Solomon

An abridg­ment of the proverbs at­trib­ut­ed to Solomon. Verse references such as 3:9 indicate the original source of the text, but donʼt imply a full quotation.

Contents

My Son

3:1 My son, donʼt for­get my teach­ing, but let your heart keep my com­mand­ments, 2 for they will bring you many days, years of life, and peace. 3 Donʼt let kind­ness and truth leave you. Tie them a­round your neck. Write them on the tab­let of your heart. 4 Then you will find fa­vor and high re­gard in the sight of God and man.

3:5 Trust in God with all your heart, and donʼt lean on your own un­der­stand­ing. 6 In all your ways ac­knowl­edge him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Donʼt be wise in your own eyes. Fear God, and turn a­way from evil. 8 It will be heal­ing to your body, and re­fresh­ment to your bones.

3:9 Hon­or God with your wealth, and with the first­fruits of all your pro­duce, 10 then your barns will be filled with plen­ty, and your vats will over­flow with new wine.

3:11 My son, donʼt re­ject the dis­ci­pline of God or loathe his re­proof; 12 for God reproves the one he loves, just as a fa­ther reproves the son in whom he delights.

3:13 Hap­py is the man who finds wis­dom, and the man who gains un­der­stand­ing. 14 For she is more prof­it­a­ble than sil­ver, and her gain is bet­ter than fi­ne gold. 15 She is more pre­cious than jewels, and noth­ing you de­sire compares with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand. In her left hand are rich­es and hon­or. 17 Her ways are pleas­ant, and all her paths are peace­ful. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her. Those who hold her fast are hap­py.

3:19God founded the earth by wis­dom. He es­tab­lished the heavens by un­der­stand­ing. 20 By his knowl­edge the depths broke o­pen, and the clouds drip with dew.

3:21 My son, donʼt lose sight of them. Keep sound wis­dom and dis­cre­tion. 22 They will be life for your soul, and adorn­ment for your neck. 23 Then you will walk on your way se­cure­ly, and your foot wonʼt stum­ble. 24 When you lie down, you wonʼt be a­fraid. When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

3:25 Donʼt fear sud­den dis­as­ter or the ru­in of the wick­ed when it co­mes, 26 for God will be your con­fi­dence, and will keep your foot from be­ing caught.

3:27 Donʼt with­hold good from those who de­serve it, when itʼs in your pow­er to do it. 28 Donʼt say to your neigh­bor, “Go, and come back. Iʼll give it to­mor­row,” when you have it with you. 29 Donʼt plan evil against your neigh­bor, who lives trust­ing­ly be­side you.

3:30 Donʼt con­tend with a man with­out cause, when he has done you no harm. 31 Donʼt en­vy a vi­o­lent man or choose any of his ways, 32 for the de­vi­ous are an abom­i­na­tion to God, but he is a friend to the up­right.

3:33 The curse of God is on the house of the wick­ed, but he blesses the dwell­ing of the right­eous. 34 He mocks the mock­ers, but shows fa­vor to the hum­ble. 35 The wise will in­her­it hon­or, but fools get shame.

4:1 Lis­ten, sons, to a fatherʼs in­struc­tion, and pay at­ten­tion so that you may gain un­der­stand­ing. 2 For I give you sound in­struc­tion. Donʼt aban­don my teach­ing.

4:3 When I was a son to my fa­ther, ten­der and the on­ly son in my motherʼs sight, 4 he taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart hold on to my words. Keep my com­mand­ments and live. 5 Get wis­dom. Get un­der­stand­ing. Donʼt for­get or turn a­way from the words of my mouth. 6 Donʼt for­sake her, and she will guard you. Love her, and she will watch over you. 7 The be­gin­ning of wis­dom is this: get wis­dom, and what­ev­er else you get, get un­der­stand­ing. 8 Prize her, and she will ex­alt you. If you em­brace her, she will hon­or you. 9 She will place on your head a gar­land of grace. She will pres­ent you with a crown of beau­ty.”

4:10 Lis­ten, my son, and ac­cept my sayings, and the years of your life will be many. 11 Iʼve taught you in the way of wis­dom. Iʼve led you in up­right paths. 12 When you walk, your steps wonʼt be hindered. When you run, you wonʼt stum­ble. 13 Hold on to in­struc­tion. Donʼt let go. Guard her, for she is your life.

