Proverbs 1-13

The Hebrew Bible
1The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel-

2For learning wisdom and discipline;

For understanding words of discernment;

3For acquiring the discipline for success,

Righteousness, justice, and equity;

4For endowing the simple with shrewdness,

The young with knowledge and foresight.

5—The wise man, hearing them, will gain more wisdom;

The discerning man will learn to be adroit;

6For understanding proverb and epigram,

The words of the wise and their riddles.

7The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

Fools despise wisdom and discipline.

8My son, heed the discipline of your father,

And do not forsake the instruction of your mother;

9For they are a graceful wreath upon your head,

A necklace about your throat.

10My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield;

11If they say, “Come with us,

Let us set an ambush to shed blood,

Let us lie in wait for the innocent

(Without cause!)

12Like Sheol, let us swallow them alive;

Whole, like those who go down into the Pit.

13We shall obtain every precious treasure;

We shall fill our homes with loot.

14Throw in your lot with us;

We shall all have a common purse.”

15My son, do not set out with them;

Keep your feet from their path.

16For their feet run to evil;

They hurry to shed blood.

17In the eyes of every winged creature

The outspread net means nothing.

18But they lie in ambush for their own blood;

They lie in wait for their own lives.

19Such is the fate of all who pursue unjust gain;

It takes the life of its possessor.

20Wisdom cries aloud in the streets,

Raises her voice in the squares.

21At the head of the busy streets she calls;

At the entrance of the gates, in the city, she speaks out-

22“How long will you simple ones love simplicity,

You scoffers be eager to scoff,

You dullards hate knowledge?

23You are indifferent to my rebuke;

I will now speak my mind to you,

And let you know my thoughts.

24Since you refused me when I called,

And paid no heed when I extended my hand,

25You spurned all my advice,

And would not hear my rebuke,

26I will laugh at your calamity,

And mock when terror comes upon you,

27When terror comes like a disaster,

And calamity arrives like a whirlwind,

When trouble and distress come upon you.

28Then they shall call me but I will not answer;

They shall seek me but not find me.

29Because they hated knowledge,

And did not choose fear of the Lord;

30They refused my advice,

And disdained all my rebukes,

31They shall eat the fruit of their ways,

And have their fill of their own counsels.

32The tranquillity of the simple will kill them,

And the complacency of dullards will destroy them.

33But he who listens to me will dwell in safety,

Untroubled by the terror of misfortune.”

2My son, if you accept my words

And treasure up my commandments;

2If you make your ear attentive to wisdom

And your mind open to discernment;

3If you call to understanding

And cry aloud to discernment,

4If you seek it as you do silver

And search for it as for treasures,

5Then you will understand the fear of the Lord

And attain knowledge of God.

6For the Lord grants wisdom;

Knowledge and discernment are by His decree.

7He reserves ability for the upright

And is a shield for those who live blamelessly,

8Guarding the paths of justice,

Protecting the way of those loyal to Him.

9You will then understand what is right, just,

And equitable—every good course.

10For wisdom will enter your mind

And knowledge will delight you.

11Foresight will protect you,

And discernment will guard you.

12It will save you from the way of evil men,

From men who speak duplicity,

13Who leave the paths of rectitude

To follow the ways of darkness,

14Who rejoice in doing evil

And exult in the duplicity of evil men,

15Men whose paths are crooked

And who are devious in their course.

16It will save you from the forbidden woman,

From the alien woman whose talk is smooth,

17Who forsakes the companion of her youth

And disregards the covenant of her God.

18Her house sinks down to Death,

And her course leads to the shades.

19All who go to her cannot return

And find again the paths of life.

20So follow the way of the good

And keep to the paths of the just.

21For the upright will inhabit the earth,

The blameless will remain in it.

22While the wicked will vanish from the land

And the treacherous will be rooted out of it.

3My son, do not forget my teaching,

But let your mind retain my commandments;

2For they will bestow on you length of days,

Years of life and well-being.

3Let fidelity and steadfastness not leave you;

Bind them about your throat,

Write them on the tablet of your mind,

4And you will find favor and approbation

In the eyes of God and man.

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And do not rely on your own understanding.

6In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths smooth.

7Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the Lord and shun evil.

8It will be a cure for your body,

A tonic for your bones.

9Honor the Lord with your wealth,

With the best of all your income,

10And your barns will be filled with grain,

Your vats will burst with new wine.

11Do not reject the discipline of the Lord, my son;

Do not abhor His rebuke.

