each step he takes.
10 A king can speak with inspired judgment;
and when he makes a ruling, it is good and true.
11 Honest scales come from Yahweh;
it is he who decided how much each unit should weigh.
12 We should hate it when kings do wicked things,
for the throne is set on a firm foundation when the king does what is right.
13 A king is happy when he hears someone speaking what is right;
and he loves the one who is direct when he talks.
14 If a king becomes angry, his wrath is a danger that can kill;
so wise people will try to calm him so that he is not too angry.
15 In a king’s smile there is life;
when he is happy, he is like the cloud that brings the spring rain.
16 Becoming wise is better than having gold;
getting good understanding is better than having silver.
17 The one who lives in the way that is right will turn away from doing evil;
whoever is careful about how he lives his life
will preserve his life.
18 Pride happens to someone first, and then he perishes.
If someone thinks he is better than others,
he will have a terrible fall.
19 It is better to be humble and live among the poor
than to receive a portion of what proud people took by force.
20 Those who think about what they have been taught
find many good things in the lesson;
how fortunate are those who put their trust in Yahweh.
21 One who has wisdom deep inside him is given the title, “discerning,”
and those who speak in a way that can be understood
and can motivate their hearers, teach well.
22 When you understand, it is as if you have found a fountain of life within you;
but fools find their punishment when their foolishness comes back to them.
23 From deep within him, the wise person speaks from the insight he has learned;
and so when he speaks he has the power to pursuade others.
24 Kind words are like a honeycomb;
they are sweet for us to take in,
and they give healing to our bodies.
25 A person lives out his life and he thinks he is doing what is right,
but when he comes to the end of his life, all he finds is death.
26 A worker’s appetite drives him to work harder,
his hunger urges him to keep working.
27 A worthless man digs and digs until he finds something
he can use to embarrass someone and cause them trouble;
and what he says about them is like a fire that burns the field.
28 A person who has no morals stirs up conflict between people;
and those who spread rumors pull friends apart.
29 A violent person tells lies to his friend,
and he leads him down a path that will never find what is good.
30 The one who winks the eye is signaling to others it is time to begin their terrible plot;
those who press their lips together, they do evil things.
31 Gray hair is like a glorious crown;
it is given to those who live their lives
by doing what is right.
32 The one who is slow to get angry is stronger than a warrior;
the one who is self-controlled is mightier than one who conquers a city by force.
33 The stones making up the “lot” are thrown into a person’s lap,
but Yahweh decides on which side of the stones they will stop rolling.
Chapter 17
1 It is better to eat a dry piece of bread and not have strife
than to live in a house where quarreling is as regular as feasting.
2 A slave who acts wisely will rule over the son of his master
if that son does shameful things.
That slave will receive a share of the inheritance and will be treated like one of his master’s sons.
3 Silver is put into the crucible to be refined, and gold is put into the furnace to be made pure,
but it is Yahweh who makes people pure.
4 Those who do what is evil pay attention to the person who talks in wicked ways,
and those who tell lies listen to those who speak in order to make trouble.
5 The one who makes fun of those who are poor insults Yahweh who made him;
Yahweh will punish those who are happy when someone else has troubles.
6 Grandchildren bring honor and respect to the aged,
and parents bring honor to their children.
7 A fool is not able to give an eloquent speech;
even more is it wrong to lie to someone with a royal title.
8 A bribe works like magic for the one who is giving the bribe;
everything he tries to do by giving bribes succeeds.
9 You must learn not to be offended by the one you love,
but if you bring up something to your friend that hurt you, and you do it over and over,
that will pull the best of friends apart.
10 A rebuke to someone with understanding goes deeper into him
than trying to teach a fool by hitting him a hundred times with a stick.
11 An evil person is only interested in disobeying the rules;
he deserves a messenger who will be cruel to him.
12 You would be better off meeting a mother bear who had been robbed of her cubs
than to meet a fool who is being foolish.
13 If someone gives back evil for the good that was given to him,
evil will stay in his family.
14 Starting a quarrel is like pumping water and letting it run everywhere;
it is much better to walk away before it starts.
15 When a court sets the wicked free and condemns those who do what is right,
Yahweh hates both of these actions.
16 There is no benefit for a fool when he pays money to learn about wisdom;
no matter how much he tries, he will not be able to learn about wisdom.
17 A friend loves you all the time,
and when you are in trouble, there is no one better than a brother to help you.
18 One having no good judgment will make a contract he cannot pay,
and he will even make a promise to pay the money his neighbor owes.
19 The one who loves to have arguments, that person also loves the sin that lies behind the conflict;
one thing leads to another: The one who makes the threshold of his door too high, it is sure to make someone break the bones in his foot.
20 A person who is dishonest because of what is within him, he will never find what is good,
and the one who tells lies will fall into trouble.
21 The father who has a fool brings sadness into his life;
the father of a fool cannot live a happy life.
22 Being cheerful is like medicine that makes you feel better,
but when you are crushed by sadness, it is as if every bone within you could break with only a touch.
23 A wicked person accepts a bribe in such a way as no one could see him,
so the bribe would change the verdict in his favor.
24 The one who has begun to understand, he knows that he must also now go after wisdom.
However, the foolish person has bold plans and impossible dreams,
and he looks for them no matter how far away they may be.
25 A foolish child brings a father great sadness,
and regret to the mother who gave birth to him.
26 It cannot be good to punish someone who does what is right,
and if a good man with moral character is punished by the law, this can never be good.
27 The one who has learned knowledge, learned to speak well using few words,
and the one who has understanding, does not lose his temper.
28 When a fool keeps silent, some may think he is very wise;
when he keeps his mouth shut, even a fool looks intelligent.
Chapter 18
1 The one who keeps himself away from other people will only live for his own desires,
and he never acts with good judgment.
2 A foolish person does not enjoy understanding anything;
he only wants to tell others what he thinks.
3 A wicked person comes, and with them comes the contempt they have for other people—
and then comes shame and disgrace following along.
4 The words a man speaks are like the deep waters of an ocean
or a fountain that flows with wisdom.
5 When the wicked are treated with special honor, it is not good,
and it is not good to refuse to give justice to those who do what is right.
