A psalm of David.

¹ Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory

in the heavens.

²Through the praise of children and infants

you have established a stronghold against your enemies,

to silence the foe and the avenger.

³When I consider your heavens,

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which you have set in place,

⁴what is mankind that you are mindful of them,

human beings that you care for them?

⁵You have made them a little lower than the angels

and crowned them with glory and honour.

⁶You made them rulers over the works of your hands;

you put everything under their feet:

⁷all flocks and herds,

and the animals of the wild,

⁸the birds in the sky,

and the fish in the sea,

all that swim the paths of the seas.

⁹ Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Sayings of Agur

¹The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh – an inspired utterance.

This man’s utterance to Ithiel:

‘I am weary, God,

but I can prevail.

²Surely I am only a brute, not a man;

I do not have human understanding.

³I have not learned wisdom,

nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.

⁴Who has gone up to heaven and come down?

Whose hands have gathered up the wind?

Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak?

Who has established all the ends of the earth?

What is his name, and what is the name of his son?

Surely you know!

⁵‘Every word of God is flawless;

he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

⁶Do not add to his words,

or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

⁷‘Two things I ask of you, Lord;

do not refuse me before I die:

⁸keep falsehood and lies far from me;

give me neither poverty nor riches,

but give me only my daily bread.

⁹Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you

and say, “Who is the Lord?”

Or I may become poor and steal,

and so dishonour the name of my God.

¹⁰‘Do not slander a servant to their master,

or they will curse you, and you will pay for it.

¹¹‘There are those who curse their fathers

and do not bless their mothers;

¹²those who are pure in their own eyes

and yet are not cleansed of their filth;

¹³those whose eyes are ever so haughty,

whose glances are so disdainful;

¹⁴those whose teeth are swords

and whose jaws are set with knives

to devour the poor from the earth

and the needy from among the human race.

¹⁵‘The leech has two daughters.

“Give! Give!” they cry.

‘There are three things that are never satisfied,

four that never say, “Enough!”:

¹⁶the grave

and the barren womb;

land, which is never satisfied with water,

and fire, which never says, “Enough!”

¹⁷‘The eye that mocks a father,

that scorns an aged mother,

will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley,

will be eaten by the vultures.

¹⁸‘There are three things that are too amazing for me,

four that I do not understand:

¹⁹the way of an eagle in the sky,

the way of a snake on a rock,

the way of a ship on the high seas,

and the way of a man with a young woman.

²⁰‘This is the way of an adulterous woman:

she eats and wipes her mouth

and says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.”

²¹‘Under three things the earth trembles,

under four it cannot bear up:

²²a servant who becomes king,

a godless fool who gets plenty to eat,

²³a contemptible woman who gets married,

and a servant who displaces her mistress.

²⁴‘Four things on earth are small,

yet they are extremely wise:

²⁵ants are creatures of little strength,

yet they store up their food in the summer;

²⁶hyraxes are creatures of little power,

yet they make their home in the crags;

²⁷locusts have no king,

yet they advance together in ranks;

²⁸a lizard can be caught with the hand,

yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

²⁹‘There are three things that are stately in their stride,

four that move with stately bearing:

³⁰a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing;

³¹a strutting cock,

a he-goat,

and a king secure against revolt.

³²‘If you play the fool and exalt yourself,

or if you plan evil,

clap your hand over your mouth!

³³For as churning cream produces butter,

and as twisting the nose produces blood,

so stirring up anger produces strife.’

¹Do not boast about tomorrow,

for you do not know what a day may bring.

²Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth;

an outsider, and not your own lips.

³Stone is heavy and sand a burden,

but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.

⁴Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming,

but who can stand before jealousy?

⁵Better is open rebuke

than hidden love.

⁶Wounds from a friend can be trusted,

but an enemy multiplies kisses.

⁷One who is full loathes honey from the comb,

but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.

⁸Like a bird that flees its nest

is anyone who flees from home.