12For whom the Lord loves, He rebukes,

As a father the son whom he favors.

13Happy is the man who finds wisdom,

The man who attains understanding.

14Her value in trade is better than silver,

Her yield, greater than gold.

15She is more precious than rubies;

All of your goods cannot equal her.

16In her right hand is length of days,

In her left, riches and honor.

17Her ways are pleasant ways,

And all her paths, peaceful.

18She is a tree of life to those who grasp her,

And whoever holds on to her is happy.

19The Lord founded the earth by wisdom;

He established the heavens by understanding;

20By His knowledge the depths burst apart,

And the skies distilled dew.

21My son, do not lose sight of them;

Hold on to resourcefulness and foresight.

22They will give life to your spirit

And grace to your throat.

23Then you will go your way safely

And not injure your feet.

24When you lie down you will be unafraid;

You will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.

25You will not fear sudden terror

Or the disaster that comes upon the wicked,

26For the Lord will be your trust;

He will keep your feet from being caught.

27Do not withhold good from one who deserves it

When you have the power to do it [for him].

28Do not say to your fellow, “Come back again;

I’ll give it to you tomorrow,” when you have it with you.

29Do not devise harm against your fellow

Who lives trustfully with you.

30Do not quarrel with a man for no cause,

When he has done you no harm.

31Do not envy a lawless man,

Or choose any of his ways;

32For the devious man is an abomination to the Lord,

But He is intimate with the straightforward.

33The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked,

But He blesses the abode of the righteous.

34At scoffers He scoffs,

But to the lowly He shows grace.

35The wise shall obtain honor,

But dullards get disgrace as their portion.

4Sons, heed the discipline of a father;

Listen and learn discernment,

2For I give you good instruction;

Do not forsake my teaching.

 

3Once I was a son to my father,

The tender darling of my mother.

4He instructed me and said to me,

“Let your mind hold on to my words;

Keep my commandments and you will live.

5Acquire wisdom, acquire discernment;

Do not forget and do not swerve from my words.

6Do not forsake her and she will guard you;

Love her and she will protect you.

7The beginning of wisdom is—acquire wisdom;

With all your acquisitions, acquire discernment.

8Hug her to you and she will exalt you;

She will bring you honor if you embrace her.

9She will adorn your head with a graceful wreath;

Crown you with a glorious diadem.”

10My son, heed and take in my words,

And you will have many years of life.

11I instruct you in the way of wisdom;

I guide you in straight courses.

12You will walk without breaking stride;

When you run, you will not stumble.

13Hold fast to discipline; do not let go;

Keep it; it is your life.

14Do not enter on the path of the wicked;

Do not walk on the way of evil men.

15Avoid it; do not pass through it;

Turn away from it; pass it by.

16For they cannot sleep unless they have done evil;

Unless they make someone fall they are robbed of sleep.

17They eat the bread of wickedness

And drink the wine of lawlessness.

18The path of the righteous is like radiant sunlight,

Ever brightening until noon.

19The way of the wicked is all darkness;

They do not know what will make them stumble.

20My son, listen to my speech;

Incline your ear to my words.

21Do not lose sight of them;

Keep them in your mind.

22They are life to him who finds them,

Healing for his whole body.

23More than all that you guard, guard your mind,

For it is the source of life.

24Put crooked speech away from you;

Keep devious talk far from you.

25Let your eyes look forward,

Your gaze be straight ahead.

26Survey the course you take,

And all your ways will prosper.

27Do not swerve to the right or the left;

Keep your feet from evil.

5My son, listen to my wisdom;

Incline your ear to my insight,

2That you may have foresight,

While your lips hold fast to knowledge.

3For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey;

Her mouth is smoother than oil;

4But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood,

Sharp as a two-edged sword.

5Her feet go down to Death;

Her steps take hold of Sheol.

6She does not chart a path of life;

Her course meanders for lack of knowledge.

7So now, sons, pay heed to me,

And do not swerve from the words of my mouth.

8Keep yourself far away from her;

Do not come near the doorway of her house

9Lest you give up your vigor to others,

Your years to a ruthless one;

10Lest strangers eat their fill of your strength,

And your toil be for the house of another;

11And in the end you roar,

When your flesh and body are consumed,

12And say,

“O how I hated discipline,

And heartily spurned rebuke.

13I did not pay heed to my teachers,

Or incline my ear to my instructors.

14Soon I was in dire trouble

Amidst the assembled congregation.”

15Drink water from your own cistern,

Running water from your own well.