4:14 Donʼt en­ter the path of the wick­ed, and donʼt walk in the way of evil men. 15 A­void it. Donʼt trav­el on it. Turn a­way from it, and pass on. 16 For they can­not sleep un­less they do evil. Theyʼre robbed of sleep un­less they make some­one stum­ble. 17 For they eat the bread of wick­ed­ness, and drink the wine of vi­o­lence. 18 But the path of the right­eous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter un­til mid­day. 19 The way of the wick­ed is like dark­ness. They donʼt know what makes them stum­ble.

4:20 My son, pay at­ten­tion to my words. Lis­ten care­ful­ly to my sayings. 21 Donʼt lose sight of them. Keep them with­in your heart. 22 For theyʼre life to those who find them, and health to their whole body.

4:23 Watch over your heart with all dil­i­gence, for the springs of life flow from it. 24 Put a­way from you de­ceit­ful speech, and put de­vi­ous talk far from you.

4:25 Let your eyes look di­rect­ly ahead and your gaze straight in front of you. 26 Care­ful­ly con­sid­er the path of your feet, then all your ways will be sure. 27 Donʼt turn to the right or to the left. Keep your foot from evil.

5:1 My son, pay at­ten­tion to my wis­dom. Lis­ten care­ful­ly to my un­der­stand­ing, 2 that you may main­tain dis­cre­tion, and that your lips may guard knowl­edge.

5:3 The lips of a for­bid­den wom­an drip hon­ey, and her speech is smooth­er than oil, 4 but in the end sheʼs as bit­ter as worm­wood, and as sharp as a double-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death. Her steps lead straight to hell. 6 She does­nʼt pon­der the path of life. Her ways are un­sta­ble, and she does­nʼt know it.

5:7 Now then, my sons, lis­ten to me, and donʼt de­part from the words of my mouth. 8 Keep your way far from her. Donʼt go near the door of her house 9 lest you give your vig­or to others and your years to some­one cru­el, 10 lest strangers feast on your wealth, your labors en­rich the house of a for­eign­er, 11 and at the end of your life you groan when your flesh and body are con­sumed. 12 You will say, “How I hat­ed dis­ci­pline! How my heart de­spised re­proof! 13 I did­nʼt o­bey my teachers or lis­ten to my in­struc­tors! 14 I am al­most in ut­ter ru­in in the midst of the as­sem­bly and con­gre­ga­tion.”

5:15 Drink wa­ter from your own cis­tern, and fresh wa­ter from your own well. 16 Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of wa­ter in the streets? 17 Let them be yours a­lone, and not for strangers with you. 18 Let your foun­tain be bless­ed, and re­joice in the wife of your youth, 19 as a lov­ing deer and a grace­ful doe. Let her breasts sat­is­fy you al­ways, and be ex­hil­a­rat­ed al­ways with her love.

5:20 Why, my son, should you be ex­hil­a­rat­ed with a for­bid­den wom­an, or em­brace the bos­om of a strang­er? 21 For a manʼs ways are be­fore the eyes of God, and he considers all his paths. 22 The iniquities of the wick­ed en­trap him. He is held in the cords of his sin. 23 He dies for lack of dis­ci­pline, and be­cause of his great fol­ly he will go a­stray.

6:1 My son, if youʼve put up se­cu­ri­ty for your neigh­bor or have giv­en a pledge for a strang­er, 2 if youʼve been snared or caught with the words of your mouth, 3 then do this, my son, and free your­self. Youʼve fall­en in­to your neighborʼs hands. Go, hum­ble your­self, and plead with your neigh­bor. 4 Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slum­ber. 5 Save your­self like a ga­zelle from the hunterʼs hand, and like a bird from the fowlerʼs hand.

6:6 Go to the ant, you i­dler. Ob­serve its ways, and be wise. 7 With­out chief, of­fic­er, or rul­er, 8 it prepares its provisions in sum­mer, and gathers its food dur­ing har­vest.

6:9 How long will you lie down, you i­dler? When will you get up from your sleep? 10 A lit­tle sleep, a lit­tle slum­ber, a lit­tle folding of the hands to rest, 11 and pov­er­ty will come up­on you like a rob­ber, and want like an armed man.

