17¹ Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.

² A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son and will share the inheritance as one of the family.

³ The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.

⁴ A wicked person listens to deceitful lips; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

⁵ Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.

⁶ Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.

⁷ Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool- how much worse lying lips to a ruler!

⁸ A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; they think success will come at every turn.

⁹ Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

¹⁰ A rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool.

¹¹ Evildoers foster rebellion against God; the messenger of death will be sent against them.

¹² Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly.

¹³ Evil will never leave the house of one who pays back evil for good.

¹⁴ Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

¹⁵ Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent- the Lord detests them both.

¹⁶ Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom, when they are not able to understand it?

¹⁷ A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

¹⁸ One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge and puts up security for a neighbor.

¹⁹ Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin; whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.

²⁰ One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.

²¹ To have a fool for a child brings grief; there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.

²² A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

²³ The wicked accept bribes in secret to pervert the course of justice.

²⁴ A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth.

²⁵ A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the mother who bore him.

²⁶ If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good, surely to flog honest officials is not right.

²⁷ The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. ²⁸ Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.

Exhortations to Obedience

3¹ My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, ² for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. ³ Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. ⁴ Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. ⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.[1]

⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. ⁸ This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. ⁹ Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; ¹⁰ then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. ¹¹ My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, ¹² because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.[2]

¹³ Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, ¹⁴ for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. ¹⁵ She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. ¹⁶ Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. ¹⁷ Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. ¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed. ¹⁹ By wisdom the Lord laid the earth's foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; ²⁰ by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.

²¹ My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; ²² they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. ²³ Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble. ²⁴ When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. ²⁵ Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, ²⁶ for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.

²⁷ Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. ²⁸ Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back tomorrow and I'll give it to you"- when you already have it with you. ²⁹ Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you. ³⁰ Do not accuse anyone for no reason- when they have done you no harm. ³¹ Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways. ³² For the Lord detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence. ³³ The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous. ³⁴ He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed. ³⁵ The wise inherit honor, but fools get only shame.