6 A foolish person says things that start arguments;
he says things that make other people want to beat him with a stick.
7 A foolish person brings himself to ruin by the things he says;
his very words set a trap in which he will be caught.
8 When a person gossips, his words are as sweet to other people as candy is in their mouths,
and they love to listen to them.
9 The person who does a poor job when he is working
is a relative to the one who destroys everything.
10 The name of Yahweh is like a castle that can never be overrun;
those who do what is right run for safety into it, and in the fortress of his name, they are safe.
11 The wealthy person depends on his wealth as a city depends on its fortifications;
he thinks it protects him as well as a high wall.
12 When a person is about to be ruined, it is his proud heart that brings his destruction,
but before a person can gain great honor, he must first learn to become humble.
13 A person who gives you an answer before he listens to you—
there is nothing more foolish
and nothing that gives him more shame.
14 A person may survive a terrible sickness in his body,
but if he feels his inner self is crushed, how can he survive?
15 Intelligent people have a desire to get more and more knowledge,
and wise people will find someone to teach them even more knowledge.
16 If you take a gift to an important person, you will open the way to allow you to talk to him.
17 The first person to present his case before a judge seems right
until the other side comes and questions him.
18 When there are two strong people having a dispute,
casting lots can help to settle the dispute.
19 If you offend your brother, finding a way to have peace with him again
may be harder than waging a battle to win a city.
and having an argument is more difficult to overcome
than breaking down the bars of a castle.
20 The words a person speaks can bring satisfaction to himself,
like the food he eats satisfies his stomach.
21 People are able to kill others or keep them alive by means of what they say.
And there is danger for those who love the power of their speaking.
22 The one who finds a wife, finds something so good it is a gift to bless his life,
and it is Yahweh who gives him this wonderful gift.
23 A poor person desperately begs for mercy, but a rich person is rude when he answers.
24 One person says that he has many friends, but his life is ruined by them;
but there is a friend who stands with us through everything,
and he is always close at our side, even closer than a brother.
Chapter 19
1 Compare a poor person who keeps his promises,
with a fool who is full of lies.
2 And consider, having desire without knowledge
is like running so fast that you miss the path you want to take.
3 The folly of a fool destroys his life,
but he becomes furious with Yahweh for his troubles.
4 Those who are wealthy easily find many friends, but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend he had.
5 A person who lies in order to become a friend will be punished for taking advantage,
just as the one whose every word he speaks is a lie, he will not escape.
6 When a person is generous with their gifts, many people will ask for favors,
it seems that everyone is a friend of the one who gives many gifts.
7 All the brothers of one who is poor hate him;
and even more do his friends hate him, and they go far away from him;
he calls out to them, but they have left.
8 The one who makes every effort to learn about wisdom, loves himself;
having understanding helps you know what is good and what is not.
9 The ones who lie when they give testimony will be punished,
but the one whose every word is a lie, he will die.
10 When a fool lives in luxury—it is not right,
and it is even worse for a slave to rule over princes.
11 A person with good sense is slow to get angry,
and it is to his honor that he overlooks it when someone does him wrong.
12 What is the wrath of the king like? It is like the roaring of a young lion,
but his kindness is like the dew on the grass.
13 A foolish child will ruin a father.
A wife who is always quarreling will upset her husband like water that is constantly dripping.
14 We can inherit houses and money from our parents,
but a sensible wife is from Yahweh.
15 The one who is lazy finds that sleep comes easily to him,
but anyone who refuses to work will go hungry.
16 The one who follows the command he was taught puts a guard over his life,
but the one who does not think about how he lives his life will die.
17 One who is kind to the poor, it is as if he were lending to Yahweh;
and Yahweh will pay him for what he did.
18 Train your children and give them discipline while it is still possible to rescue them;
but do not allow them to offend you so much that you consider taking their lives.
19 A hot-tempered person will pay a price for his anger;
if you rescue him after he had has an outburst, you will have to do it again and again.
20 Pay attention to good guidance and let others teach you
so that you can become wise by the end of your life.
21 A person has many plans that come from within him,
but Yahweh has his own plans, and he will carry them out.
22 A person wants loyalty,
it is better to be poor than to tell a lie to a judge in court in order to get money.
23 Anyone who has respect for Yahweh will live a long life;
such a person who has this respect for Yahweh will be satisfied,
and will come to no harm.
24 The lazy person puts his hand in the dish;
he is not able to raise his hand up to his mouth to eat.
25 If you punish someone who mocks others,
an uninstructed person will learn how to be prudent.
If you correct someone who has understanding,
he will gain more knowledge.
26 Someone who steals from his father and alienates his mother
brings shame and disgrace to himself.
27 My son, if you will not listen to the teaching,
you will wander away from the words of knowledge.
28 A lying witness laughs at anyone who acts justly,
and wicked people act sinfully as easily as they eat food.
29 Yahweh is ready to punish those who make themselves out to be better than other people,
and he is ready to flog the backs of fools.
Chapter 20
1 Wine makes you loud, and strong drink makes you foolish;
whoever lets alcohol lead them to where they get lost is not wise.
2 The king’s wrath makes people as afraid as if they were facing a young lion roaring at them;
the person who makes a king angry is giving up his own life.
3 It is an honor to stay out of an argument,
but every fool is ready to join one.
4 The lazy person is not willing to plow his crops again in autumn,
and when it is harvest time, he looks, but there is nothing growing in his field.
5 The purposes within a person’s life are like waters in a deep well,
but a person who has understanding is able to draw them out.
6 Many people proclaim that they can be trusted to do what they promise,
but it is very difficult to find one who can really be trusted.
7 The person who always does right—
how fortunate will be his children who follow after him.
8 A king who sits on his throne to act as a judge
can distinguish between all the kinds of evil before him just by looking at them.
9 No one can truthfully say, “I have kept my heart pure, and I am free from my sins.”
10 Uneven weights, improperly marked, and unequal measures, that favor the one who is selling,
Yahweh hates both of them.
11 Also, even a youth is known by what he does,
it is clear whether what he does is pure and respectable or not.
12 Ears that hear and eyes that see—
Yahweh made them both.
13 If you love to sleep all the time, you will become poor;
stay awake when you should be at work and you will have plenty to eat.