6:12 A worth­less per­son, a wick­ed man, goes a­round speak­ing per­verse­ly. 14 With per­ver­si­ty in his heart, he devises evil con­tin­u­al­ly, and sows dis­cord. 15 There­fore ca­lam­i­ty will strike him sud­den­ly. In­stant­ly he will be bro­ken be­yond heal­ing.

6:16 Sev­en things are an abom­i­na­tion to God: 17 haugh­ty eyes, a ly­ing tongue, hands that shed in­no­cent blood, 18 a heart that devises wick­ed plans, feet that run swift­ly to evil, 19 a false wit­ness who utters lies, and one who sows dis­cord a­mong brothers.

6:20 My son, keep your fatherʼs com­mand, and donʼt for­sake your motherʼs teach­ing. 21 Al­ways bind them on your heart. Tie them a­round your neck. 22 When you walk, theyʼll guide you. When you sleep, theyʼll watch over you. When you wake up, theyʼll talk to you. 23 For this com­mand is a lamp, this teach­ing is a light, and cor­rec­tive dis­ci­pline is the way to life, 24 keep­ing you from the evil wom­an, from the flat­ter­ing tongue of an adul­ter­ess.

6:25 Donʼt de­sire her beau­ty in your heart or let her cap­ti­vate you with her eyes. 26 For a pros­ti­tuteʼs fee is on­ly a loaf of bread, but a mar­ried wom­an hunts down a pre­cious life. 27 Can a man em­brace fire with­out burn­ing his clothes? 28 Or can he walk on hot coals with­out scorching his feet? 29 So is he who goes in to his neighborʼs wife. None who touches her will go un­pun­ished.

6:30 Peo­ple donʼt de­spise a thief if he steals to sat­is­fy his hun­ger, 31 but if caught, he must re­pay sev­en­fold. He will give eve­ry­thing in his house.

6:32 He who commits adul­tery lacks sense, and destroys him­self. 33 He will get wounds and dis­hon­or, and his dis­grace wonʼt be e­rased. 34 For jeal­ou­sy enrages a hus­band, and he will show no mer­cy in the day of venge­ance. 35 He wonʼt ac­cept com­pen­sa­tion. He will re­fuse, though you give many gifts.

Relationships

7:10 A wom­an met him, dressed as a pros­ti­tute, and cun­ning of heart. 13 She seizes him, kisses him, and bra­zen­ly says to him, 14 “I had to of­fer peace offerings. To­day Iʼve paid my vows. 16 Iʼve spread my couch with cov­er­ings, with col­ored linens from Egypt. 18 Come, letʼs drink our fill of love un­til morn­ing. Letʼs de­light our­selves with caresses.” 21 She seduces him with her per­sua­sive speech. With her flat­ter­ing lips she lures him. 22 He follows her at once, like an ox go­ing to the slaugh­ter, like a deer step­ping in­to a trap. 25 Donʼt let your heart turn a­side to her ways. Donʼt stray in­to her paths. 26 For she has cast down many victims, and all her slain are nu­mer­ous.

11:29 He who troubles his own house will in­her­it the wind.

12:4 An ex­cel­lent wife is her husbandʼs crown, but she who brings shame is like rot­ten­ness in his bones.

13:20 He who walks with wise men will be­come wise, but the com­pan­ion of fools will suf­fer harm.

13:24 He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him dis­ci­plines him dil­i­gent­ly.

14:7 Leave the pres­ence of a fool, for you wonʼt find knowl­edge in his speech.

14:28 A large pop­u­la­tion is a kingʼs glo­ry, but with­out peo­ple a prince is ruined.

15:17 Bet­ter is a serv­ing of veg­e­ta­bles where there is love, than a fat­tened ox served with ha­tred.

16:7 When a manʼs ways please God, he makes e­ven his enemies to be at peace with him.

17:6 Grand­chil­dren are the crown of old men, and fathers are the glo­ry of their sons.

17:9 He who conceals an of­fense seeks love, but he who repeats a mat­ter sep­a­rates close friends.

17:12 Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rath­er than a fool in his fol­ly.

17:21 He who sires a fool does so to his own sor­row, and the fa­ther of a fool has no joy. 25 A fool­ish son is a grief to his fa­ther, and bit­ter­ness to her who bore him.

18:1 He who isolates him­self seeks his own de­sire, and rebels against all sound wis­dom.

18:22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains fa­vor from God.

