¹A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,

but a mocker does not respond to rebukes.

²From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things,

but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence.

³Those who guard their lips preserve their lives,

but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.

⁴A sluggard’s appetite is never filled,

but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.

⁵The righteous hate what is false,

but the wicked make themselves obnoxious

and bring shame on themselves.

⁶Righteousness guards the person of integrity,

but wickedness overthrows the sinner.

⁷One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;

another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

⁸A person’s riches may ransom their life,

but the poor cannot respond to threatening rebukes.

⁹The light of the righteous shines brightly,

but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.

¹⁰Where there is strife, there is pride,

but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

¹¹Dishonest money dwindles away,

but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.

¹²Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

¹³Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it,

but whoever respects a command is rewarded.

¹⁴The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,

turning a person from the snares of death.

¹⁵Good judgment wins favour,

but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction.

¹⁶All who are prudent act with knowledge,

but fools expose their folly.

¹⁷A wicked messenger falls into trouble,

but a trustworthy envoy brings healing.

¹⁸Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame,

but whoever heeds correction is honoured.

¹⁹A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul,

but fools detest turning from evil.

²⁰Walk with the wise and become wise,

for a companion of fools suffers harm.

²¹Trouble pursues the sinner,

but the righteous are rewarded with good things.

²²A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children,

but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.

²³An unploughed field produces food for the poor,

but injustice sweeps it away.

²⁴Whoever spares the rod hates their children,

but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.

²⁵The righteous eat to their hearts’ content,

but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry.

¹The Lord detests dishonest scales,

but accurate weights find favour with him.

²When pride comes, then comes disgrace,

but with humility comes wisdom.

³The integrity of the upright guides them,

but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

⁴Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,

but righteousness delivers from death.

⁵The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight,

but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.

⁶The righteousness of the upright delivers them,

but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.

⁷Hopes placed in mortals die with them;

all the promise of their power comes to nothing.

⁸The righteous person is rescued from trouble,

and it falls on the wicked instead.

⁹With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbours,

but through knowledge the righteous escape.

¹⁰When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices;

when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

¹¹Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,

but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.

¹²Whoever derides their neighbour has no sense,

but the one who has understanding holds their tongue.

¹³A gossip betrays a confidence,

but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.

¹⁴For lack of guidance a nation falls,

but victory is won through many advisors.

¹⁵Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer,

but whoever refuses to shake hands in pledge is safe.

¹⁶A kind-hearted woman gains honour,

but ruthless men gain only wealth.

¹⁷Those who are kind benefit themselves,

but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.

¹⁸A wicked person earns deceptive wages,

but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.

¹⁹Truly the righteous attain life,

but whoever pursues evil finds death.

²⁰The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse,

but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.

²¹Be sure of this: the wicked will not go unpunished,

but those who are righteous will go free.

²²Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout

is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.

²³The desire of the righteous ends only in good,

but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.

²⁴One person gives freely, yet gains even more;

another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

²⁵A generous person will prosper;

whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

²⁶People curse the one who hoards grain,

but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell.

²⁷Whoever seeks good finds favour,

but evil comes to one who searches for it.

²⁸Those who trust in their riches will fall,

but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

²⁹Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind,

and the fool will be servant to the wise.

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

and the one who is wise saves lives.

³¹If the righteous receive their due on earth,

how much more the ungodly and the sinner!