A false witness will perish, But the man who listens to the truth will speak forever.
A wicked man displays a bold face, But as for the upright, he makes his way sure.
There is no wisdom and no understanding And no counsel against the LORD.
The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But victory belongs to the LORD.
The rich and the poor have a common bond, The LORD is the maker of them all.
The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, But the naive go on, and are punished for it.
The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches, honor and life.
Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; He who guards himself will be far from them.
Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.
The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.
He who sows iniquity will reap vanity, And the rod of his fury will perish.
He who is generous will be blessed, For he gives some of his food to the poor.
Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go out, Even strife and dishonor will cease.
He who loves purity of heart And whose speech is gracious, the king is his friend.
The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, But He overthrows the words of the treacherous man.
The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside; I will be killed in the streets!”
The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; He who is cursed of the LORD will fall into it.
Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.
He who oppresses the poor to make more for himself Or who gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your mind to my knowledge;
So that your trust may be in the LORD, I have taught you today, even you.
To make you know the certainty of the words of truth That you may correctly answer him who sent you?
Do not rob the poor because he is poor, Or crush the afflicted at the gate;
For the LORD will plead their case And take the life of those who rob them.
Do not move the ancient boundary Which your fathers have set.
When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.
Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, Or desire his delicacies;
You will vomit up the morsel you have eaten, And waste your compliments.
Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words.
Do not move the ancient boundary Or go into the fields of the fatherless,
Do not hold back discipline from the child, Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die.
You shall strike him with the rod And rescue his soul from Sheol.
Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the LORD always.
Listen, my son, and be wise, And direct your heart in the way.
For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe one with rags.
The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who sires a wise son will be glad in him.
Surely she lurks as a robber, And increases the faithless among men.
Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it goes down smoothly;
At the last it bites like a serpent And stings like a viper.
And you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, Or like one who lies down on the top of a mast.
And by knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches.
Wisdom is too exalted for a fool, He does not open his mouth in the gate.
The devising of folly is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to men.
If you are slack in the day of distress, Your strength is limited.
If you say, “See, we did not know this,” Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work?
My son, eat honey, for it is good, Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste;
Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; Do not destroy his resting place;
For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity.
Or the LORD will see it and be displeased, And turn His anger away from him.
Do not fret because of evildoers Or be envious of the wicked;
New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995
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