18:24 He who has many friends co­mes to ru­in, but there is a friend who stays clos­er than a broth­er.

19:14 A house and wealth are in­her­it­ed from fathers, but a pru­dent wife is from God.

20:2 A kingʼs ter­ror is like the lionʼs roar; he who provokes him to an­ger forfeits his own life.

20:19 A gos­sip reveals secrets, there­fore donʼt as­so­ci­ate with him who talks too much.

22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; e­ven when he is old he wonʼt de­part from it.

25:17 Sel­dom set foot in your neighborʼs house, lest he grow wea­ry of you, and hate you.

29:3 He who loves wis­dom brings joy to his fa­ther, but a com­pan­ion of pros­ti­tutes wastes his wealth.

Instruction

8:1 Does­nʼt wis­dom call, and un­der­stand­ing raise her voice? 4 “To you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men. 5 O na­ive ones, learn pru­dence. O fools, learn sense. 10 Take my in­struc­tion in­stead of sil­ver, and knowl­edge rath­er than choice gold. 11 For wis­dom is bet­ter than jewels, and all de­sir­a­ble things can­not com­pare to it. 22God pos­sessed me at the be­gin­ning of his way, be­fore his works of old. 27 When he es­tab­lished the heavens, I was there. 32 Now, my sons, lis­ten to me, for bless­ed are those who keep my ways. 33 Lis­ten to in­struc­tion and be wise. Donʼt ne­glect it. 35 For he who finds me finds life, and will ob­tain fa­vor of God.”

9:8 Donʼt re­prove a scoff­er, or he will hate you. Re­prove a wise man, and he will love you. 9 In­struct a wise man, and he will be wis­er still. Teach a right­eous man, and he will in­crease in learn­ing. 10 The fear of God is the be­gin­ning of wis­dom.

10:17 He who heeds in­struc­tion is on the path of life, but he who ignores re­proof goes a­stray.

12:15 The foolʼs way is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to coun­sel.

13:14 The teach­ing of the wise is a foun­tain of life, turn­ing one a­way from the snares of death.

13:18 Pov­er­ty and shame will come to him who ignores in­struc­tion, but he who heeds re­proof will be honored.

17:10 A re­buke goes deeper in­to one who has un­der­stand­ing than a hun­dred lashes in­to a fool.

19:27 Cease listening to in­struc­tion, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowl­edge.

Wise and Foolish

10:1 A wise son makes a fa­ther glad, but a fool­ish son brings grief to his moth­er.

10:23 Do­ing wick­ed­ness is like sport to a fool, but wis­dom is pleas­ure to a man of un­der­stand­ing.

11:29 The fool will be serv­ant to the wise of heart.

12:16 A foolʼs dis­pleas­ure is known at once, but a pru­dent man ignores an in­sult.

14:15 The na­ive be­lieves eve­ry­thing, but the pru­dent considers his steps. 16 A wise man is cau­tious and turns a­way from evil, but a fool is reck­less and care­less.

17:2 A pru­dent serv­ant will rule over a shame­ful son, and will share the in­her­it­ance a­mong the brothers.

22:3 The pru­dent sees dan­ger and hides him­self, but the na­ive go on and suf­fer for it.

Righteous and Wicked

10:2 Ill-gotten gains donʼt prof­it, but right­eous­ness delivers from death. 3God wonʼt let the right­eous go hun­gry, but he thwarts the crav­ing of the wick­ed.

10:7 The mem­o­ry of the right­eous is a bless­ing, but the name of the wick­ed will rot.

10:20 The tongue of the right­eous is like choice sil­ver; the heart of the wick­ed is of lit­tle worth. 21 The lips of the right­eous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense.

10:27 The fear of God prolongs life, but the years of the wick­ed will be shortened.

11:5 The right­eous­ness of the blame­less will di­rect his way, but the wick­ed will fall by his own wick­ed­ness. 6 The right­eous­ness of the up­right will res­cue them, but the treach­er­ous will be trapped by their own desires. 8 The right­eous is delivered from trou­ble, but the wick­ed takes his place.

11:18 The wick­ed earns de­cep­tive wages, but he who sows right­eous­ness gets a sure re­ward.

11:23 The de­sire of the right­eous turns out well, but the ex­pec­ta­tion of the wick­ed is wrath.