16Your springs will gush forth

In streams in the public squares.

17They will be yours alone,

Others having no part with you.

18Let your fountain be blessed;

Find joy in the wife of your youth—

19A loving doe, a graceful mountain goat.

Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;

Be infatuated with love of her always.

20Why be infatuated, my son, with a forbidden woman?

Why clasp the bosom of an alien woman?

21For a man’s ways are before the eyes of God;

He surveys his entire course.

22The wicked man will be trapped in his iniquities;

He will be caught up in the ropes of his sin.

23He will die for lack of discipline,

Infatuated by his great folly.

6My son, if you have stood surety for your fellow,

Given your hand for another,

2You have been trapped by the words of your mouth,

Snared by the words of your mouth.

3Do this, then, my son, to extricate yourself,

For you have come into the power of your fellow-

Go grovel—and badger your fellow;

4Give your eyes no sleep,

Your pupils no slumber.

5Save yourself like a deer out of the hand [of a hunter],

Like a bird out of the hand of a fowler.

6Lazybones, go to the ant;

Study its ways and learn.

7Without leaders, officers, or rulers,

8It lays up its stores during the summer,

Gathers in its food at the harvest.

9How long will you lie there, lazybones;

When will you wake from your sleep?

10A bit more sleep, a bit more slumber,

A bit more hugging yourself in bed,

11And poverty will come calling upon you,

And want, like a man with a shield.

12A scoundrel, an evil man

Lives by crooked speech,

13Winking his eyes,

Shuffling his feet,

Pointing his finger.

14Duplicity is in his heart;

He plots evil all the time;

He incites quarrels.

15Therefore calamity will come upon him without warning;

Suddenly he will be broken beyond repair.

16Six things the Lord hates;

Seven are an abomination to Him-

17A haughty bearing,

A lying tongue,

Hands that shed innocent blood,

18A mind that hatches evil plots,

Feet quick to run to evil,

19A false witness testifying lies,

And one who incites brothers to quarrel.

20My son, keep your father’s commandment;

Do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

21Tie them over your heart always;

Bind them around your throat.

22When you walk it will lead you;

When you lie down it will watch over you;

And when you are awake it will talk with you.

23For the commandment is a lamp,

The teaching is a light,

And the way to life is the rebuke that disciplines.

24It will keep you from an evil woman,

From the smooth tongue of a forbidden woman.

25Do not lust for her beauty

Or let her captivate you with her eyes.

26The last loaf of bread will go for a harlot;

A married woman will snare a person of honor.

27Can a man rake embers into his bosom

Without burning his clothes?

28Can a man walk on live coals

Without scorching his feet?

29It is the same with one who sleeps with his fellow’s wife;

None who touches her will go unpunished.

30A thief is not held in contempt

For stealing to appease his hunger;

31Yet if caught he must pay sevenfold;

He must give up all he owns.

32He who commits adultery is devoid of sense;

Only one who would destroy himself does such a thing.

33He will meet with disease and disgrace;

His reproach will never be expunged.

34The fury of the husband will be passionate;

He will show no pity on his day of vengeance.

35He will not have regard for any ransom;

He will refuse your bribe, however great.

7My son, heed my words;

And store up my commandments with you.

2Keep my commandments and live,

My teaching, as the apple of your eye.

3Bind them on your fingers;

Write them on the tablet of your mind.

4Say to Wisdom, “You are my sister,”

And call Understanding a kinswoman.

5She will guard you from a forbidden woman;

From an alien woman whose talk is smooth.

6From the window of my house,

Through my lattice, I looked out

7And saw among the simple,

Noticed among the youths,

A lad devoid of sense.

8He was crossing the street near her corner,

Walking toward her house

9In the dusk of evening,

In the dark hours of night.

10A woman comes toward him

Dressed like a harlot, with set purpose.

11She is bustling and restive;

She is never at home.

12Now in the street, now in the square,

She lurks at every corner.

13She lays hold of him and kisses him;

Brazenly she says to him,

14“I had to make a sacrifice of well-being;

Today I fulfilled my vows.

15Therefore I have come out to you,

Seeking you, and have found you.

16I have decked my couch with covers

Of dyed Egyptian linen;

17I have sprinkled my bed

With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

18Let us drink our fill of love till morning;

Let us delight in amorous embrace.

19For the man of the house is away;

He is off on a distant journey.

20He took his bag of money with him

And will return only at mid-month.”

21She sways him with her eloquence,

Turns him aside with her smooth talk.