⁹Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,

and the pleasantness of a friend

springs from their heartfelt advice.

¹⁰Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family,

and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster strikes you –

better a neighbour nearby than a relative far away.

¹¹Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart;

then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.

¹²The prudent see danger and take refuge,

but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

¹³Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;

hold it in pledge if it is done for an outsider.

¹⁴If anyone loudly blesses their neighbour early in the morning,

it will be taken as a curse.

¹⁵A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping

of a leaky roof in a rainstorm;

¹⁶restraining her is like restraining the wind

or grasping oil with the hand.

¹⁷As iron sharpens iron,

so one person sharpens another.

¹⁸The one who guards a fig-tree will eat its fruit,

and whoever protects their master will be honoured.

¹⁹As water reflects the face,

so one’s life reflects the heart.

²⁰Death and Destruction are never satisfied,

and neither are human eyes.

²¹The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,

but people are tested by their praise.

²²Though you grind a fool in a mortar,

grinding them like grain with a pestle,

you will not remove their folly from them.

²³Be sure you know the condition of your flocks,

give careful attention to your herds;

²⁴for riches do not endure for ever,

and a crown is not secure for all generations.

²⁵When the hay is removed and new growth appears

and the grass from the hills is gathered in,

²⁶the lambs will provide you with clothing,

and the goats with the price of a field.

²⁷You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed your family

and to nourish your female servants.

More proverbs of Solomon

¹These are more proverbs of Solomon, compiled by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah:

²It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;

to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

³As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,

so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.

⁴Remove the dross from the silver,

and a silversmith can produce a vessel;

⁵remove wicked officials from the king’s presence,

and his throne will be established through righteousness.

⁶Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence,

and do not claim a place among his great men;

⁷it is better for him to say to you, ‘Come up here,’

than for him to humiliate you before his nobles.

What you have seen with your eyes

⁸do not bring hastily to court,

for what will you do in the end

if your neighbour puts you to shame?

⁹If you take your neighbour to court,

do not betray another’s confidence,

¹⁰or the one who hears it may shame you

and the charge against you will stand.

¹¹Like apples of gold in settings of silver

is a ruling rightly given.

¹²Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold

is the rebuke of a wise judge to a listening ear.

¹³Like a snow-cooled drink at harvest time

is a trustworthy messenger to the one who sends him;

he refreshes the spirit of his master.

¹⁴Like clouds and wind without rain

is one who boasts of gifts never given.

¹⁵Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,

and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

¹⁶If you find honey, eat just enough –

too much of it, and you will vomit.

¹⁷Seldom set foot in your neighbour’s house –

too much of you, and they will hate you.

¹⁸Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow

is one who gives false testimony against a neighbour.

¹⁹Like a broken tooth or a lame foot

is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble.

²⁰Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day,

or like vinegar poured on a wound,

is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

²¹If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;

if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.

²²In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,

and the Lord will reward you.

²³Like a north wind that brings unexpected rain

is a sly tongue – which provokes a horrified look.

²⁴Better to live on a corner of the roof

than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

²⁵Like cold water to a weary soul

is good news from a distant land.

²⁶Like a muddied spring or a polluted well

are the righteous who give way to the wicked.

²⁷It is not good to eat too much honey,

nor is it honourable to search out matters that are too deep.

²⁸Like a city whose walls are broken through

is a person who lacks self-control.

Saying 20

¹Do not envy the wicked,

do not desire their company;

²for their hearts plot violence,

and their lips talk about making trouble.

Saying 21

³By wisdom a house is built,

and through understanding it is established;

⁴through knowledge its rooms are filled

with rare and beautiful treasures.

Saying 22

⁵The wise prevail through great power,

and those who have knowledge muster their strength.

⁶Surely you need guidance to wage war,

and victory is won through many advisors.

Saying 23

⁷Wisdom is too high for fools;

in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths.