14 “It is no good,” the buyer says when he is bargaining with you about the price.
But after he buys it, he goes and boasts to his friends what a good price he bought it for.
15 Consider the value of gold and many expensive jewels,
but the words of the one who has knowledge are like precious jewels.
16 Take the expensive coat of the person who guarantees a loan for a stranger, so it can be sold if the debt is not paid back.
And if he makes a pledge for an immoral woman, hold his coat as a guarantee for the loan he makes.
17 Bread gotten by telling a lie, may taste sweet,
but later his mouth will be like it was full of gravel, because of his lies.
18 Good plans are made in consultation with good advisors,
and only with wise advisors giving their advice should anyone go to war.
19 A gossip tells secrets,
so stay away from people who talk too much.
20 If a person curses his father or his mother,
his life will be put out as a light that is snuffed out.
21 An inheritance that comes to a person quickly, may do some good at the beginning,
but later it will do less good for the person who received it.
22 Do not say, “I will pay you back for the wrong you did to me.”
Wait for Yahweh and he will take care of the matter.
23 Yahweh detests those who use dishonest scales
and weights that are not accurate.
24 Yahweh is the one who directs the way a person will go.
So then, how can someone understand where he is going?
25 It is dangerous to declare that something is holy to Yahweh,
and it is worse to think about the meaning of holiness only after you have made a vow.
26 A king who is wise will separate the wicked from among his people;
then he will severely punish those wicked people.
27 The life-giving spirit within a man is the light shining from Yahweh within us,
it shines deep within and shows what is hidden deep inside us.
28 Love and faithfulness preserve the life of the king;
his throne is made strong by steadfast love.
29 The honor of young people is seen in how strong they are,
but the splendor of old people is in their gray hair.
30 When we are beaten, the wound that results may cleanse away evil,
and beatings make our inmost self clean.
Chapter 21
1 The motives of the king are directed like a stream of water by Yahweh;
he diverts the king like he directs the flow of water, in any way he wants.
2 When a person looks at his own life, everything he does may seem right to him,
but what matters is what Yahweh thinks about what he does.
3 Doing what is right and just is more acceptable to Yahweh
than offering sacrifices to him.
4 When you show people that you think you are better than they,
and add to that the pride you have within you—this shines like a light and it tells others you are a wicked person—
they are examples of sin.
5 Those who work hard and who carry out their plans will be successful,
but everyone who takes action too quickly and with little planning, make themselves poor.
6 When someone becomes rich because he tells lies,
that wealth fades away like the mist; that wealth will kill him.
7 When wicked people act with violence, they are destroyed by their own violence,
because they refuse to do what is right.
8 A guilty person follows a path covered with lies,
but the innocent chooses to do what is right.
9 It is better to live alone in the corner of a housetop
than inside a house with a wife who always wants to argue with you.
10 The wicked man craves evil more than anything;
and when he looks at his neighbor,
the wicked man’s eyes reveal
that he is not going to be kind to his neighbor.
11 When a person who acts like he is better than other people is punished,
the simple—who do not know about right and wrong—are taught an important lesson,
and if you teach one who is wise, they can learn even more.
12 One who does what is right watches the house where evil people live,
and he confronts their wickedness and brings them to justice.
13 When the poor cried out for help, there was a person who refused to listen to their cries,
but when he cried out, because he covered his ears to their cries, no one heard his cries.
14 Give a gift to a person who is angry with you, and it may turn away his anger;
a secret gift may help a person who is angry at you to calm down.
15 When there is justice, those who love what is right are happy,
but when there is justice, it brings great fear to those who do what is evil.
16 A person who does not understand right and wrong, will get lost when he tries to make decisions,
he will only rest when he is dead.
17 Love pleasure and it will make you poor;
you cannot be rich and love to drink wine and eat expensive foods.
18 A person who does right is honored much more than a wicked man,
and a good man is worth far more than one who never keeps his promise.
19 It is better to live alone in a desert
than with a wife who is always stirring up conflicts and never stops complaining.
20 Those who are wise have very precious treasures and they live very well,
but foolish people waste all they have.
21 A person who does right and is kind,
lives a good life, makes wise decisions, and receives honor from others.
22 When a wise leader goes up against a city of mighty warriors,
he knows how to bring down the defenses of the city and he conquers it.
23 Be careful, if you could put a guard to watch over the words that come out of your mouth and tongue,
you would keep away from a lot of trouble.
24 The mocker thinks he is better than other people,
and his actions come from his pride and his arrogance.
25 The things that the lazy person chooses to do will kill him;
he refuses to work.
26 All day long he desires things—he could not desire for more things—
but whoever does right gives gifts to others, and he never holds back anything that is good.
27 When the wicked decide to give an offering to Yahweh, Yahweh hates it,
and Yahweh hates it even more when the wicked man comes to worship Yahweh in order to get something for himself.
28 Those who lie about other people, will die,
but the one who takes time to listen—when he says something, people will remember it.
29 The wicked man acts as if he were strong,
but an honest man has thought about what to do and is certain about it.
30 Can there be any wisdom, any understanding, or any advice, that is wiser than Yahweh?
31 The groomsman prepares the horse for the day of battle,
but the outcome of the battle, the winner or the loser, is determined by Yahweh.
Chapter 22
1 Being a person who keeps his word is more important than having great riches,
and being a person who everyone respects for doing right, is better than having silver and gold.
2 People who are rich and people who are poor have at least one thing in common—
Yahweh made both of them.
3 One who has good sense takes cover when he sees trouble coming,
but those who have no experience or knowledge rush ahead into danger.
4 When a person is humble and gives Yahweh the respect he deserves,
these are his rewards: Riches, and honor, and life.
5 Where the perverse walk, their way is like a road covered with thorns, and there are traps in every step.
When you guard your own life from evil, you will stay away from all these dangers.
6 A child must be shown the way to live and the direction he should go,
and when he reaches old age, he will stay on that same path.
7 The fact is that the rich often have power over the poor,
and one who borrows money is almost like a slave to the one who lends him the money.
8 If you plant the seeds of wickedness, you can expect a crop of trouble,
and when you use a rod to discipline your child,
but you use it when you are furious, it will do no good.
