• 1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold.
  • 2 The rich and the poor have this in common, The Lord is the maker of them all.
  • 3 A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished.
  • 4 By humility and the fear of the Lord Are riches and honor and life.
  • 5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; He who guards his soul will be far from them.
  • 6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.
  • 7 The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender.
  • 8 He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow, And the rod of his anger will fail.
  • 9 He who has a generous eye will be blessed, For he gives of his bread to the poor.
  • 10 Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave; Yes, strife and reproach will cease.
  • 11 He who loves purity of heart And has grace on his lips, The king will be his friend.
  • 12 The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge, But He overthrows the words of the faithless.
  • 13 The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!”
  • 14 The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit; He who is abhorred by the Lord will fall there.
  • 15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him.
  • 16 He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches, And he who gives to the rich, will surely come to poverty.

  • Sayings of the Wise

  • 17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your heart to my knowledge;
  • 18 For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you; Let them all be fixed upon your lips,
  • 19 So that your trust may be in the Lord; I have instructed you today, even you.
  • 20 Have I not written to you excellent things Of counsels and knowledge,
  • 21 That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth, That you may answer words of truth To those who send to you?
  • 22 Do not rob the poor because he is poor, Nor oppress the afflicted at the gate;
  • 23 For the Lord will plead their cause, And plunder the soul of those who plunder them.
  • 24 Make no friendship with an angry man, And with a furious man do not go,
  • 25 Lest you learn his ways And set a snare for your soul.
  • 26 Do not be one of those who shakes hands in a pledge, One of those who is surety for debts;
  • 27 If you have nothing with which to pay, Why should he take away your bed from under you?
  • 28 Do not remove the ancient landmark Which your fathers have set.
  • 29 Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men.