Saying 24

⁸Whoever plots evil

will be known as a schemer.

⁹The schemes of folly are sin,

and people detest a mocker.

Saying 25

¹⁰If you falter in a time of trouble,

how small is your strength!

¹¹Rescue those being led away to death;

hold back those staggering towards slaughter.

¹²If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’

does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?

Does not he who guards your life know it?

Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?

Saying 26

¹³Eat honey, my son, for it is good;

honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.

¹⁴Know also that wisdom is like honey for you:

if you find it, there is a future hope for you,

and your hope will not be cut off.

Saying 27

¹⁵Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous,

do not plunder their dwelling-place;

¹⁶for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,

but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.

Saying 28

¹⁷Do not gloat when your enemy falls;

when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,

¹⁸or the Lord will see and disapprove

and turn his wrath away from them.

Saying 29

¹⁹Do not fret because of evildoers

or be envious of the wicked,

²⁰for the evildoer has no future hope,

and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.

Saying 30

²¹Fear the Lord and the king, my son,

and do not join with rebellious officials,

²²for those two will send sudden destruction on them,

and who knows what calamities they can bring?

Further sayings of the wise

²³These also are sayings of the wise:

To show partiality in judging is not good:

²⁴whoever says to the guilty, ‘You are innocent,’

will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.

²⁵But it will go well with those who convict the guilty,

and rich blessing will come on them.

²⁶An honest answer

is like a kiss on the lips.

²⁷Put your outdoor work in order

and get your fields ready;

after that, build your house.

²⁸Do not testify against your neighbour without cause –

would you use your lips to mislead?

²⁹Do not say, ‘I’ll do to them as they have done to me;

I’ll pay them back for what they did.’

³⁰I went past the field of a sluggard,

past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;

³¹thorns had come up everywhere,

the ground was covered with weeds,

and the stone wall was in ruins.

³²I applied my heart to what I observed

and learned a lesson from what I saw:

³³a little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest –

³⁴and poverty will come on you like a thief

and scarcity like an armed man.

¹A good name is more desirable than great riches;

to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

²Rich and poor have this in common:

The Lord is the Maker of them all.

³The prudent see danger and take refuge,

but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

⁴Humility is the fear of the Lord;

its wages are riches and honour and life.

⁵In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls,

but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.

⁶Start children off on the way they should go,

and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

⁷The rich rule over the poor,

and the borrower is slave to the lender.

⁸Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity,

and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.

⁹The generous will themselves be blessed,

for they share their food with the poor.

¹⁰Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife;

quarrels and insults are ended.

¹¹One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace

will have the king for a friend.

¹²The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,

but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.

¹³The sluggard says, ‘There’s a lion outside!

I’ll be killed in the public square!’

¹⁴The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit;

a man who is under the Lord’s wrath falls into it.

¹⁵Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,

but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.

¹⁶One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth

and one who gives gifts to the rich – both come to poverty.

Thirty sayings of the wise

Saying 1

¹⁷Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise;

apply your heart to what I teach,

¹⁸for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart

and have all of them ready on your lips.

¹⁹So that your trust may be in the Lord,

I teach you today, even you.

²⁰Have I not written thirty sayings for you,

sayings of counsel and knowledge,

²¹teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth,

so that you bring back truthful reports

to those you serve?

Saying 2

²²Do not exploit the poor because they are poor

and do not crush the needy in court,

²³for the Lord will take up their case

and will exact life for life.

Saying 3

²⁴Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person,

do not associate with one easily angered,

²⁵or you may learn their ways

and get yourself ensnared.

Saying 4

²⁶Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge

or puts up security for debts;

²⁷if you lack the means to pay,

your very bed will be snatched from under you.

Saying 5

²⁸Do not move an ancient boundary stone

set up by your ancestors.

Saying 6

²⁹Do you see someone skilled in their work?

They will serve before kings;

they will not serve before officials of low rank.