22Thoughtlessly he follows her,

Like an ox going to the slaughter,

Like a fool to the stocks for punishment—

23Until the arrow pierces his liver.

He is like a bird rushing into a trap,

Not knowing his life is at stake.

24Now, sons, listen to me;

Pay attention to my words;

25Let your mind not wander down her ways;

Do not stray onto her paths.

26For many are those she has struck dead,

And numerous are her victims.

27Her house is a highway to Sheol

Leading down to Death’s inner chambers.

8It is Wisdom calling,

Understanding raising her voice.

2She takes her stand at the topmost heights,

By the wayside, at the crossroads,

3Near the gates at the city entrance;

At the entryways, she shouts,

4“O men, I call to you;

My cry is to all mankind.

5O simple ones, learn shrewdness;

O dullards, instruct your minds.

6Listen, for I speak noble things;

Uprightness comes from my lips;

 

7My mouth utters truth;

Wickedness is abhorrent to my lips.

8All my words are just,

None of them perverse or crooked;

9All are straightforward to the intelligent man,

And right to those who have attained knowledge.

10Accept my discipline rather than silver,

Knowledge rather than choice gold.

11For wisdom is better than rubies;

No goods can equal her.

12“I, Wisdom, live with Prudence;

I attain knowledge and foresight.

13To fear the Lord is to hate evil;

I hate pride, arrogance, the evil way,

And duplicity in speech.

14Mine are counsel and resourcefulness;

I am understanding; courage is mine.

15Through me kings reign

And rulers decree just laws;

16Through me princes rule,

Great men and all the righteous judges.

17Those who love me I love,

And those who seek me will find me.

18Riches and honor belong to me,

Enduring wealth and success.

19My fruit is better than gold, fine gold,

And my produce better than choice silver.

20I walk on the way of righteousness,

On the paths of justice.

21I endow those who love me with substance;

I will fill their treasuries.

 

22“The Lord created me at the beginning of His course

As the first of His works of old.

23In the distant past I was fashioned,

At the beginning, at the origin of earth.

24There was still no deep when I was brought forth,

No springs rich in water;

25Before [the foundation of] the mountains were sunk,

Before the hills I was born.

26He had not yet made earth and fields,

Or the world’s first clumps of clay.

27I was there when He set the heavens into place;

When He fixed the horizon upon the deep;

28When He made the heavens above firm,

And the fountains of the deep gushed forth;

29When He assigned the sea its limits,

So that its waters never transgress His command;

When He fixed the foundations of the earth,

30I was with Him as a confidant,

A source of delight every day,

Rejoicing before Him at all times,

31Rejoicing in His inhabited world,

Finding delight with mankind.

32Now, sons, listen to me;

Happy are they who keep my ways.

33Heed discipline and become wise;

Do not spurn it.

34Happy is the man who listens to me,

Coming early to my gates each day,

Waiting outside my doors.

35For he who finds me finds life

And obtains favor from the Lord.

36But he who misses me destroys himself;

All who hate me love death.”

9Wisdom has built her house,

She has hewn her seven pillars.

2She has prepared the feast,

Mixed the wine,

And also set the table.

3She has sent out her maids to announce

On the heights of the town,

4“Let the simple enter here”;

To those devoid of sense she says,

5“Come, eat my food

And drink the wine that I have mixed;

6Give up simpleness and live,

Walk in the way of understanding.”

 

7To correct a scoffer,

Or rebuke a wicked man for his blemish,

Is to call down abuse on oneself.

8Do not rebuke a scoffer, for he will hate you;

Reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

9Instruct a wise man, and he will grow wiser;

Teach a righteous man, and he will gain in learning.

10The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord,

And knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

11For through me your days will increase,

And years be added to your life.

12If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;

If you are a scoffer, you bear it alone.

13The stupid woman bustles about;

She is simple and knows nothing.

14She sits in the doorway of her house,

Or on a chair at the heights of the town,

15Calling to all the wayfarers

Who go about their own affairs,

16“Let the simple enter here”;

And to those devoid of sense she says,

17“Stolen waters are sweet,

And bread eaten furtively is tasty.”

18He does not know that the shades are there,

That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

10The proverbs of Solomon-

A wise son brings joy to his father;

A dull son is his mother’s sorrow.

2Ill-gotten wealth is of no avail,

But righteousness saves from death.

3The Lord will not let the righteous go hungry,

But He denies the wicked what they crave.

4Negligent hands cause poverty,

But diligent hands enrich.

