Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it
Than a house full of feasting with strife.

A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who causes shame,
And will share in the inheritance among brothers.

The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But Jehovah tries the hearts.

An evildoer gives heed to wicked lips,
And a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.

Whoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker;
He who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.

Grandchildren are the crown of old men,
And the glory of children is their fathers.

Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool;
Much less are lying lips for a noble man.

A bribe is like a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor:
Wherever he turns, he prospers.

He who covers a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter separates close friends.

A rebuke strikes deeper into him who has understanding
Than a hundred stripes into a fool.

An evil man seeks only rebellion;
Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

Let a bear robbed of her cubs meet a man
Rather than a fool in his folly.

Whoever rewards evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.

The beginning of contention is like letting out water;
Therefore abandon strife before it breaks out.

He who justifies the wicked man, and he who condemns the righteous man,
Both of them are an abomination to Jehovah.

Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,
When he has no sense?

A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.

A man lacking sense gives his hand as a pledge
And becomes surety in the presence of his neighbor.

He who loves transgression loves strife;
He who raises high his entrance seeks destruction.

He who has a crooked heart finds no good,
And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil.

He who begets a fool does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.

A joyful heart is good medicine,
But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom,
To pervert the ways of justice.

Wisdom is before the face of him who has understanding,
But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

A foolish son is a grief to his father,
And bitterness to her who bore him.

To also punish the righteous man is not good,
Nor to strike nobles for their uprightness.

He who restrains his words has knowledge,
And he who is cool in spirit is one who has understanding.

Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is counted wise;
When he shuts his lips, he is counted prudent.

He who separates himself seeks his own desire
And rages against all sound wisdom.

A fool has no delight in understanding,
But only that his heart may reveal itself.

When the wicked man comes, contempt also comes;
And with dishonor comes reproach.

The words of a man's mouth are deep waters,
A gushing stream, a fountain of wisdom.

To respect the person of the wicked man is not good,
Nor to turn aside the righteous man in judgment.

A fool's lips bring strife,
And his mouth invites blows.

A fool's mouth is his ruin,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.

The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels,
And they go down into the innermost parts of one's being.

He also who is slack in his work
Is brother to him who is a destroyer.

The name of Jehovah is a strong tower;
The righteous man runs into it and is safe.

The rich man's substance is his strong city
And like a high wall in his own imagination.

Before destruction the heart of man is haughty,
But humility goes before honor.

As for him who gives an answer before he hears,
It is folly and shame.

The spirit of a man can sustain his sickness,
But a broken spirit who can bear?

The heart of one who has understanding acquires knowledge,
And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

A man's gift makes room for him
And brings him before great men.

The first to plead his case seems just,
Until his neighbor comes and cross-examines him.

The lot causes contentions to cease
And decides between the mighty.

A brother offended is harder to be gained than a strong city,
And contentions are like the bars of a castle.

With the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach will be satisfied;
With the produce of his lips he will be satisfied.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Whoever finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from Jehovah.

The poor man utters supplications,
But the rich man answers roughly.

A man of many friends comes to destruction,
But there is a true friend that sticks closer than a brother.

Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity
Than he who is perverse in his lips and is a fool.

Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge,
And he who makes haste with his feet sins.

The foolishness of a man subverts his way,
And his heart is indignant toward Jehovah.

Wealth adds many friends,
But the poor man is separated from his friend.

A false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who utters lies will not escape.

Many will entreat the favor of the generous man,
And every man is a friend to one who gives gifts.

All the brothers of the poor man hate him;
How much more do his friends go far from him!
He pursues them with words, but they are not there.

He who acquires sense loves his own soul;
He who keeps understanding will find good.

A false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who utters lies will perish.

Delicate living is not fitting for a fool;
Much less for a servant to rule over princes.

The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger,
And it is his glory to overlook a transgression.

The king's wrath is like the roaring of a lion,
But his favor is like dew upon the grass.

A foolish son is the ruin of his father,
And the contentions of a wife are a continual dripping.

House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers,
But a prudent wife is from Jehovah.

Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep,
And the idle soul will suffer hunger.

He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul;
He who is careless of his ways will die.

He who has pity upon a poor man lends to Jehovah,
And He will repay him for his good deed.

Discipline your son, for there is hope;
But do not set your heart on destroying him.

A man of great wrath will bear the penalty;
For if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.

Listen to counsel, and receive instruction,
That you may be wise at the end of your days.

There are many devices in a man's heart,
But it is the counsel of Jehovah that will stand.

What is desirable in a man is his kindness,
And a poor man is better than a liar.

The fear of Jehovah leads to life,
And he who has it will lodge in contentment;
He will not be visited with evil.

The sluggard buries his hand in the dish,
And will not even bring it back to his mouth.

Strike a scorner, and the simple will learn prudence;
And reprove one who has understanding, and he will understand
knowledge.

He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother
Is a son that causes shame and brings reproach.

Cease listening, my son, to instruction,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge.

A worthless witness mocks justice,
And the mouth of the wicked swallows up iniquity.

udgments are prepared for scorners,
And blows for the back of fools.

Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler;
And whoever errs by it does not become wise.

The terror of a king is like the roaring of a lion;
He who provokes him to anger sins against his own life.

It is an honor for a man to keep away from strife,
But every fool rushes headlong into it.

The sluggard will not plow because of winter;
Therefore he will beg in harvest and have nothing.

Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water,
But a man of understanding will draw it out.

Many a man will proclaim his own kindness,
But who can find a faithful man?

A righteous man who walks in his integrity,
Blessed are his children after him.

A king who sits on the throne of judgment
Scatters away all evil with his eyes.

Who can say, I have made my heart clean;
I am pure from my sin?

Differing weights and differing measures,
Both of them are an abomination to Jehovah.

Even a child makes himself known by his deeds,
Whether his work is pure and whether it is upright.

The hearing ear and the seeing eye —
Jehovah has made both of them.

Do not love sleep, or else you will come to poverty;
Open your eyes, and be satisfied with bread.

It is bad, it is bad, says the buyer;
But when he has gone away, then he boasts in his purchase.

There is gold and an abundance of corals,
But the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger,
And hold the pledge when he becomes surety for foreigners.

The bread of falsehood is sweet to a man,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.

Every plan is established by counsel,
And by sound counsel make war.

He who goes about as a gossip reveals secrets;
Therefore do not associate with one who opens his lips wide.

Whoever curses his father or his mother,
His lamp will go out in deep darkness.

An inheritance gained hurriedly at the beginning
Will not be blessed in the end.

Do not say, I will recompense evil;
Wait for Jehovah, and He will save you.

Differing weights are an abomination to Jehovah,
And false scales are not good.

A man's steps are ordered by Jehovah;
How then can man understand his own way?

It is a snare to a man to rashly say, It is holy,
And after making the vows to begin to consider.

A wise king winnows the wicked
And drives the threshing wheel over them.

The  ¹spirit of man is the  ²lamp of Jehovah,
Searching all the innermost parts of the inner being.

Lovingkindness and truth preserve the king,
And his throne is upheld by kindness.

The glory of young men is their strength,
And the honor of old men is gray hair.

Stripes that wound purge away evil,
And strokes reach the innermost parts of the inner being.