¹In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water

that he channels towards all who please him.

²A person may think their own ways are right,

but the Lord weighs the heart.

³To do what is right and just

is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

⁴Haughty eyes and a proud heart –

the unploughed field of the wicked – produce sin.

⁵The plans of the diligent lead to profit

as surely as haste leads to poverty.

⁶A fortune made by a lying tongue

is a fleeting vapour and a deadly snare.

⁷The violence of the wicked will drag them away,

for they refuse to do what is right.

⁸The way of the guilty is devious,

but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

⁹Better to live on a corner of the roof

than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

¹⁰The wicked crave evil;

their neighbours get no mercy from them.

¹¹When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom;

by paying attention to the wise they get knowledge.

¹²The Righteous One takes note of the house of the wicked

and brings the wicked to ruin.

¹³Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor

will also cry out and not be answered.

¹⁴A gift given in secret soothes anger,

and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.

¹⁵When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous

but terror to evildoers.

¹⁶Whoever strays from the path of prudence

comes to rest in the company of the dead.

¹⁷Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;

whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.

¹⁸The wicked become a ransom for the righteous,

and the unfaithful for the upright.

¹⁹Better to live in a desert

than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.

²⁰The wise store up choice food and olive oil,

but fools gulp theirs down.

²¹Whoever pursues righteousness and love

finds life, prosperity and honour.

²²One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty

and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.

²³Those who guard their mouths and their tongues

keep themselves from calamity.

²⁴The proud and arrogant person – ‘Mocker’ is his name –

behaves with insolent fury.

²⁵The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him,

because his hands refuse to work.

²⁶All day long he craves for more,

but the righteous give without sparing.

²⁷The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable –

how much more so when brought with evil intent!

²⁸A false witness will perish,

but a careful listener will testify successfully.

²⁹The wicked put up a bold front,

but the upright give thought to their ways.

³⁰There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan

that can succeed against the Lord.

³¹The horse is made ready for the day of battle,

but victory rests with the Lord.

¹An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends

and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.

²Fools find no pleasure in understanding

but delight in airing their own opinions.

³When wickedness comes, so does contempt,

and with shame comes reproach.

⁴The words of the mouth are deep waters,

but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.

⁵It is not good to be partial to the wicked

and so deprive the innocent of justice.

⁶The lips of fools bring them strife,

and their mouths invite a beating.

⁷The mouths of fools are their undoing,

and their lips are a snare to their very lives.

⁸The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;

they go down to the inmost parts.

⁹One who is slack in his work

is brother to one who destroys.

¹⁰The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;

the righteous run to it and are safe.

¹¹The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;

they imagine it a wall too high to scale.

¹²Before a downfall the heart is haughty,

but humility comes before honour.

¹³To answer before listening –

that is folly and shame.

¹⁴The human spirit can endure in times of illness,

but a crushed spirit who can bear?

¹⁵The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,

for the ears of the wise seek it out.

¹⁶A gift opens the way

and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.

¹⁷In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,

until someone comes forward and cross-examines.

¹⁸Casting the lot settles disputes

and keeps strong opponents apart.

¹⁹A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city;

disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.

²⁰From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;

with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.

²¹The tongue has the power of life and death,

and those who love it will eat its fruit.

²²He who finds a wife finds what is good

and receives favour from the Lord.

²³The poor plead for mercy,

but the rich answer harshly.

²⁴One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,

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

¹A gentle answer turns away wrath,

but a harsh word stirs up anger.

²The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge,

but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.

³The eyes of the Lord are everywhere,

keeping watch on the wicked and the good.

⁴The soothing tongue is a tree of life,

but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

⁵A fool spurns a parent’s discipline,

but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.

⁶The house of the righteous contains great treasure,

but the income of the wicked brings ruin.

⁷The lips of the wise spread knowledge,

but the hearts of fools are not upright.