9 The one who looks for people to help, Yahweh will give many good gifts,
because he considered it important to share his food with the poor.
10 If you throw out the conceited person, out will go all kinds of conflict with him.
No one will quarrel or insult anyone else when he is gone.
11 When a person loves to do something just because he wants to do what is good and right—
he is sincere, and his speech is filled with kindness
—the king will be his friend.
12 Yahweh gives protection to knowledge, to keep it safe,
just as surely as he makes the lying promises of the betrayer fail.
13 A lazy person calls out, “There is a lion in the street! If I go out, I will be killed!”
14 The words spoken by an adulteress will draw you in, and it will be as if you have fallen into a deep and dangerous pit!
All those who fall into that pit will be in trouble,
but what is worse, they will experience Yahweh’s anger for what they have done.
15 Stupid and silly things are bound up within a child,
and they come out in foolishness;
but correcting a child with discipline drives the folly far away.
16 The one who makes his money by taking advantage of the poor,
or by giving more money to the wealthy,
Yahweh will bring him into poverty.
17 Now listen to what those who are wise have said;
give it all your attention and learn the knowledge you will need if you are to become wise.
18 It will be good for you to make them the guiding principles you live by,
and be able to repeat all of them to others.
19 The most important thing is for you to trust in Yahweh,
and so I am teaching them to you, yes, even to you.
20 I have written thirty of these sayings for you to learn;
sayings to give you advice and to teach you what you do not know.
21 These lessons show you what is true and they teach you with faithful lessons,
so you may give reliable and true answers to those who sent you.
22 Anyone can rob a poor person. Do not do it.
And do not hurt them who are begging at the city gate,
23 for Yahweh stands to defend them,
and he will take the life of those who stole from the poor.
24 Do not become a friend with one whose life is controlled by his anger,
and do not associate with a person who rages in his terrible wrath,
25 or you will learn to be like him,
and your anger will become like a trap, a trap that will take charge of your life.
26 Be careful that you do not shake hands and promise to pay for the debts of others,
and do not make or sign a pledge so another person can take out a loan.
27 For if you cannot pay it back,
they will surely come and take away everything from you, even your bed on which you sleep.
28 The ancient boundary stones show where the property lines are. Do not take them away or move them. Your ancestors put them there. Leave them alone.
29 One who learns a trade and is skillful at it will become a servant of kings.
Because of his achievements he will not serve mere ordinary people.
Chapter 23
1 When you sit down to eat a meal with ruler of a country,
think carefully about what is in front of you.
2 It is said, “put a knife to your throat” if you think of eating a lot of food,
because it would be foolish to eat too much at such an important event.
3 Do not crave the special and expensive food the ruler enjoys;
the food will deceive you.
4 Do not work so much that you are always tired, so you can become rich;
be wise and know when you should stop and rest.
5 As soon as you look at the money, it will be gone;
it will be as if it suddenly took up wings
and flew up like an eagle, up into the sky.
6 Do not eat with an evil man—he will gaze at your food for a long time—
do not desire his fine food,
7 because he will be thinking about how much your food cost him,
and he will say to you, “Eat and drink,”
but that is not what he will really be thinking.
8 When you realize what he is really thinking, you will want to vomit what you have eaten;
and you will have wasted all the compliments you gave about the fine meal he prepared.
9 Do not waste time talking to a fool;
he will only despise the wise things that you say.
10 Again, do not remove the ancient boundary stone. It is a marker for the property lines;
and do not claim land that is set apart for orphans to work,
11 because the One who redeems them is strong,
and he will plead their case against you.
12 Pay attention to what you are learning,
and listen to the words of knowledge.
13 Do not refuse to discipline your children;
if you punish them, they will not die,
14 and if you beat them with the rod of discipline,
you may save their lives from death.
15 My son, if you have taken wisdom deep within yourself,
I will be very happy,
16 and I will be sincerely glad
when you say what is right.
17 Do not envy sinful people;
but give Yahweh the respect he deserves, all day long.
18 If you respect him, you will have a life in the future,
and Yahweh will certainly do for you what you are confidently expecting him to do.
19 My son, listen to me so you may become wise,
and think about the way you live your life.
20 Do not associate with those who get drunk with wine,
or with those who are eat far too much food,
21 because drunkards and gluttons will become poor;
and they will sleep so much that they will have nothing but rags to wear.
22 Pay attention to your father who brought you into the world,
and do not hate your mother when she is old.
23 When you study wisdom, think of it as buying truth, but never selling it;
and the same for wisdom, and with discipline, and also with understanding;
let it be as though you were buying them so you can keep them for the rest of your life.
24 The father of a child who does what is right will be very happy;
any man who has a wise son will be very happy because of him.
25 Make your father and mother proud,
and let your mother be glad.
26 My son, take what I say and put it deep within you,
and pay attention to the way that I live.
27 A prostitute is like a very deep pit, that is easy to fall into, but difficult to get out;
another man’s wife is a narrow pit; just as dangerous as a deep pit, but of a different kind.
28 The immoral woman is waiting for you, waiting like a robber waits for his victim;
and they cause many men to become liars and traitors to those who love them.
29 Who is it who had trouble? Who has sorrows? Who has conflicts and fights?
Who has quarreling? Who is wounded for no reason?
Whose eyes are always bloodshot because they drank too much or ate too much?
30 It is those who drink too much wine
and those who drink the mixed wine.
31 Do not look with pleasure at red wine when it sparkles in the cup,
and it goes down the throat smoothly.
32 But, in the last, it bites you like a poisonous snake .
33 It makes you see strange things,
and within you, you say perverse things when you are drunk.
34 You will think you are on a ship that is tossing on the sea;
you will be like someone who is trying to sleep up on the rigging of the boat.
35 You will say, “I think that someone struck me, but he did not hurt me;
They beat me, but I did not feel it.
When will I wake up
in order that I can drink some more wine?”
Chapter 24
1 Do not want what evil people have;
do not desire them for friends,
2 because they are plotting to do violence;
they talk about making trouble.
3 It takes wisdom to build a house,
and by understanding the builder exercises his craft, and a house is made solid on its foundation.
4 It takes knowledge to fill the rooms of the house
with all the beautiful and expensive decorations.
