• On Life and Conduct

  • 1 Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity Than a person who is perverse in speech and is a fool.
  • 2 Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge, And one who hurries his footsteps errs.
  • 3 The foolishness of a person ruins his way, And his heart rages against the Lord.
  • 4 Wealth adds many friends, But a poor person is separated from his friend.
  • 5 A false witness will not go unpunished, And one who declares lies will not escape.
  • 6 Many will seek the favor of a generous person, And every person is a friend to him who gives gifts.
  • 7 All the brothers of a poor person hate him; How much more do his friends abandon him! He pursues them with words, but they are gone.
  • 8 One who gets wisdom loves his own soul; One who keeps understanding will find good.
  • 9 A false witness will not go unpunished, And one who declares lies will perish.
  • 10 Luxury is not fitting for a fool; Much less for a slave to rule over princes.
  • 11 A person’s discretion makes him slow to anger, And it is his glory to overlook an offense.
  • 12 A king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion, But his favor is like dew on the grass.
  • 13 A foolish son is destruction to his father, And the quarrels of a wife are a constant dripping.
  • 14 House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers, But a prudent wife is from the Lord.
  • 15 Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, And a lazy person will suffer hunger.
  • 16 One who keeps the commandment keeps his soul, But one who is careless of conduct will die.
  • 17 One who is gracious to a poor person lends to the Lord, And He will repay him for his good deed.
  • 18 Discipline your son while there is hope, And do not desire his death.
  • 19 A person of great anger will suffer the penalty, For if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.
  • 20 Listen to advice and accept discipline, So that you may be wise the rest of your days.
  • 21 Many plans are in a person’s heart, But the advice of the Lord will stand.
  • 22 What is desirable in a person is his kindness, And it is better to be a poor person than a liar.
  • 23 The fear of the Lord leads to life, So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.
  • 24 The lazy one buries his hand in the dish, But will not even bring it back to his mouth.
  • 25 Strike a scoffer and the naive may become clever, But rebuke one who has understanding, and he will gain knowledge.
  • 26 He who assaults his father and drives his mother away Is a shameful and disgraceful son.
  • 27 Stop listening, my son, to discipline, And you will stray from the words of knowledge.
  • 28 A worthless witness makes a mockery of justice, And the mouth of the wicked swallows wrongdoing.
  • 29 Judgments are prepared for scoffers, And beatings for the backs of fools.