The king's heart is like streams of water in the hand of Jehovah;
He turns it wherever He wishes.

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
But Jehovah weighs the hearts.

To do righteousness and justice
Is more acceptable to Jehovah than sacrifice.

A high look and a proud heart —
The lamp of the wicked — is sin.

The plans of the diligent lead only to plentifulness,
But everyone who is hasty comes only to want.

The getting of treasures by a lying tongue
Is a fleeting vapor, a  ¹snare of death.

The violence of the wicked will sweep them away
Because they refuse to do justice.

The way of a guilty man is crooked;
But as for the pure, his work is right.

It is better to dwell in a corner of a housetop
Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

The soul of the wicked man desires evil;
His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.

When the scorner is punished, the simple man becomes wise;
And when the wise man is instructed, he receives knowledge.

The righteous One considers the house of the wicked man,
Overthrowing the wicked to their ruin.

Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor man
Also will cry and will not be heard.

A gift in secret pacifies anger;
And a present in the bosom, strong wrath.

It is joy to the righteous man to do justice,
But it is destruction to the workers of iniquity.

The man who wanders from the way of understanding
Will rest in the assembly of the dead.

He who loves pleasure will be a poor man;
He who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

The wicked man is a ransom for the righteous man,
And the treacherous man is in the place of the upright.

It is better to dwell in a desert land
Than with a contentious and vexing woman.

There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise man,
But a foolish man swallows it up.

He who pursues righteousness and kindness
Finds life, righteousness, and honor.

A wise man scales the city of the mighty
And brings down the strength in which they trust.

Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue
Keeps his soul from troubles.

Proud, Haughty, Scorner are the names
Of him who works in the arrogance of pride.

The desire of the sluggard puts him to death,
For his hands refuse to work.

All day long one covets greedily,
But the righteous man gives and does not hold back.

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
How much more when he brings it with evil intent!

A false witness will perish,
But the man who hears will speak so as to endure.

A wicked man hardens his face;
But as for the upright, he establishes his ways.

There is no wisdom nor understanding
Nor counsel that can avail against Jehovah.

The horse is prepared for the day of battle,
But victory belongs to Jehovah.

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
And favor is better than silver and gold.

The rich and the poor have this in common:
Jehovah is the maker of them all.

A prudent man sees evil and hides himself,
But the simple pass on and suffer punishment for it.

The reward of humility and the fear of Jehovah
Are riches and honor and life.

Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
He who guards his soul will keep far from them.

Train up a child according to the way he should go;
Even when he is old, he will not depart from it.

The rich man rules over the poor,
And the borrower is servant to the lender.

He who sows injustice will reap iniquity,
And the rod of his wrath will fail.  ¹

He who is generous will be blessed,
For he gives some of his bread to the poor.

Cast out the scorner, and contention will go out;
Indeed, strife and dishonor will cease.

He who loves pureness of heart
And whose speech is gracious will have the king as his friend.

The eyes of Jehovah preserve knowledge,
But He overthrows the words of the treacherous man.

The sluggard says, There is a lion outside!
I will be slain in the streets!

The mouth of strange women is a deep pit;
He with whom Jehovah is indignant will fall in there.

Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
But the rod of correction will drive it far from him.

He who oppresses the poor to multiply his gain,
And he who gives to the rich will only come to want.

Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise,
And apply your heart to my knowledge;

For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you;
Let them be ready on your lips.

So that your trust may be in Jehovah,
I have made them known to you today, even to you.

Have not I written to you  ¹excellent things
Of counsels and knowledge,

To make you know the certainty of the words of truth,
That you may answer back words of truth to those who send you?

Do not rob the poor, because he is poor;
Nor oppress the afflicted in the gate;

For Jehovah will plead their cause,
And rob the life of those who rob them.

Make no friendship with a man who is given to anger,
And with a wrathful man do not go;

Lest you learn his ways
And get a snare for your soul.

Do not be one of those who give their hand as a pledge
Or one of those who are a surety for debts.

If you have nothing with which to pay,
Why should your bed be taken away from under you?

Do not remove the ancient boundary marker,
Which your fathers have set up.

Do you see a man skilled in his work?
He will stand before kings;
He will not stand before obscure men.

When you sit to eat with a ruler,
Consider carefully  ¹who is before you;

And put a knife to your throat
If you are a man of great appetite.

Do not desire his delicacies,
For they are deceitful food.