5 A man who has wisdom has strength,
and a person with knowledge is mightier than the one who is strong,
6 for with wise guidance you can wage a war successfully,
and by the advice of many advisors there will be victory.
7 Wisdom is something that a fool cannot understand;
at the gate where the elders gather, the fool has nothing to say.
8 There is a man who does evil and makes plots—he is called the Master of Schemes.
9 A foolish plan is not only folly, it is sin;
when people tell the truth, they hate those who are conceited and mock everyone.
10 When trouble comes, and you are terrified like a coward,
then your strength is small.
11 Rescue the ones who are being carried away to the slaughter;
they stagger and fall—hold them back from the one who would kill them.
12 If you say, “I did not know that those people needed any help,” then think about this:
God knows why we do everything, so he also knows why you said those people needed no help.
God sees everything you do in this life, so he certainly understands why you said that about those people.
He will certainly pay you back—and everyone else, too—for the harm they have done.
13 My son, eat honey, because it tastes good;
the honeycomb is sweet.
14 Wisdom is like the honeycomb, it feeds your life, if you can find it.
If you can find it, you will have a future,
and you will come to the future with hope that will not be cut short.
15 Do not be like wicked people who hide and wait to attack the home of those who do what is right.
Do not commit a violent attack on the place where the good man rests!
16 Even if good people fall down seven times,
they always get back up,
but when a disaster comes to the wicked,
they are ruined by it.
17 When your enemy falls, do not rejoice,
and do not be happy when he stumbles,
18 for Yahweh will see how you treat your enemy, and if he disapproves how you treat him,
Yahweh may turn his wrath from your enemy and put it on you.
19 Do not worry about those who do what is evil,
and do not be jealous of them,
20 for there is no future for the wicked;
they are like a lamp whose light will soon be put out.
21 My son, give to Yahweh and give to the king the respect each of them deserves,
and do not associate with anyone who rebels against either Yahweh or the king;
22 because disasters will suddenly come upon those rebels,
and no one knows how terrible the disasters will be that will come from both Yahweh and from the king. 23 Here are more things that wise people have said:
It is wrong for judges to decide matters unfairly.
24 If they say to people who are guilty, “You are innocent,”
they will be cursed by foreign peoples, and hated by nations.
25 But if judges say that guilty people must be punished,
things will go well for those judges, and they will receive gifts of goodness.
26 Answering honestly—that is the best thing a person can do.
27 First, do the work that needs to be done outside,
and prepare your fields;
and after that, build your house.
28 Do not give testimony against your neighbor if there is no reason for it,
and do not deceive people when you are telling what you know.
29 Do not say, “I will do to him what he did to me;
I will pay him back for what he did to me.”
30 I walked by the field of a lazy man,
past the vineyard of a man who had no good judgment.
31 Thorns grew there and the stone wall had fallen down.
32 When I saw that, I thought about it, and I learned this:
33 A little sleep, a little nap, a little folding of the hands to rest—and while you rest,
34 poverty will come to you like a thief who steals from you,
and poverty will come like an armed soldier who attacks you.
Chapter 25
1 Here are more wise sayings of Solomon that were written down by the men of Hezekiah, the king of Judah.
2 God honors himself when he hides something so people cannot know it.
But it is to the honor of kings to search out the things that God has hidden.
3 What kings think is above the way peasants think; they are like the heavens, they are above us all;
and all kings have the same deep burdens that others cannot understand.
4 Silver cannot be used by the metal worker,
unless the silver is heated and dross is removed from it;
5 just as the dross is removed, even so, if wicked men are removed from the kings court,
his throne will be more secure, and he will be able to do what is right.
6 When you stand in front of a king, do not bring attention to yourself
and do not stand in the place set aside for those the king is honoring.
7 It is better if someone important invites you, saying, “Come up and sit closer to the king,”
than to embarrass you in front of an important nobleman by making you move so that you now sit far away from the king.
When you witness something that gives you concern,
8 you should not quickly bring the matter to trial,
unless you are very sure about it.
because your neighbor may have a good explanation for what you saw.
9 If you and your neighbor are having a disagreement,
settle it between yourselves, and do not tell others any secret you have learned about;
10 for others might find out what you have done,
and you would be ashamed;
and from that time on, you will have a bad reputation.
11 Use the right words and a phrase put together to say exactly what you mean;
this is as delightful as seeing designs of gold in a silver bowl.
12 When a wise person rebukes someone who is willing to listen to him,
it is as priceless as a gold ring or jewelry made of finest gold.
13 A messenger who is reliable and on time, gives delight to those who sent him,
to them he is like the cold of snow at harvest time, that refreshes the ground.
14 When someone boasts about a gift he is going to give, but never gives it,
he is like the clouds and the wind that do not bring rain.
15 With patient persuasion even a ruler’s mind can be changed,
like the proverb that says, ‘a soft tongue can break a bone.’
16 If you find some honey, eat just a little,
because if you eat too much, you could vomit it up.
17 Do not go to your neighbor’s house too often;
he may get tired of you, and if you do not stop, he could even grow to hate you.
18 To falsely accuse others in court
is like attacking them with a club used in battle, or with a sword, or with sharp arrows.
19 Depending on an unreliable person during times of trouble
is like having a bad tooth or a foot that slips and makes you fall.
20 Singing a song to someone who is feeling sad,
it is as unhelpful as taking off a coat on a very cold day,
or pouring vinegar into soda, making it bubble.
21 If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat;
if they are thirsty, give them something to drink;
22 that will be the equal to pouring coals of fire on his head, without doing him any harm,
and Yahweh will reward you for doing that.
23 When wind blows from the north, it will certainly rain;
it is just as certain that someone who tells secrets about others will make people angry.
24 It is better to live alone in the corner of a housetop
than inside a house with a wife who always wants to argue with you.
25 When you receive news from a far away country,
that is like giving cold water to a person who is thirsty.
26 A good person who falls before the wicked,
that is as bad as a spring that becomes muddied or a fountain that becomes polluted.
27 It is not good to eat too much honey;
that is like searching for more honor when you already have honor.
28 A person who cannot control himself
is like a city with no way to keep out enemies; its walls have fallen down.
