18 ||Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh

And bintermeddleth with all cwisdom.

2  A fool hath no delight in understanding,

But dthat his heart may discover itself.

3  When the wicked cometh, then cometh also contempt,

And with ignominy reproach.

4  eThe words of a man’s mouth are as fdeep waters,

And the wellspring of wisdom as ga flowing brook.

5  It is not good to haccept the person of the wicked,

To ioverthrow the righteous in judgment.

6  A fool’s lips enter into contention,

And his mouth calleth for kstrokes.

7  lA fool’s mouth is his destruction,

And his lips are the snare of his soul.

8  mThe words of a ||talebearer are ||as wounds,

mAnd they go down into the †innermost parts of the belly.

9  He also that is slothful in his work

Is nbrother to him that is a ogreat waster.

10  The name of the Lord is pa strong tower:

The righteous runneth into it, and †is safe.

11  qThe rich man’s wealth is his strong city,

And as an high wall in his own rconceit.

12  sBefore destruction the heart of man is haughty,

And tbefore honour is humility.

13  He that †answereth a matter ubefore he heareth it,

It is folly and shame unto him.

14  The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity;

But xa wounded spirit who can bear?

15  The heart of the prudent ygetteth knowledge;

And the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

16  zA man’s gift maketh room for him,

And bringeth him before great men.

17  He that is first in his own cause seemeth just;

But ahis neighbour cometh and searcheth him.

18  The lot causeth contentions to cease,

And parteth between the mighty.

19  A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city:

And their contentions are like the bars of a bcastle.

20  cA man’s belly shall be satisfied with cthe fruit of his mouth;

And with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.

21  dDeath and life are in the power of the tongue:

And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

22  eWhoso findeth a wife findeth a fgood thing,

And gobtaineth favour hof the Lord.

23  The poor useth intreaties;

But ithe rich answereth roughly.

24  A man that hath friends must jshew himself friendly:

And kthere is la friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

19 aBetter is the poor bthat walketh in his integrity,

aThan he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.

2  Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good;

And che that hasteth with his feet sinneth.

3  The foolishness of man dperverteth his way:

And ehis heart fretteth against the Lord.

4  fWealth maketh many friends;

But fthe poor is separated from his neighbour.

5  gA false witness shall not be †unpunished,

gAnd he hthat speaketh lies shall not escape.

6  iMany will kintreat the favour of the prince:

And levery man is a friend to †him that giveth gifts.

7  mAll the brethren of the poor do hate him:

How much more do his friends ngo far from him?

He opursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.

8  He that pgetteth †wisdom loveth his own soul:

He that keepeth understanding qshall find good.

9  gA false witness shall not be unpunished,

gAnd he hthat speaketh lies rshall perish.

10  sDelight is not tseemly for a fool;

Much less ufor a servant to have rule over princes.

11  xThe ||discretion of a man deferreth his anger;

And it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

12  The king’s wrath is yas the roaring of a lion;

But zhis favour is aas dew upon the grass.

13  bA foolish son is the calamity of his father:

And cthe contentions of a wife are a dcontinual dropping.

14  eHouse and riches are the inheritance of fathers:

And a prudent wife is ffrom the Lord.

15  gSlothfulness hcasteth into a deep sleep;

And an idle soul shall isuffer hunger.

16  kHe that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul;

But khe that despiseth his ways shall die.

17  lHe that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord;

And ||that which he hath given mwill he pay him again.

18  nChasten thy son while there is hope,

And let not othy soul spare ||for his crying.

19  A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment:

For if thou deliver him, yet thou must †do it again.

20  Hear counsel, and receive instruction,

That thou mayest be wise pin thy latter end.

21  qThere are many devices in a man’s heart;

Nevertheless qthe counsel of the Lord, rthat shall stand.

22  The desire of a man is his skindness:

And a poor man is better than a liar.

23  The fear of the Lord tendeth tto life:

And he that hath it shall uabide satisfied;

xHe shall not be visited with evil.

24  yA gslothful man hideth his hand in his zbosom,

And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

25  aSmite a fscorner, and the simple †bwill beware:

And creprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge.

26  He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother,

Is a dson that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach.

27  Cease, my son, to hear the instruction

That causeth to err from the words of knowledge.

28  †An ungodly witness scorneth judgment:

And the mouth of the wicked edevoureth iniquity.

29  Judgments are prepared for fscorners,

And gstripes hfor the back of fools.

20 aWine is a bmocker, strong drink is raging:

And whosoever cis deceived thereby is not wise.

2  The fear of a king is das the roaring of a lion:

Whoso provoketh him to anger esinneth against his own soul.

3  It is an honour for a man fto cease from strife:

But every fool fwill be meddling.

4  gThe sluggard will not plow by reason of the ||cold;

Therefore shall he hbeg in harvest, and ihave nothing.

5  Counsel in the heart of man is like ldeep water;

But a man of understanding will mdraw it out.

6  nMost men will proclaim every one his own ||goodness:

But a ofaithful man who can find?

7  The just man pwalketh in his integrity:

qHis children are blessed after him.

8  A rking that sitteth in the throne of judgment

rScattereth away all evil with his eyes.

9  sWho can say, I have made my heart tclean,

I am pure from my sin?

10  u†Divers weights, and †divers measures,

Both of them are alike abomination to the Lord.

11  Even a child is wknown by his doings,

Whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

12  xThe hearing ear, and the seeing eye,

yThe Lord hath made even both of them.

13  zLove not sleep, lest thou come to poverty;

aOpen thine eyes, and thou shalt be bsatisfied with bread.

14  It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer:

But when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.

15  cThere is gold, and a multitude of drubies:

But the lips of knowledge are a eprecious jewel.

16  fTake his garment that is surety for a stranger:

fAnd gtake a pledge of him for a hstrange woman.

17  †Bread of deceit is sweet to a man;

But afterwards his mouth shall be filled with igravel.

18  kEvery purpose is established by counsel:

And with lgood advice mmake war.

19  nHe that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets:

Therefore meddle not with ohim that ||flattereth with his lips.

20  pWhoso curseth his father or his mother,

qHis ||lamp shall be rput out in sobscure darkness.

21  tAn inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning;

But uthe end thereof shall not be blessed.

22  xSay not thou, I will recompense evil;

But ywait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.

23  zDivers weights are an abomination unto the Lord;

And †a false balance is not good.

24  aMan’s goings are of the Lord;

How can a man then understand his own way?

25  It is a snare to the man who bdevoureth that which is holy,

And cafter vows to make inquiry.

26  A wise king dscattereth the wicked,

And bringeth ethe wheel over them.

27  fThe spirit of man is the ||candle of the Lord,

gSearching all hthe inward parts of the belly.

28  iMercy and truth preserve the king:

And khis throne is upholden by mercy.

29  The glory of young men is their strength:

And lthe beauty of old men is the gray head.

30  mThe blueness of a wound †cleanseth away evil:

nSo do stripes hthe inward parts of the belly.