Do not weary yourself to become rich;
Cease from your consideration of it.

When you set your eyes upon it, it is gone;
For wealth certainly makes itself wings,
Like an eagle that flies toward heaven.

Do not eat the bread of one who is envious,
And do not desire his delicacies;

For as he thinks within himself, so he is.
He says to you, Eat and drink;
But his heart is not with you.

You will vomit up the morsel which you have eaten,
And waste your pleasant words.

Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
For he will despise the wisdom of your words.

Do not remove the ancient boundary marker,
Or go into the fields of the fatherless;

For their Redeemer is strong;
He will plead their cause against you.

Apply your heart to instruction,
And your ears to words of knowledge.

Do not withhold correction from a child;
If you beat him with the rod, he will not die.

If you beat him with the rod,
You will deliver his soul from Sheol.

My son, if your heart is wise,
My own heart will also rejoice;

My inward parts will also exult,
When your lips speak right things.

Do not let your heart envy sinners,
But live in the fear of Jehovah all day long;

For surely there is a latter end,
And your hope will not be cut off.

Listen, my son, and be wise,
And direct your heart in the way.

Do not be among those who get drunk with wine,
Among gluttonous eaters of flesh;

For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
And drowsiness will clothe them with rags.

Listen to your father who begot you,
And do not despise your mother when she is old.

Buy truth, and do not sell it;
Buy wisdom and instruction and understanding.

The father of the righteous man will greatly exult,
And he who begets a wise child will rejoice in him.

Let your father and your mother rejoice,
And let her who bore you exult.

My son, give me your heart,
And let your eyes  ¹observe my ways.

For a harlot is a deep pit,
And an adulteress is a narrow well.

Indeed, she lies in wait as a robber,
And increases the number of the treacherous among men.

Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions?
Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness
of eyes?

Those who linger late over wine,
Those who go to seek out mixed wines.

Do not look upon the wine when it is red,
When it sparkles in the cup,
When it goes down smoothly;

In the end it bites like a serpent,
And stings like an adder.

Your eyes will see strange things,
And your heart will utter perverse things;

And you will be like one who lies down while at sea,
Or like one who lies down at the top of a mast.

They struck me, you will say, but I was not hurt;
They beat me, but I did not feel it;
When will I awake? I will seek another drink.

Do not be envious of evil men,
Nor desire to be with them;

For their heart meditates violence,
And their lips talk of mischief.

Through wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established,

And by knowledge the rooms are filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.

A wise man is strong,
And a man of knowledge increases power.

For by sound counsel you can wage your war,
And in the multitude of counselors there is  ¹victory.

Wisdom is too high for a fool;
He does not open his mouth in the gate.

He who devises to do evil,
Men will call him a mischief-maker.

The devising of folly is sin,
And the scorner is an abomination to men.

If you faint in the day of adversity,
Your strength is limited.

Deliver those who are being taken away to death,
And those who are staggering to be slain, oh, hold back!

If you say, Look, we did not know this —
Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it?
And He who keeps your soul, does He not know it ?
And will He not render to every man according to his work?

My son, eat honey, for it is good,
And the drippings from the honeycomb, which are sweet to your taste:

Know that wisdom is such for your soul;
If you find it, then there will be a latter end,
And your hope will not be cut off.

Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous man;
Do not destroy his resting place;

For a righteous man falls seven times and rises up again,
But the wicked are overthrown by calamity.

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart exult when he is overthrown;

Lest Jehovah see it, and it displease Him,
And He turn away His anger from him.

Do not be incensed because of evildoers;
Do not be envious of the wicked;

For there will be no future for the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.

My son, fear Jehovah and the king,
And do not associate with those who are given to change;

For their calamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the misfortune of both of them?

These also are sayings of the wise:
It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

He who says to the wicked man, You are righteous,
Peoples will curse him; nations will abhor him.

But those who rebuke the wicked man will have delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.

He who gives an honest answer
Kisses the lips.

Prepare your work outside,
And make it ready for yourself in the field,
And afterward build your house.

Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,
And do not deceive with your lips.

Do not say, I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will render to the man according to his work.

I passed by the field of the sluggard,
And by the vineyard of the man lacking sense;

And there it was, all overgrown with thorns;
Its surface was covered with nettles,
And its stone wall was broken down.

When I looked, I considered it;
I saw it and received instruction:

A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest,

And your poverty will come upon you like a robber,
And your want, like an armed man.