16 He awho oppresses the poor to make more for himself
Or who gives to the rich bwill only come to lack.
17 aIncline your ear and hear the words of the wise,
And set your heart on my knowledge;
18 For it will be apleasant if you keep them within you,
That they may be established on your lips.
19 So that your atrust may be in Yahweh,
I have made you know today, even you.
20 Have I not written to you aexcellent things
Of counsels and knowledge,
21 To make you aknow the veracity of the words of truth
That you may brespond with the words of truth to him who sent you?
22 aDo not rob the poor because he is poor,
And do not bcrush the afflicted at the gate;
23 For Yahweh will aplead their case
And rob the soul of those who rob them.
24 Do not befriend a man of anger;
And do not come along with a man of agreat wrath,
25 Lest you alearn his ways
And take on a snare against your soul.
26 Do not be among those who astrike hands in pledge,
Among those who become guarantors for debts.
27 If you have nothing with which to pay,
Why should he atake your bed from under you?
28 aDo not move the ancient boundary
Which your fathers made.
29 Do you see a man skilled in his work?
He will astand before kings;
He will not stand before obscure men.
The Fear of Yahweh
When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
Understand well what is before you,
2 So you should put a knife to your throat
If you are a aman of appetite.
3 Do not adesire his delicacies,
For it is bread of falsehood.
4 aDo not weary yourself to gain wealth,
bBecause of your understanding, cease!
5 Do you make your eyes fly up to see it? But it is not there!
Because ait certainly makes itself wings
Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.
6 aDo not eat the bread of a bselfish man,
And do not desire his delicacies;
7 For as he calculates in his soul, so he is.
“Eat and drink!” he says to you,
But ahis heart is not with you.
8 You will avomit up the morsel you have eaten,
And you will corrupt your pleasant words.
9 aDo not speak in the hearing of a fool,
For he will bdespise the insight of your speech.
10 Do not move the ancient boundary
And do not acome into the fields of the orphans,
11 For their aRedeemer is strong;
bHe will plead their case against you.
12 Bring your heart to discipline
And your ears to words of knowledge.
13 aDo not withhold discipline from the child,
Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die.
14 You shall strike him with the rod
And adeliver his soul from Sheol.
15 My son, if your heart is awise,
My own heart also will be glad;
16 And my inmost being will exult
When your lips speak aupright things.
17 aDo not let your heart be jealous of sinners,
But be zealous in the bfear of Yahweh always.
18 Surely there is a afuture,
And your bhope will not be cut off.
19 You, my son, listen and abe wise,
And bdirect your heart in the way.
20 Do not be with aheavy drinkers of wine,
Or with bgluttonous eaters of meat;
21 For the aheavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty,
And bdrowsiness will clothe them with rags.
22 aListen to your father who begot you,
And bdo not despise your mother when she is old.
23 aBuy truth, and do not sell it,
Get wisdom and discipline and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,
And ahe who begets a wise son will be glad in him.
25 Let your afather and your mother be glad,
And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.
26 aGive your heart to me, my son,
And let your eyes bdelight in my ways.
27 For a harlot is a adeep pit
And a bforeign woman is a narrow well.
28 Surely she alies in wait as a robber,
And adds to the treacherous among men.
29 Who has awoe? Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes?
30 Those who alinger long over wine,
Those who go to search out bmixed wine.
31 Do not look on the wine when it glistens red,
When it sparkles in the cup,
When it agoes down smoothly;
32 At the end—like a serpent it abites,
And like a bviper it stings.
33 Your eyes will see strange things
And your heart will aspeak perverse things.
34 And you will be like one who lies down in the heart of the sea,
Or like one who lies down on the top of a mast.
35 “They astruck me, but I did not become ill;
They beat me, but I did not know it.
When shall I awake?
I will bseek yet another.”
My Son, Fear Yahweh
Do not be ajealous of evil men,
And do not desire to bbe with them;
2 For their heart meditates on adestruction,
And their lips btalk of mischief.
3 aBy wisdom a house is built,
And by discernment it is firmly established;
4 And by knowledge the rooms are afilled
With all precious and pleasant riches.
5 A awise man is strong,
And a man of knowledge strengthens his power.
6 For aby guidance you will make war,
And bin abundance of counselors there is salvation.
7 Wisdom is atoo exalted for an ignorant fool,
He does not open his mouth bin the gate.
8 One who adeliberately thinks to do evil,
Men will call a schemer.
9 The ascheming of folly is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.
10 If you aare slack in the day of trouble,
Your strength is in trouble.
11 aDeliver those who are being taken away to death,
And those who are stumbling to the slaughter, Oh hold them back.
12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
Does not He awho weighs the hearts bunderstand?
And cdoes not He who dguards your soul know?
And will not He erender to man according to his work?
13 Eat ahoney, my son, for it is good,
Indeed, the bhoney from the comb is sweet to your taste;
14 Know that awisdom is thus for your soul;
If you find it, then there will be a bfuture,
And your hope will not be cut off.
15 aDo not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the abode of the righteous;
Do not destroy his resting place;
16 For a arighteous man falls seven times, and rises again,
But the bwicked will stumble in calamity.
17 When your enemy falls, ado not be glad,
And when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice;
18 Lest Yahweh see it and it be evil in His eyes,
And turn His anger away from him.
19 aDo not fret because of evildoers
Do not be bjealous of the wicked;
20 For athere will be no bfuture for the evil one;
The clamp of the wicked will go out.
21 My son, afear Yahweh and the king;
Do not associate with those who change,
22 For suddenly their adisaster will rise,
And who knows the upheaval that comes from both of them?
23 These also are asayings of the wise.
To bshow partiality in judgment is not good.
24 He awho says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
bPeoples will curse him, nations will be indignant with him;
25 But ato those who reprove the wicked, it will be pleasant,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
26 He kisses the lips
Who responds with right words.
27 Establish your work outside
And amake it ready for yourself in the field;
And afterwards, you shall build your house.
28 Do not be a awitness against your neighbor without cause,
Nor bdeceive with your lips.
29 aDo not say, “As he did to me so I shall do to him;
I will render to the man according to his work.”
30 I passed by the field of the sluggard
And by the vineyard of the man alacking a heart of wisdom,
31 And behold, it was completely aovergrown with thistles;
bNettles have covered its surface,
And its stone cwall has been torn down.
32 And I beheld, I set my heart upon it;
I saw, I received discipline.
33 “aA little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest,”
34 Then your poverty will come as a robber
And your want like an armed man.