Precepts and Warnings
Do not be aenvious of evil men,
Nor desire to bbe with them;
2 For their minds devise aviolence,
And their lips btalk of trouble.
3 aBy wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is 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 increases power.
6 For aby wise guidance you will wage war,
And bin abundance of counselors there is victory.
7 Wisdom is atoo exalted for a fool,
He does not open his mouth bin the gate.
8 One who aplans to do evil,
Men will call a schemer.
9 The adevising of folly is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.
10 If you aare slack in the day of distress,
Your strength is limited.
11 aDeliver those who are being taken away to death,
And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back.
12 If you say, “See, we did not know this,”
Does He not aconsider it bwho weighs the hearts?
And cdoes He not know it who dkeeps your soul?
And will He not erender to man according to his work?
13 My son, eat ahoney, for it is good,
Yes, 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 dwelling of the righteous;
Do not destroy his resting place;
16 For a arighteous man falls seven times, and rises again,
But the bwicked stumble in time of calamity.
17 aDo not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
18 Or the Lord will see it and be displeased,
And turn His anger away from him.
19 aDo not fret because of evildoers
Or be benvious of the wicked;
20 For athere will be no bfuture for the evil man;
The clamp of the wicked will be put out.
21 My son, afear the Lord and the king;
Do not associate with those who are given to change,
22 For their acalamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin 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 abhor him;
25 But ato those who rebuke the wicked will be delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
26 He kisses the lips
Who gives a right answer.
27 Prepare your work outside
And amake it ready for yourself in the field;
Afterwards, then, build your house.
28 Do not be a awitness against your neighbor without cause,
And bdo not deceive with your lips.
29 aDo not say, “Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me;
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 sense,
31 And behold, it was completely aovergrown with thistles;
Its surface was covered with bnettles,
And its stone cwall was broken down.
32 When I saw, I reflected upon it;
I looked, and received instruction.
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.
Similitudes, Instructions
These also are aproverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed.
2 It is the glory of God to aconceal a matter,
But the glory of bkings is to search out a matter.
3 As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,
So the heart of kings is unsearchable.
4 Take away the adross from the silver,
And there comes out a vessel for the bsmith;
5 Take away the awicked before the king,
And his bthrone will be established in righteousness.
6 Do not claim honor in the presence of the king,
And do not stand in the place of great men;
7 For ait is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,”
Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince,
Whom your eyes have seen.
8 Do not go out ahastily to argue your case;
Otherwise, what will you do in the end,
When your neighbor humiliates you?
9 aArgue your case with your neighbor,
And bdo not reveal the secret of another,
10 Or he who hears it will reproach you,
And the evil report about you will not pass away.
11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver
Is a aword spoken in right circumstances.
12 Like an aearring of gold and an bornament of cfine gold
Is a wise reprover to a dlistening ear.
13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
Is a afaithful messenger to those who send him,
For he refreshes the soul of his masters.
14 Like aclouds and bwind without rain
Is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely.
15 By aforbearance a ruler may be persuaded,
And a soft tongue breaks the bone.
16 Have you afound honey? Eat only what you need,
That you not have it in excess and vomit it.
17 Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor’s house,
Or he will become weary of you and hate you.
18 Like a club and a asword and a sharp barrow
Is a man who bears cfalse witness against his neighbor.
19 Like a bad tooth and an unsteady foot
Is confidence in a afaithless man in time of trouble.
20 Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda,
Is he who sings songs to a troubled heart.
21 aIf your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
22 For you will heap burning coals on his head,
And athe Lord will reward you.
23 The north wind brings forth rain,
And a abackbiting tongue, an angry countenance.
24 It is abetter to live in a corner of the roof
Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.
25 Like cold water to a weary soul,
So is agood news from a distant land.
26 Like a atrampled spring and a polluted well
Is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
27 It is not good to eat much honey,
Nor is it glory to asearch out one’s own glory.
28 Like a acity that is broken into and without walls
Is a man bwho has no control over his spirit.