5He who lays in stores during the summer is a capable son,

But he who sleeps during the harvest is an incompetent.

6Blessings light upon the head of the righteous,

But lawlessness covers the mouth of the wicked.

7The name of the righteous is invoked in blessing,

But the fame of the wicked rots.

8He whose heart is wise accepts commands,

But he whose speech is foolish comes to grief.

9He who lives blamelessly lives safely,

But he who walks a crooked path will be found out.

10He who winks his eye causes sorrow;

He whose speech is foolish comes to grief.

11The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,

But lawlessness covers the mouth of the wicked.

12Hatred stirs up strife,

But love covers up all faults.

13Wisdom is to be found on the lips of the intelligent,

But a rod is ready for the back of the senseless.

14The wise store up knowledge;

The mouth of the fool is an imminent ruin.

15The wealth of a rich man is his fortress;

The poverty of the poor is his ruin.

16The labor of the righteous man makes for life;

The produce of the wicked man makes for want.

17He who follows discipline shows the way to life,

But he who ignores reproof leads astray.

18He who conceals hatred has lying lips,

While he who speaks forth slander is a dullard.

19Where there is much talking, there is no lack of transgressing,

But he who curbs his tongue shows sense.

20The tongue of a righteous man is choice silver,

But the mind of the wicked is of little worth.

21The lips of the righteous sustain many,

But fools die for lack of sense.

22It is the blessing of the Lord that enriches,

And no toil can increase it.

23As mischief is sport for the dullard,

So is wisdom for the man of understanding.

24What the wicked man plots overtakes him;

What the righteous desire is granted.

25When the storm passes the wicked man is gone,

But the righteous is an everlasting foundation.

26Like vinegar to the teeth,

Like smoke to the eyes,

Is a lazy man to those who send him on a mission.

27The fear of the Lord prolongs life,

While the years of the wicked will be shortened.

28The righteous can look forward to joy,

But the hope of the wicked is doomed.

29The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the blameless,

But a ruin for evildoers.

30The righteous will never be shaken;

The wicked will not inhabit the earth.

31The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom,

But the treacherous tongue shall be cut off.

32The lips of the righteous know what is pleasing;

The mouth of the wicked [knows] duplicity.

11False scales are an abomination to the Lord;

An honest weight pleases Him.

2When arrogance appears, disgrace follows,

But wisdom is with those who are unassuming.

3The integrity of the upright guides them;

The deviousness of the treacherous leads them to ruin.

4Wealth is of no avail on the day of wrath,

But righteousness saves from death.

5The righteousness of the blameless man smooths his way,

But the wicked man is felled by his wickedness.

6The righteousness of the upright saves them,

But the treacherous are trapped by their malice.

7At death the hopes of a wicked man are doomed,

And the ambition of evil men comes to nothing.

8The righteous man is rescued from trouble

And the wicked man takes his place.

9The impious man destroys his neighbor through speech,

But through their knowledge the righteous are rescued.

10When the righteous prosper the city exults;

When the wicked perish there are shouts of joy.

11A city is built up by the blessing of the upright,

But it is torn down by the speech of the wicked.

12He who speaks contemptuously of his fellowman is devoid of sense;

A prudent man keeps his peace.

13A base fellow gives away secrets,

But a trustworthy soul keeps a confidence.

14For want of strategy an army falls,

But victory comes with much planning.

15Harm awaits him who stands surety for another;

He who spurns pledging shall be secure.

16A graceful woman obtains honor;

Ruthless men obtain wealth.

17A kindly man benefits himself;

A cruel man makes trouble for himself.

18The wicked man earns illusory wages,

But he who sows righteousness has a true reward.

19Righteousness is a prop of life,

But to pursue evil leads to death.

20Men of crooked mind are an abomination to the Lord,

But those whose way is blameless please Him.

21Assuredly, the evil man will not escape,

But the offspring of the righteous will be safe.

22Like a gold ring in the snout of a pig

Is a beautiful woman bereft of sense.

23What the righteous desire can only be good;

What the wicked hope for [stirs] wrath.

24One man gives generously and ends with more;

Another stints on doing the right thing and incurs a loss.

25A generous person enjoys prosperity;

He who satisfies others shall himself be sated.

26He who withholds grain earns the curses of the people,

But blessings are on the head of the one who dispenses it.

27He who earnestly seeks what is good pursues what is pleasing;

He who is bent on evil, upon him it shall come.

28He who trusts in his wealth shall fall,

But the righteous shall flourish like foliage.

