221 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.

Precepts and Warnings

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.

231 When you sit down to eat with a ruler, Consider carefully what is before you; 2 And put a knife to your throat If you are a man given to appetite. 3 Do not desire his delicacies, For they are deceptive food.

4 Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease 5 Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.

6 Do not eat the bread of a miser, Nor desire his delicacies; 7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. "Eat and drink!" he says to you, But his heart is not with you. 8 The morsel you have eaten, you will vomit up, And waste your pleasant words.

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

10 Do not remove the ancient landmark, Nor enter the fields of the fatherless; 11 For their Redeemer is mighty; He will plead their cause against you.

12 Apply your heart to instruction, And your ears to words of knowledge. 13 Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. 14 You shall beat him with a rod, And deliver his soul from hell. 15 My son, if your heart is wise, My heart will rejoice--indeed, I myself; 16 Yes, my inmost being will rejoice When your lips speak right things.

17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day; 18 For surely there is a hereafter, And your hope will not be cut off.

19 Hear, my son, and be wise; And guide your heart in the way 20 Do not mix with winebibbers, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat; 21 For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags 22 Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old. 23 Buy the truth, and do not sell it, Also wisdom and instruction and understanding. 24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who begets a wise child will delight in him. 25 Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her who bore you rejoice. 26 My son, give me your heart, And let your eyes observe my ways. 27 For a harlot is a deep pit, And a seductress is a narrow well. 28 She also lies in wait as for a victim, And increases the unfaithful among men.

29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? 30 Those who linger long at the wine, Those who go in search of mixed wine. 31 Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it swirls around smoothly; 32 At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper. 33 Your eyes will see strange things, And your heart will utter perverse things. 34 Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying: 35 "They have struck me, but I was not hurt; They have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?"