11:31 If the right­eous will be rewarded on earth, how much more the wick­ed and the sin­ner.

12:3 A man wonʼt be es­tab­lished by wick­ed­ness, but the root of the right­eous wonʼt be moved. 7 The wick­ed are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the right­eous will stand.

12:26 The right­eous is a guide to his neigh­bor, but the way of the wick­ed leads them a­stray.

13:21 Dis­as­ter pursues sinners, but the right­eous will be rewarded with good.

13:25 The right­eous has e­nough to sat­is­fy his ap­pe­tite, but the stom­ach of the wick­ed is emp­ty.

14:19 The evil bow down be­fore the good, and the wick­ed at the gates of the right­eous.

14:22 Wonʼt they who de­vise evil go a­stray? But those who de­vise good will find kind­ness and truth.

14:34 Right­eous­ness exalts a na­tion, but sin is a dis­grace to any peo­ple.

15:8 The sac­ri­fice of the wick­ed is an abom­i­na­tion to God, but the pray­er of the up­right is his de­light.

21:15 When jus­tice is done, itʼs a joy to the right­eous, but a ter­ror to evildoers.

28:1 The wick­ed flee when no one pursues, but the right­eous are as bold as a li­on.

Diligence

10:4 A slack hand causes pov­er­ty, but a dil­i­gent hand makes rich. 5 A son who gathers in the sum­mer is pru­dent, but one who sleeps dur­ing har­vest is shame­ful.

10:26 Like vin­e­gar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the i­dler to those who send him.

12:24 The hand of the dil­i­gent will rule, but the sloth­ful will be put to forced la­bor.

13:4 The i­dler craves, yet gets noth­ing, but the dil­i­gent is ful­ly sat­is­fied.

14:23 There is prof­it in all la­bor, but mer­e talk leads on­ly to pov­er­ty.

16:26 A workerʼs ap­pe­tite works for him, for his hun­ger urges him on.

18:9 Who­ev­er is slack in his work is broth­er to him who destroys.

19:15 La­zi­ness brings on deep sleep, and an i­dle man will suf­fer hun­ger.

19:24 The i­dler bur­ies his hand in the dish, but wonʼt e­ven bring it back to his mouth.

20:4 The i­dler does­nʼt plow in sea­son, so he looks dur­ing har­vest and has noth­ing.

20:13 Donʼt love sleep lest you come to pov­er­ty. O­pen your eyes and youʼll have plen­ty of food.

22:13 The i­dler says, “Thereʼs a li­on out­side. Iʼll be killed in the streets.”

26:14 As a door turns on its hinges, so does the i­dler on his bed.

26:16 The i­dler is wis­er in his own eyes than sev­en men who can an­swer sen­si­bly.

27:23 Know well the con­di­tion of your flocks, and pay at­ten­tion to your herds; 24 for rich­es arenʼt for­ev­er and a crown does­nʼt en­dure to all gen­er­a­tions.

28:19 He who works his land will have plen­ty of food, but he who follows worth­less pursuits will have plen­ty of pov­er­ty.

Integrity

10:9 He who walks in in­teg­ri­ty walks se­cure­ly, but he who perverts his ways will be found out.

11:3 The in­teg­ri­ty of the up­right will guide them, but the per­ver­si­ty of the treach­er­ous will de­stroy them.

20:7 A right­eous man who walks in his in­teg­ri­ty; bless­ed are his chil­dren af­ter him.

21:3 To do right­eous­ness and jus­tice is more ac­cept­a­ble to God than sac­ri­fice. 27 The sac­ri­fice of the wick­ed is an abom­i­na­tion; how much more when he brings it with evil in­tent.

28:6 Bet­ter is the poor who walks in his in­teg­ri­ty than the rich who is crook­ed in his ways.

28:18 He who walks in in­teg­ri­ty will be delivered, but he who is crook­ed will sud­den­ly fall.

Contention

10:12 Ha­tred stirs up con­flict, but love co­vers all offenses.

15:18 A hot-tempered man stirs up con­flict, but the slow to an­ger calms con­ten­tion.

17:14 Starting a con­flict is like re­leas­ing a flood, so aban­don the dis­pute be­fore it breaks out.

18:18 Cast­ing the lot ends quarrels, and decides be­tween pow­er­ful opponents.