⁸The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked,

but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

⁹The Lord detests the way of the wicked,

but he loves those who pursue righteousness.

¹⁰Stern discipline awaits anyone who leaves the path;

the one who hates correction will die.

¹¹Death and Destruction lie open before the Lord –

how much more do human hearts!

¹²Mockers resent correction,

so they avoid the wise.

¹³A happy heart makes the face cheerful,

but heartache crushes the spirit.

¹⁴The discerning heart seeks knowledge,

but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.

¹⁵All the days of the oppressed are wretched,

but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.

¹⁶Better a little with the fear of the Lord

than great wealth with turmoil.

¹⁷Better a dish of vegetables with love

than a fattened calf with hatred.

¹⁸A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict,

but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.

¹⁹The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns,

but the path of the upright is a highway.

²⁰A wise son brings joy to his father,

but a foolish man despises his mother.

²¹Folly brings joy to one who has no sense,

but whoever has understanding keeps a straight course.

²²Plans fail for lack of counsel,

but with many advisors they succeed.

²³A person finds joy in giving an apt reply –

and how good is a timely word!

²⁴The path of life leads upward for the prudent

to keep them from going down to the realm of the dead.

²⁵The Lord tears down the house of the proud,

but he sets the widow’s boundary stones in place.

²⁶The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked,

but gracious words are pure in his sight.

²⁷The greedy bring ruin to their households,

but the one who hates bribes will live.

²⁸The heart of the righteous weighs its answers,

but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.

²⁹The Lord is far from the wicked,

but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

³⁰Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart,

and good news gives health to the bones.

³¹Whoever heeds life-giving correction

will be at home among the wise.

³²Those who disregard discipline despise themselves,

but the one who heeds correction gains understanding.

³³Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord,

and humility comes before honour.

¹The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

²for gaining wisdom and instruction;

for understanding words of insight;

³for receiving instruction in prudent behaviour,

doing what is right and just and fair;

⁴for giving prudence to those who are simple,

knowledge and discretion to the young –

⁵let the wise listen and add to their learning,

and let the discerning get guidance –

⁶for understanding proverbs and parables,

the sayings and riddles of the wise.

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

but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

⁸Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction

and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

⁹They are a garland to grace your head

and a chain to adorn your neck.

¹⁰My son, if sinful men entice you,

do not give in to them.

¹¹If they say, ‘Come along with us;

let’s lie in wait for innocent blood,

let’s ambush some harmless soul;

¹²let’s swallow them alive, like the grave,

and whole, like those who go down to the pit;

¹³we will get all sorts of valuable things

and fill our houses with plunder;

¹⁴cast lots with us;

we will all share the loot’ –

¹⁵my son, do not go along with them,

do not set foot on their paths;

¹⁶for their feet rush into evil,

they are swift to shed blood.

¹⁷How useless to spread a net

where every bird can see it!

¹⁸These men lie in wait for their own blood;

they ambush only themselves!

¹⁹Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain;

it takes away the life of those who get it.

²⁰Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,

she raises her voice in the public square;

²¹on top of the wall she cries out,

at the city gate she makes her speech:

²²‘How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?

How long will mockers delight in mockery

and fools hate knowledge?

²³Repent at my rebuke!

Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,

I will make known to you my teachings.

²⁴But since you refuse to listen when I call

and no-one pays attention when I stretch out my hand,

²⁵since you disregard all my advice

and do not accept my rebuke,

²⁶I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you;

I will mock when calamity overtakes you –

²⁷when calamity overtakes you like a storm,

when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,

when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

²⁸‘Then they will call to me but I will not answer;

they will look for me but will not find me,

²⁹since they hated knowledge

and did not choose to fear the Lord.

³⁰Since they would not accept my advice

and spurned my rebuke,

³¹they will eat the fruit of their ways

and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.

³²For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,

and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

³³but whoever listens to me will live in safety

and be at ease, without fear of harm.’