¹Keep me safe, my God,

for in you I take refuge.

²I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord;

apart from you I have no good thing.’

³I say of the holy people who are in the land,

‘They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.’

⁴Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.

I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods

or take up their names on my lips.

⁵ Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;

you make my lot secure.

⁶The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

surely I have a delightful inheritance.

⁷I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;

even at night my heart instructs me.

⁸I keep my eyes always on the Lord.

With him at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

⁹Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

my body also will rest secure,

¹⁰because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,

nor will you let your faithful one see decay.

¹¹You make known to me the path of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence,

with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

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.

¹Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

but whoever hates correction is stupid.

²Good people obtain favour from the Lord,

but he condemns those who devise wicked schemes.

³No-one can be established through wickedness,

but the righteous cannot be uprooted.

⁴A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown,

but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.

⁵The plans of the righteous are just,

but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.

⁶The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,

but the speech of the upright rescues them.

⁷The wicked are overthrown and are no more,

but the house of the righteous stands firm.

⁸A person is praised according to their prudence,

and one with a warped mind is despised.

⁹Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant

than pretend to be somebody and have no food.

¹⁰The righteous care for the needs of their animals,

but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

¹¹Those who work their land will have abundant food,

but those who chase fantasies have no sense.

¹²The wicked desire the stronghold of evildoers,

but the root of the righteous endures.

¹³Evildoers are trapped by their sinful talk,

and so the innocent escape trouble.

¹⁴From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things,

and the work of their hands brings them reward.

¹⁵The way of fools seems right to them,

but the wise listen to advice.

¹⁶Fools show their annoyance at once,

but the prudent overlook an insult.

¹⁷An honest witness tells the truth,

but a false witness tells lies.

¹⁸The words of the reckless pierce like swords,

but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

¹⁹Truthful lips endure for ever,

but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

²⁰Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil,

but those who promote peace have joy.

²¹No harm overtakes the righteous,

but the wicked have their fill of trouble.

²²The Lord detests lying lips,

but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

²³The prudent keep their knowledge to themselves,

but a fool’s heart blurts out folly.

²⁴Diligent hands will rule,

but laziness ends in forced labour.

²⁵Anxiety weighs down the heart,

but a kind word cheers it up.

²⁶The righteous choose their friends carefully,

but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

²⁷The lazy do not roast any game,

but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.

²⁸In the way of righteousness there is life;

along that path is immortality.