29He who makes trouble for his household shall inherit the wind;

A fool is a slave to the wise-hearted.

30The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life;

A wise man captivates people.

31If the righteous on earth get their deserts,

How much more the wicked man and the sinner.

12He who loves discipline loves knowledge;

He who spurns reproof is a brutish man.

2A good man earns the favor of the Lord,

A man of intrigues, His condemnation.

3A man cannot be established in wickedness,

But the root of the righteous will not be shaken loose.

4A capable wife is a crown for her husband,

But an incompetent one is like rot in his bones.

5The purposes of the righteous are justice,

The schemes of the wicked are deceit.

6The words of the wicked are a deadly ambush,

But the speech of the upright saves them.

7Overturn the wicked and they are gone,

But the house of the righteous will endure.

8A man is commended according to his intelligence;

A twisted mind is held up to contempt.

9Better to be lightly esteemed and have a servant

Than to put on airs and have no food.

10A righteous man knows the needs of his beast,

But the compassion of the wicked is cruelty.

11He who tills his land shall have food in plenty,

But he who pursues vanities is devoid of sense.

12The wicked covet the catch of evil men;

The root of the righteous yields [fruit].

13Sinful speech is a trap for the evil man,

But the righteous escapes from trouble.

14A man gets his fill of good from the fruit of his speech;

One is repaid in kind for one’s deeds.

15The way of a fool is right in his own eyes;

But the wise man accepts advice.

16A fool’s vexation is known at once,

But a clever man conceals his humiliation.

17He who testifies faithfully tells the truth,

But a false witness, deceit.

18There is blunt talk like sword-thrusts,

But the speech of the wise is healing.

19Truthful speech abides forever,

A lying tongue for but a moment.

20Deceit is in the minds of those who plot evil;

For those who plan good there is joy.

21No harm befalls the righteous,

But the wicked have their fill of misfortune.

22Lying speech is an abomination to the Lord,

But those who act faithfully please Him.

23A clever man conceals what he knows,

But the mind of a dullard cries out folly.

24The hand of the diligent wields authority;

The negligent are held in subjection.

25If there is anxiety in a man’s mind let him quash it,

And turn it into joy with a good word.

26A righteous man gives his friend direction,

But the way of the wicked leads astray.

27A negligent man never has game to roast;

A diligent man has precious wealth.

28The road of righteousness leads to life;

By way of its path there is no death.

13A wise son—it is through the discipline of his father;

A scoffer—he never heard reproof.

2A man enjoys good from the fruit of his speech;

But out of the throat of the treacherous comes lawlessness.

3He who guards his tongue preserves his life;

He who opens wide his lips, it is his ruin.

4A lazy man craves, but has nothing;

The diligent shall feast on rich fare.

5A righteous man hates lies;

The wicked man is vile and disgraceful.

6Righteousness protects him whose way is blameless;

Wickedness subverts the sinner.

7One man pretends to be rich and has nothing;

Another professes to be poor and has much wealth.

8Riches are ransom for a man’s life,

The poor never heard a reproof.

9The light of the righteous is radiant;

The lamp of the wicked is extinguished.

10Arrogance yields nothing but strife;

Wisdom belongs to those who seek advice.

11Wealth may dwindle to less than nothing,

But he who gathers little by little increases it.

12Hope deferred sickens the heart,

But desire realized is a tree of life.

13He who disdains a precept will be injured thereby;

He who respects a command will be rewarded.

14The instruction of a wise man is a fountain of life,

Enabling one to avoid deadly snares.

15Good sense wins favor;

The way of treacherous men is unchanging.

16Every clever man acts knowledgeably,

But a dullard exposes his stupidity.

17Harm befalls a wicked messenger;

A faithful courier brings healing.

18Poverty and humiliation are for him who spurns discipline;

But he who takes reproof to heart gets honor.

19Desire realized is sweet to the soul;

To turn away from evil is abhorrent to the stupid.

20He who keeps company with the wise becomes wise,

But he who consorts with dullards comes to grief.

21Misfortune pursues sinners,

But the righteous are well rewarded.

22A good man has what to bequeath to his grandchildren,

For the wealth of sinners is stored up for the righteous.

23The tillage of the poor yields much food;

But substance is swept away for lack of moderation.

24He who spares the rod hates his son,

But he who loves him disciplines him early.

25The righteous man eats to his heart’s content,

But the belly of the wicked is empty.

Tanakh, The Holy Scriptures, (Philadelphia, Jerusalem- Jewish Publication Society) 1985.