Chapter 18

1 He who is estranged seeks pretexts

to break out against all sound judgment.

2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,

but only in expressing his opinion.

3 When wickedness comes, contempt comes also;

and with dishonor comes disgrace.

4 The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;

the fountain of wisdom is a gushing stream.

5 It is not good to be partial to a wicked man,

or to deprive a righteous man of justice.

6 A fool’s lips bring strife,

and his mouth invites a flogging.

7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin,

and his lips are a snare to himself.

8 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;

they go down into the inner parts of the body.

9 He who is slack in his work

is a brother to him who destroys.

10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower;

the righteous man runs into it and is safe.

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

and like a high wall protecting him.

12 Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty,

but humility goes before honor.

13 If one gives answer before he hears,

it is his folly and shame.

14 A man’s spirit will endure sickness;

but a broken spirit who can bear?

15 An intelligent mind acquires knowledge,

and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

16 A man’s gift makes room for him

and brings him before great men.

17 He who states his case first seems right,

until the other comes and examines him.

18 The lot puts an end to disputes

and decides between powerful contenders.

19 A brother helped is like a strong city,

but quarreling is like the bars of a castle.

20 From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied;

he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.

21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

and those who love it will eat its fruits.

22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing,

and obtains favor from the Lord.

23 The poor use entreaties,

but the rich answer roughly.

24 There are friends who pretend to be friends,

but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Chapter 19

1 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity

than a man who is perverse in speech, and is a fool.

2 It is not good for a man to be without knowledge,

and he who makes haste with his feet misses his way.

3 When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin,

his heart rages against the Lord.

4 Wealth brings many new friends,

but a poor man is deserted by his friend.

5 A false witness will not go unpunished,

and he who utters lies will not escape.

6 Many seek the favor of a generous man,

and every one is a friend to a man who gives gifts.

7 All a poor man’s brothers hate him;

how much more do his friends go far from him!

He pursues them with words, but does not have them.

8 He who gets wisdom loves himself;

he who keeps understanding will prosper.

9 A false witness will not go unpunished,

and he who utters lies will perish.

10 It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury,

much less for a slave to rule over princes.

11 Good sense makes a man slow to anger,

and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

12 A king’s wrath is like the growling of a lion,

but his favor is like dew upon the grass.

13 A foolish son is ruin to his father,

and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.

14 House and wealth are inherited from fathers,

but a prudent wife is from the Lord.

15 Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep,

and an idle person will suffer hunger.

16 He who keeps the commandment keeps his life;

he who despises the word will die.

17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,

and he will repay him for his deed.

18 Discipline your son while there is hope;

do not set your heart on his destruction.

19 A man of great wrath will pay the penalty;

for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.

20 Listen to advice and accept instruction,

that you may gain wisdom for the future.

21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man,

but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established.

22 What is desired in a man is loyalty,

and a poor man is better than a liar.

23 The fear of the Lord leads to life;

and he who has it rests satisfied;

he will not be visited by harm.

24 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish,

and will not even bring it back to his mouth.

25 Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence;

reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.

26 He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother

is a son who causes shame and brings reproach.

27 Cease, my son, to hear instruction

only to stray from the words of knowledge.

28 A worthless witness mocks at justice,

and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.

29 Condemnation is ready for scoffers,

and flogging for the backs of fools.

Chapter 20

1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler;

and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

2 The dread wrath of a king is like the growling of a lion;

he who provokes him to anger forfeits his life.

3 It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife;

but every fool will be quarreling.

4 The sluggard does not plow in the autumn;

he will seek at harvest and have nothing.

5 The purpose in a man’s mind is like deep water,

but a man of understanding will draw it out.

6 Many a man proclaims his own loyalty,

but a faithful man who can find?

7 A righteous man who walks in his integrity—

blessed are his sons after him!

8 A king who sits on the throne of judgment

winnows all evil with his eyes.

9 Who can say, “I have made my heart clean;

I am pure from my sin”?

10 Diverse weights and diverse measures

are both alike an abomination to the Lord.

11 Even a child makes himself known by his acts,

whether what he does is pure and right.

12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye,

the Lord has made them both.

13 Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty;

open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.

14 “It is bad, it is bad,” says the buyer;

but when he goes away, then he boasts.

15 There is gold, and abundance of costly stones;

but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

16 Take a man’s garment when he has given surety for a stranger,

and hold him in pledge when he gives surety for foreigners.

17 Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,

but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel.

18 Plans are established by counsel;

by wise guidance wage war.

19 He who goes about gossiping reveals secrets;

therefore do not associate with one who speaks foolishly.

20 If one curses his father or his mother,

his lamp will be put out in utter darkness.

21 An inheritance gotten hastily in the beginning

will in the end not be blessed.

22 Do not say, “I will repay evil”;

wait for the Lord, and he will help you.

23 Diverse weights are an abomination to the Lord,

and false scales are not good.

24 A man’s steps are ordered by the Lord;

how then can man understand his way?

25 It is a snare for a man to say rashly, “It is holy,”

and to reflect only after making his vows.

26 A wise king winnows the wicked,

and drives the wheel over them.

27 The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord,

searching all his innermost parts.

28 Loyalty and faithfulness preserve the king,

and his throne is upheld by righteousness.

29 The glory of young men is their strength,

but the beauty of old men is their gray hair.

30 Blows that wound cleanse away evil;

strokes make clean the innermost parts.