18:19 An offended broth­er is harder to win than a strong city, and con­ten­tions are like the bars of a cas­tle.

20:3 Stay­ing a­way from strife is an hon­or for a man, but any fool will quar­rel.

21:9 Itʼs bet­ter to live in a cor­ner of the roof than in a house shared with a con­ten­tious wom­an. 19 Itʼs bet­ter to live in a des­ert than with a con­ten­tious and com­plain­ing wom­an.

22:10 Drive out the mocker, and con­ten­tion will de­part, and quarrels and dis­hon­or will cease.

26:20 With­out wood the fire goes out, and with­out a gos­sip con­ten­tion dies down. 21 Like char­coal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a con­ten­tious man for kin­dling strife.

Understanding

10:13 Wis­dom is found on the lips of the dis­cern­ing, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.

13:16 Eve­ry pru­dent man works with knowl­edge, but a fool flaunts his fol­ly.

14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

16:16 How much bet­ter to get wis­dom than gold. To get un­der­stand­ing is pref­er­a­ble to sil­ver.

18:13 He who an­swers be­fore he listens: it is fol­ly and shame to him.

18:15 The mind of the pru­dent acquires knowl­edge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowl­edge.

19:2 En­thu­si­asm with­out knowl­edge is not good, and has­ty feet go a­stray.

19:20 Lis­ten to coun­sel and re­ceive in­struc­tion so that you may be wise the rest of your days.

Speech

10:18 He who conceals ha­tred has ly­ing lips, and he who spreads slan­der is a fool.

10:19 When there are many words, trans­gres­sion is un­a­void­a­ble, but he who restrains his lips is wise.

11:12 He who be­lit­tles his neigh­bor lacks sense, but a man of un­der­stand­ing re­mains si­lent. 13 A gos­sip goes about revealing secrets, but he who is trust­wor­thy conceals a mat­ter.

11:22 A beau­ti­ful wom­an with­out dis­cre­tion is like a gold ring in a pigʼs snout.

12:13 An evil man is en­snared by the trans­gres­sion of his lips, but the right­eous will es­cape from trou­ble.

12:18 There is one who speaks rash­ly like thrusts of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings heal­ing.

12:23 A pru­dent man conceals knowl­edge, but a foolʼs heart proclaims fol­ly.

13:3 He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips co­mes to ru­in.

14:3 In the foolʼs mouth is a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will pro­tect them.

15:1 A gen­tle an­swer turns a­way wrath, but a harsh word stirs up an­ger. 4 A sooth­ing tongue is a tree of life, but a per­verse tongue breaks the spir­it.

15:23 A man finds joy in giv­ing an apt an­swer; and a time­ly word, how good it is!

15:28 The heart of the right­eous ponders how to an­swer, but the mouth of the wick­ed blurts out evil things.

16:24 Pleas­ant words are a hon­ey­comb: sweet to the soul, and health to the body.

16:28 A per­verse man spreads strife, and a gos­sip sep­a­rates close friends.

17:27 He who restrains his words has knowl­edge, and he who has a cool spir­it is a man of un­der­stand­ing. 28 E­ven a fool is con­sid­ered wise when he keeps si­lent. When he closes his lips, heʼs con­sid­ered pru­dent.

18:2 A fool does­nʼt de­light in un­der­stand­ing, but on­ly in air­ing his o­pin­ion. 6 His lips bring strife, and his mouth invites a beat­ing. 7 His mouth is his ru­in, and his lips are the snare of his soul.

20:15 Thereʼs gold and an abun­dance of jewels, but lips of knowl­edge are a rare treas­ure.

21:23 He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps him­self out of trou­ble.

22:11 He who loves pu­ri­ty of heart, and speaks gra­cious­ly will have the king as a friend.

26:18 Like a mad­man who throws firebrands, ar­rows, and death, 19 is the man who deceives his neigh­bor, and says, “I was on­ly jok­ing!”

27:14 He who blesses his neigh­bor with a loud voice ear­ly in the morn­ing will be counted as curs­ing.

29:20 Do you see a man who is has­ty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Honesty

11:1 Dis­hon­est scales are an abom­i­na­tion to God, but an ac­cu­rate weight is his de­light.

12:22 Ly­ing lips are an abom­i­na­tion to God, but those who act faith­ful­ly are his de­light.