Chapter 26
1 When it snows in the summer, or when it rains in the harvest,
that is what it is like when a fool gets honor—
honor for him comes at the wrong time, and the wrong place.
2 A sparrow flies here and there flittering around, and a swallow darts back and forth when it flies,
that is like someone speaking a curse against you—but it cannot land on you.
3 A horse needs a whip to make it move, and a donkey must have a bridle in its mouth, or it will not carry its load.
In the same way, a fool needs someone to beat him on his back to get him to do anything.
4 Do not reply to a fool when he is trying to draw you into his foolishness,
or you will be just as much a fool as he is.
5 Give a fool an answer that will be just as foolish as his question,
and that may open his eyes so he can see that he is not as wise as he thinks.
6 If you entrust an important message to be delivered by a fool,
that would be as foolish as cutting of your own feet, and then taking a drink of poison.
7 A lame man cannot use his legs; they hang down and are useless,
as useless as when fools are reciting proverbs to one another that they do not understand..
8 When you tie a stone into a sling so it cannot be thrown,
that is like one who gives honor to a fool,
for no matter how much you praise him,
it will never do him any good.
9 When a drunk man picks up a bush full of thorns
and starts to swing it around at people,
that is as helpful as a fool reciting proverbs,
people stand back and try to get away from him.
10 An archer who aims and shoots arrows at people standing around him,
is as dangerous as one who hires a fool
or he takes so little care that he hires the next person who comes along.
11 When you see a dog return to his vomit,
that is just like a fool who does the same foolish thing over and over again.
12 Do you know someone who has this idea about himself—
he thinks he is a very wise person?
It is easier to teach a fool than him.
13 The lazy person has many reasons for not working—
you might hear him say, “But there is a lion in the street!”
or “Oh, there is a lion in the market!”
14 When you see a door swing back and forth on it hinges,
that is just like one who is lazy, when he is lying on his bed, turning back and forth.
15 One who is lazy might reach down with his hand to get some food,
but he does not have the energy to put the food into his mouth.
16 The one who is lazy considers himself to be very wise,
more wise than seven men who are known for their insight.
17 Someone who walks by a dog lying on the ground, who then reaches down and pulls its ears;
he is like someone who hears an argument as he is walking by,
and he gets involved, and becomes angry
and then he takes sides and joins in—
even though he had nothing to do with it.
18-19 Who is like an insane person who shoots burning arrows in every direction?
One who lies to his neighbor!
He makes an excuse to his neighbor and tells him,
“I was only joking;”
but just like the madman’s arrows,
what he said has set everything on fire.
20 The fire goes out when there is no more wood to burn;
and so arguments stop when no one is gossipping.
21 As charcoal can ignite into burning coal and a log of wood into a fire;
so the one who argues sets anger ablaze.
22 The gossip tells stories that are like sweet treats to eat;
people eat them like candy until they are filled.
23 A shining glaze applied with great heat, covers the clay pot,
and that is like the fiery words that cover an evil heart.
24 The one who is filled with hate, by the words he speaks, he hides his true feelings;
and he stores up more and more lies within himself.
25 He may speak kind words, but you should not believe them,
because deep within him is everything that Yahweh despises.
26 Even though he covers up his hatred by his lies,
everyone will realize how wicked he is.
27 One who digs a pit will fall into it;
and a stone rolls back on the one who tried to push it up a hill.
28 The one who lies hates the people he destroys;
just as much as the person who uses flattery causes terrible destruction.
Chapter 27
1 Do not boast about what will happen tomorrow,
because you do not know what will come to you during that day.
2 Do not praise yourself; let someone else praise you.
It is better for someone you do not know to praise you,
than for you to praise yourself.
3 If you think about how heavy a stone can be, or how much sand can weigh—
then you will understand that the trouble a fool causes is harder to carry than both of those things.
4 If you think about how cruel can be people who rage at others, and how angry people can attack others like a flood of water,
then think about how jealous people are even worse;
no one can resist being harmed by a jealous person.
5 It is better to offer a rebuke out in the open, than to have a love that is hidden.
6 A wound from a friend is better than kisses from an enemy.
7 When a person is walking along and he has a full stomach, he may step on a honeycomb because he is not hungry;
but if he were very hungry, even bitter things would taste sweet to him.
8 When a man wanders away from his home,
he is acting like a bird that stays far from its nest.
9 The aroma of perfume and the scent of incense can help to make a person feel happy;
and we most appreciate friends who give us good advice.
10 Do not forget your friend or a friend of your father;
and when you have a problem and you need help,
do not go to your brother’s home.
When there is trouble, a neighbor who lives close by
is better than a brother who lives far away.
11 My son, if you become wise, you will make me happy;
so I will be able to give an answer to anyone who argues against me.
12 One who has good sense takes cover when he sees trouble coming,
but those who have no experience or knowledge rush ahead into danger.
13 Take a man’s garment as security when he is guaranteeing a loan for a stranger.
Hold the garment in pledge to protect yourself from losing your money when he puts up security for an adulteress.
14 If you rise early in the morning and call out a greeting to your neighbor while he is still sleeping, he will consider it to be a curse, not a blessing.
15 A wife who continually argues with her husband is as annoying as
the constant dripping of water on a rainy day;
16 and stopping her from arguing would be as difficult as restraining the wind,
or trying to catch oil in one hand.
17 Iron is used to sharpen an iron blade, just like a man makes his friend better.
18 The farmer who takes care of a fig tree will enjoy its fruit when it is ripe.
This is just like the one who protects his master, he will get honor from his master.
19 When a person looks in the water, he sees his own face;
similarly when we look at what a person loves, we know what he is like deep inside.
20 You know that the Place of the Dead and The Destroyer are never satisfied;
and people, too, are never satisfied and always want more.
21 Silver is refined in a crucible, and gold is put into a furnace to be made pure;
and how a person responds to the praise given to them
will tell you what kind of person he is.
22 Though you grind a fool as if you were grinding up grain,
you will not be able to take his foolishness out of him.
23 A good shepherd will know the condition of all his sheep and he will check on them every day.
24 Wealth does not last forever.
Does the crown of a king endure for all generations?
25 The grass dies out and then the new growth starts to grow;
and on the mountains food for the cattle is stacked up in the barns.