16:11 A just bal­ance and scales be­long to God, all the weights in the bag are his con­cern.

17:15 Ac­quit­ting the guilty and condemning the right­eous are both a­like an abom­i­na­tion to God.

17:23 A wick­ed man takes a bribe in se­cret to per­vert the ways of jus­tice.

18:5 Be­ing par­tial to the wick­ed is not good, nei­ther is de­priv­ing the right­eous of jus­tice.

19:5 A false wit­ness wonʼt go un­pun­ished, and he who speaks lies wonʼt es­cape.

20:17 Bread gained by de­ceit is sweet to a man, but af­ter­ward his mouth will be full of grav­el.

20:23 Differing weights are an abom­i­na­tion to God, and a false scale is not good.

Humility

11:2 When pride co­mes, then co­mes dis­grace, but with the hum­ble is wis­dom.

12:9 Bet­ter is he who is light­ly esteemed and has a serv­ant than he who hon­ors him­self and lacks bread.

15:25God will tear down the house of the proud, but will pro­tect the borders of the wid­ow.

16:5 Eve­ry­one who is proud in heart is an abom­i­na­tion to God; be as­sured, he will not go un­pun­ished.

16:18 Pride co­mes be­fore de­struc­tion, and an ar­ro­gant spir­it be­fore a fall.

16:19 Itʼs bet­ter to be hum­ble in spir­it a­mong the low­ly, than to di­vide the spoil with the proud.

18:12 Be­fore de­struc­tion, a manʼs heart is haugh­ty, but hu­mil­i­ty co­mes be­fore hon­or.

21:30 No wis­dom, no un­der­stand­ing, and no coun­sel will pre­vail against God.

22:4 The re­ward for hu­mil­i­ty and fear of God is rich­es, hon­or, and life.

26:12 Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? Thereʼs more hope for a fool than for him.

27:1 Donʼt boast about to­mor­row, for you donʼt know what a day may bring.

27:2 Let an­oth­er praise you and not your own mouth; a strang­er and not your own lips.

29:23 A manʼs pride will bring him low, but a hum­ble spir­it will ob­tain hon­or.

Counsel

11:14 With­out guid­ance the peo­ple fall, but with many counselors there is safe­ty.

14:27 The fear of God is a foun­tain of life, turn­ing one a­way from the snares of death.

15:22 With­out coun­sel plans fail, but with many advisers they suc­ceed.

16:33 The lot is cast in­to the lap, but its eve­ry de­ci­sion is from God.

20:18 Es­tab­lish plans by coun­sel, and make war with wise guid­ance.

Finance

11:15 He who is guar­an­tor for a strang­er will sure­ly suf­fer for it, but he who hates such agree­ments is se­cure.

11:28 He who trusts in his rich­es will fall, but the right­eous will flour­ish like a green leaf.

13:7 There is one who pretends to be rich, yet has noth­ing. An­oth­er pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

13:11 Wealth obtained by fraud will dwin­dle, but he who gathers by la­bor will in­crease it.

13:22 A good man leaves an in­her­it­ance to his childrenʼs chil­dren, but the sinnerʼs wealth is stored up for the right­eous.

14:4 Where there are no ox­en, the man­ger is clean, but abun­dant har­vest co­mes through an oxʼs strength.

14:20 The poor is hat­ed e­ven by his neigh­bor, but there are many who love the rich.

15:6 There is great wealth in the house of the right­eous, but trou­ble ac­com­pa­nies the in­come of the wick­ed.

15:27 He who profits il­lic­it­ly troubles his own house, but he who hates bribes will live.

16:8 Bet­ter a lit­tle with right­eous­ness than great in­come with in­jus­tice.

19:4 Wealth at­tracts many friends, but a poor man is sep­a­rat­ed from his friend. 6 Many seek a gen­er­ous manʼs fa­vor, and eve­ry­one is a friend to him who gives gifts. 7 All a poor manʼs brothers hate him. How much more do his friends a­void him! He pursues them with words, but theyʼre gone.

21:5 The plans of the dil­i­gent lead sure­ly to abun­dance, but eve­ry­one who is has­ty co­mes sure­ly to pov­er­ty.

21:6 Ac­quir­ing treasures by a ly­ing tongue is a fleet­ing va­por and the pur­suit of death.

21:17 He who loves pleas­ure will be­come poor. He who loves wine and oil will not get rich. 20 There is pre­cious treas­ure and oil in a wise manʼs dwell­ing, but a fool consumes them.

22:1 A good name is to be cho­sen over great rich­es, and fa­vor over sil­ver and gold.

22:2 The rich and the poor have this in com­mon: God is the mak­er of them all.

22:7 The rich rules over the poor, and the bor­row­er is a slave to the lend­er.

26:10 Like an arch­er who wounds eve­ry­one, so is he who hires a fool or who hires those pass­ing by.

28:22 A stin­gy man hastens af­ter wealth, and does­nʼt know that pov­er­ty will come up­on him.

Kindness

11:17 A kind man benefits him­self, but a cru­el man harms him­self.

12:10 A right­eous man has re­gard for the life of his an­i­mal, but e­ven the mer­cy of the wick­ed is cru­el.

14:21 He who despises his neigh­bor sins, but he who shows kind­ness to the poor is hap­py. 31 He who oppresses the poor insults his mak­er, but he who is kind to the needy hon­ors him.

17:13 If any­one returns evil for good, evil will nev­er leave his house.

21:21 He who pursues right­eous­ness and kind­ness will find life, right­eous­ness, and hon­or.

26:27 He who digs a pit will fall in­to it, and he who rolls a stone, it will come back on him.

Generosity

11:24 One gives free­ly yet increases all the more, and an­oth­er withholds what is due but co­mes on­ly to pov­er­ty. 25 The gen­er­ous man will pros­per, and he who waters will al­so be watered him­self. 26 The peo­ple will curse him who withholds grain, but a bless­ing is on the head of him who sells it.

19:17 Kind­ness to the poor is a loan to God, and he will re­pay his good deed.

20:25 Itʼs a snare to say rash­ly, “It is ho­ly,” and on­ly make in­qui­ry af­ter the vows.

21:13 He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will al­so call out and not be an­swered.

22:9 He who is gen­er­ous will be bless­ed, for he shares his bread with the poor. 16 He who oppresses the poor to in­crease his wealth or who gives to the rich will on­ly come to pov­er­ty.

25:21 If your en­e­my is hun­gry, give him bread to eat, and if heʼs thirsty, give him wa­ter to drink.

27:7 He who is full loathes hon­ey, but to the hun­gry any bit­ter thing is sweet.

28:27 He who gives to the poor will nev­er want, but he who hides his eyes will have many curs­es.

Emotion

12:25 Anx­i­e­ty in a manʼs heart weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad.

13:12 Hope de­ferred makes the heart sick, but de­sire ful­filled is a tree of life.

14:13 E­ven in laugh­ter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief.

14:17 A man of quick tem­per acts fool­ish­ly, and a man of evil schemes is hat­ed. 29 He who is slow to an­ger has great un­der­stand­ing, but he who has a quick tem­per promotes fol­ly.

14:30 A tran­quil heart is life to the body, but en­vy makes the bones rot.

15:13 A glad heart makes a cheer­ful coun­te­nance, but a sorrowful heart breaks the spir­it.

15:15 All the days of the af­flict­ed are bad, but a cheer­ful heart has a con­tin­u­al feast.

16:14 A kingʼs wrath is a mes­sen­ger of death, but a wise man ap­peases it.

16:32 He who is slow to an­ger is bet­ter than the mighty, and he who rules his spir­it, than he who captures a city.

17:5 Who­ev­er mocks the poor insults his mak­er, and he who rejoices at ca­lam­i­ty wonʼt go un­pun­ished.

17:22 A joy­ful heart is good med­i­cine, but a bro­ken spir­it dries up the bones.

18:14 A manʼs spir­it can en­dure sick­ness, but who can bear a bro­ken spir­it?

19:3 A manʼs fool­ish­ness ruins his way yet he rages against God.

19:11 Good sense makes a man slow to an­ger, and itʼs his glo­ry to over­look an of­fense.

19:19 A man of great an­ger will pay the pen­al­ty, for if you res­cue him, you will have to do it again.

20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawl­er, and who­ev­er is led a­stray by them is not wise.

20:22 Donʼt say, “I will re­pay evil”. Wait for God, and he will save you.

29:11 A fool gives full vent to his an­ger, but a wise man holds it back.

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© 2024 Michael Hendricks

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