26 The lambs will give you warm clothing and the goats will give you enough to pay for the cost of the field.
27 There will be milk from the goats that you can drink—that will be food for everyone who lives in your house—
and it is food to feed your servant girls, as well.
Chapter 28
1 A wicked person runs away even when no one is coming after him,
but the one who does what is right is as brave as lions.
2 The more sin there is in a country, the greater the number of rulers it will have;
but when there is a ruler who has understanding and knowledge, the country can last a long time.
3 When a poor person oppresses other poor people,
it is like a hard rain that destroys the crops and leaves no food for anyone to eat.
4 Those who reject the law are the same people who speak well of those who are wicked;
but those who obey the law fight against the wicked.
5 As difficult as it is for evil people to understand what is just,
even so those who want to find Yahweh understand everything that is important.
6 It is better to be honest and poor,
than to be dishonest in all you do, and to be rich.
7 The one who obeys the law is a child who has understanding of the ways of wisdom;
but if children go around with friends who are only interested in eating too much, they put their father to shame.
8 The person who becomes rich by charging a high rate of interest ,
he does not know that he is gathering his money, and it will be given to someone who helps the poor and is kind to them.
9 If you refuse to hear what the law says to you about how you should live;
then Yahweh is offended by your prayers.
10 If someone tricks an honest person into doing what is bad,
the one who did that will fall into his own trap,
but those who have tried to do what is right will receive many good things.
11 A rich person can think of himself as being wise,
but someone who is poor but who has good sense will be able to tell if the rich man is really wise.
12 When those who do what is right have a victory, it is a time to celebrate,
but when those who are wicked rise up in victory, people run and hide.
13 The one who tries to cover up his sins will be found out,
but Yahweh will forgive those who tell their sins to him, and they turn away from doing them.
14 How fortunate are those who always honor Yahweh;
but those who refuse to listen to him, who do not want to learn from him, will fall into trouble.
15 You know what a roaring lion or a charging bear is like;
they are just like the wicked ruler who is tearing apart poor people.
16 A king who does not have good sense thinks he is wise when he is cruel and he takes everything away from his people.
but a person who hates getting anything by breaking the law, will live a long life.
17 If a person is guilty of murdering another
he will live like a fugitive until he dies;
and no one will help him.
18 When a person lives his life and is blameless, Yahweh will keep him safe;
but one who lives by his lies will be suddenly ruined.
19 A farmer who works his field will have plenty of food to eat;
but anyone who gives his time to worthless dreams, will be very poor.
20 Yahweh will give good things to a faithful person;
but he will certainly punish those who become rich quickly.
21 It is bad to give a favor to one person and not to another;
some people will do what is wrong just to get a piece of bread.
22 A man who hates to spend his money will run to more,
but he does not know that poverty is coming to him.
23 The one who rebukes a person will later be appreciated more
than the one who says nice things just to flatter him.
24 Anyone who steals things from his father or his mother
and says “That is not sinful,”
he is friend of the one who destroys.
25 A greedy person stirs up arguments between people;
but the one who trusts in Yahweh will do well.
26 One who depends on himself is a fool,
those who make wise decisions escape danger.
27 One who gives to help the poor, will not lack anything,
but many curses will come to whoever turns away and ignores them.
28 When wicked people get power, men and women hide;
but when the wicked die, there will be more and more of those who do what is right.
Chapter 29
1 When you rebuke a person who has rejected your words and who refused to listen to you,
he will be crushed to the point that he cannot be healed.
2 When people live the right way, they become more numerous,
but when a wicked ruler starts to govern, the people groan.
3 A son who desires to learn about wisdom makes his father very happy;
but the son who is a companion of prostitutes will lose all his money
4 When a king rules with honest rules and good laws, he causes his nation to be strong,
but anyone who asks for bribes ruins his nation.
5 One who praises his neighbor to get something from him,
is like the one who listens for the sound of his footsteps,
so he can catch him in a net.
6 A bad person sets a trap with his sin; then he falls into it;
but one who does right is full of songs and joy.
7 The one who does right stands up for the poor and defends them;
but wicked people do not see the importance of standing up for the poor.
8 People who sneer and mock others are like those who set a city on fire;
but those who help people get rid of their anger are wise.
9 If a wise person has any conflict with a foolish person,
the foolish person screams at him and then laughs at him, and it never ends.
10 A murderer hates him who does everything right;
and they seek to kill the one who has a good reputation.
11 A fool shows all his anger,
but a person who is wise holds his anger, and he knows how to calm himself down.
12 If a ruler believes the lies that are told to him,
he teaches all his officials to be wicked.
13 What do a poor person and one who takes advantage of people have in common?
Yahweh gives life to both of them.
14 If a king judges the poor by listening to the truth,
he will build a kingdom that will continue forever.
15 If a child is punished,
the gift of wisdom is given to him;
but when a child is out of control,
this brings shame to his mother.
16 When wicked people have authority, lawbreaking is common;
but those who do what is right will see the day
when the wicked will lose their power.
17 Discipline your child and he will help you and serve you;
you will truly rejoice over him.
18 When no prophet receives any vision from Yahweh, the people go out of control,
but those who obey the law are fortunate.
19 Talk to a slave as much as you want,
but though he understands what you are saying, they have learned not to give you an answer.
20 Do you see someone who is quick to speak, quick to give an opinion?
Yahweh can give a fool more help in the future easier than he can help him who is quick to speak.
21 If a slave is excused from his labor
and treated better than other slaves by his master
from the time he is young;
but when he is grown,
that slave will give trouble to his master.
22 A person who cannot control his anger stirs up many quarrels
and uses his rage to rule over others, and so he commits many sins.
23 Any person who is proud will be humbled;
but the one who is humbled will be given honor.
24 A person who helps a thief, hates himself;
he overhears the curse, but he does not say anything about it.
25 When one is afraid of what people can do,
it is like setting a trap for himself.
but whoever trusts in Yahweh is safe.
26 Many people want to come before a ruler to get help from him,
but Yahweh is the only one who gives him true justice.
27 Those who do what is right detest a person who treats others in an unfair way;
just as the wicked hate those who live good lives.
Chapter 30
1 These are sayings containing wisdom, the sayings of Agur son of Jakeh.
Agur wrote them for Ithiel, yes, to Ithiel and to Ucal.
2 I am more like an animal than any human being!
I lack the understanding that a human being has!
3 I have not learned about wisdom;
I do not know Yahweh, the Holy One.
4 Who has ever gone up to heaven and come back down again?
Who can catch the wind in his hand?
Who can gather up the waters in an overcoat?
Who set the limits to the size of the earth?
What is his name? And what is the name of his son?
Do you know?
5 Every word of God is proven by a test that it is true;
he is like a shield that protects those who run to him.
6 Be careful not to add to Yahweh’s words more than he has said;
if you do that, he will correct you and he will prove that you lied about what he said.
7 I ask Yahweh for two things,
and that he give them to me before I die.
8 Put vain pride and lies far away from me;
and do not give me poverty or riches,
just give me the food I need every day. 9 For if I have too much money,
it is possible that I will deny my God and say, “Who is Yahweh?”
Or it is possible that I will become so poor that I steal from others
and bring disgrace on the name of my God.
10 Do not speak badly about a slave when he is standing before his master;
if you do, he will curse you, and you will be responsible; you brought it on yourself.
11 There are many people who curse their fathers
and they do not praise their mothers or thank them;
12 those people think everything they do should not be criticized,
but really they have never been cleansed from their filth.
13 These people show how proud they are in their eyes;
they make people look at them and they show their pride in their faces!
14 These people use their mouths to speak the most hurtful words, like they are cutting and tearing people apart;
it is as if they are eating up the poor people from the earth,
and swallowing up the needy from humanity.
15 There are leeches that suck blood, imagine they had two daughters;
they say, “Give to us! Give to us!
There are four things that are never satisfied—
they always want more :
16 The grave, the place of the dead;
the womb of a woman that never conceived a child;
soil that badly needs to be watered;
and a fire that burns hot and it never says, “The fire is hot enough!”
17 The one who dishonors his father,
and who disrespects and disobeys his mother.
such a person would be killed and have his eyes pecked out by crows,
and would be devoured by the vultures.
18 There are three wonderful things I can mention;
no, there are four that are too amazing and I cannot understand them.
19 How eagles fly in the sky;
how snakes move over a big rock,
how ships can sail on the seas,
and how a man is able to win the love of a woman.
20 This is what a woman is like who is not faithful to her husband:
she eats and then wipes her mouth,
and she says, “There is nothing wrong in what I have done.”
21 There are four things that make the earth tremble:
22 the earth trembles with a slave becomes a king;
the earth trembles when fool has eaten his food and is filled;
23 the earth trembles when a woman who is hated by all, gets married,
and the earth trembles, when the maid becomes the wife of her master.
24 There are four creatures on the earth that are small, but they are very wise.
25 Ants are not strong,
but they store up food during the summer in order to have it during the winter.
26 Rock badgers also are not strong,
but they make their homes among the rocks.
27 Locusts do not have a king,
but they march in rank like soldiers in the army.
28 Lizards are very small and you can hold them in your hand,
but they get inside kings’ palaces.
29 There are four animals that walk with great pride and they are very impressive as they walk.
30 Lions, which are the strongest among wild animals
and are not afraid of any of them.
31 Strutting roosters, and male goats,
and kings who stand with their soldiers beside them.
32 If you have acted foolishly, exalting yourself,
or if you been planning to do something evil,
put your hand over your mouth! Stop it!
33 Just as when you churn milk, and it produces butter,
even so, if you hit someone hard on his nose, the result is that his nose will bleed;
and, in the same way, when people are angry, they will argue and fight.
Chapter 31
1 These are sayings of King Lemuel—an oracle his mother taught him.
2 She says: You are my son; I carried you in my womb;
you are the son, I made promises to Yahweh for you.
3 Do not give your strength to women;
and do not tell what your plans are, to the women who destroy kings.
4 Lemuel, kings should be careful about drinking wine;
and a king should never ask, “Where is the strong drink?”
5 They could drink but then they might forget that they made a decree of the king,
and tear down the rights of those who have been taken advantage of.
6 Give strong drink to those who are dying
and to those who are grieving their loss. 7 One who drinks will forget he is poor,
and he will not remember his trouble.
8 Speak for those who cannot speak for themselves,
speak for those who are approaching death.
9 Speak out and render judgment according to what is right;
and plead for justice to come in the cases of the poor and the needy.
10 Who can find a wife who is good at many things?
Her value is much more than the jewels she could wear.
11 Her husband completely trusts her,
and because of her, he will never be poor.
12 She does good things for him and not evil,
all the days of her life.
13 She finds wool and flax in the market,
and she enjoys spinning it to make yarn and fabric.
14 She is like the merchant ships
because she brings her food to her home from far away.
15 She gets up before dawn to prepare food for her family,
and she gives each servant girl her duties for the day.
16 She goes out and considers what field she will buy, and she buys it.
With the money she has made in other ventures,
she plants a vineyard.
17 She prepares herself with her strength,
and her arms are strong, able to do hard work.
18 She knows when she is getting a good profit from her business.
She keeps a lamp burning all night long.
19 She holds the spindle,
and then she spins the thread that she will use.
20 She gives an outstretched hand to help the poor.
21 She is not worried about the snow,
for everyone in her house have the best winter coats.
22 She makes covers for the beds.
She wears fine purple linen clothes—the color of royalty.
23 Her husband is well known at the city gates,
and there at the gates he sits with the other leaders of the town.
24 She makes linen garments and she sells them.
She sells sashes to shop owners.
25 She is strong in her character and respected,
and she laughs at what will happen in the future.
26 When she speaks, she says what is wise,
and she lives by the law of kindness.
27 She watches over everything that is done in her household,
and nothing in her actions would be anything like laziness.
28 Her children speak highly of her;
her husband also praises her.
29 He says to her, “There are many women who do admirable things,
but you surpass them all!”
30 Elegance can deceive
and make you think more highly of a person than you should;
and beauty has no lasting value.
But a woman who honors Yahweh will be praised for the person she is. 31 Give her what she has earned,
and her works will praise her among the leaders of the town.