Proverbs

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PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 1

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 1

The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding;
3 to receive instruction in wisdom, righteousness, justice and equity;
4 to give prudence to the simple; to the young knowledge and discretion;
5 the wise will hear and increase in learning, and the understanding will acquire wise counsel;
6 to understand a proverb and the interpretation, the words of the wise and their puzzles.
7 The fear of YEHOWAH is the beginning of knowledge.  Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8 My child, hear the instruction of your father, and forsake not the law of your mother,
9 for they will be an ornament of grace unto your head, and a necklace about your neck.
10 My child, if sinners entice you, do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us; let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without cause;
12 let us swallow them alive like the grave, whole, as those who go down to the pit,
13 for we will find all kinds of precious substances; we will fill our houses with spoil,
14 cast in your lot with us, and we will all have one purse.”
15 My child, walk not in the way with them.  Keep your feet from their path,
16 for their feet run to evil, and hasten to shed blood.
17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird,
18 and these lie in wait for their own blood; they lurk in secret for their own lives.
19 So is the path of everyone who covets dishonestly, and takes away the life of its owners.
20 Wisdom shouts in the street; she lifts her voice in the broad places;
21 she calls out from the top of the concourse, and at the entrances of the gates. Throughout the city she utters her words, saying,
22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple-minded, and you mockers delight in your mocking, and you fools hate knowledge?
23 Turn to my reproof.  Behold, I will pour out my very being unto you; I will make known my words unto you.
24 Because I called and you refused; I stretched out my hand and no one gave heed,
25 and you dismissed all my counsel, and did not receive my correction,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity, and I will mock when your dread comes.
27 When your dread comes like a storm and your destruction comes like a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come upon you,
28 and you call upon me, I will not answer.  You will seek me early, but will not find me,
29 for you hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of YEHOWAH.
30 You would not accept my counsel, and you spurned all my reproof,
31 therefore, you will eat of the fruit of your own way, and be filled with your own devices,
32 for the apostasy of the simple will slay them, and the prosperity of fools will destroy them.
33 But whoever listens to me will dwell securely, and will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 2

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 2

My child, if you will receive my words, and esteem my commandments within you;
2 if you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;
3 if you cry for knowledge, and lift up your voice for understanding;
4 if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures;
5 then you will understand the fear of YEHOWAH, and find the knowledge of Elohim,
6 for YEHOWAH gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He lays up sound wisdom for the righteous; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly.
8 He guards the paths of judgment, and He preserves the way of His pious ones.
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity and every good course.
10 When wisdom enters your heart and knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
11 discretion will preserve you, and understanding will watch over you,
12 to deliver you from the way of evil; from those who speak perverse things;
13 from those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness;
14 who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perversity of evil;
15 whose paths are crooked, and who pervert their ways,
16 to deliver you from the strange woman; from the adulteress who flatters with her words;
17 who forsakes the companion of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her Elohim.
18 For her house sinks down to death, and her paths lead to death,
19 and none that go in to her return again, nor do they attain to the paths of life,
20 that you may walk in the way of prosperity and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will dwell in the land and the undefiled will remain in it,
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the transgressors will be uprooted from it.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 3

PROVERBS: CHAPTER 3

My child, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commandments,
2 for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.
3 Do not let kindness or truth leave you.  Bind them about your neck; write them upon the tablet of your heart,
4 so will you find favor and good understanding in the sight of Elohim and man.
5 Trust in YEHOWAH with all your heart, and do not lean unto your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear YEHOWAH and turn away from evil.
8 It will be health to your core, and refreshment to your bones.
9 Honor YEHOWAH with your wealth, and with the first fruits of all your increase,
10 so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
11 My child, despise not the discipline of YEHOWAH, or loathe His reproof,
12 for whom YEHOWAH loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the child in whom he delights.
13 How blessed are they who find wisdom, and the child who gets understanding,
14 for the profit of it is better than the profit of silver, and the gain of it better than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies, and all you can desire cannot be compared unto her.
16 Length of days is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who hold her fast.
19 YEHOWAH, by wisdom, founded the earth; by understanding He has established the heavens.
20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up and the clouds drip with dew.
21 My child, let them not depart from your eyes; keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22 so they will be life to your soul and grace to your neck.
23 Then you will walk in your way securely and your foot will not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear, nor of the desolation of the wicked when it comes,
26 for YEHOWAH will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being taken.
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do it.
28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it,” when you have it with you.
29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor, while they dwell securely by you.
30 Do not contend with anyone without cause, if they have done you no harm.
31 Do not envy any oppressor, and do not choose their ways,
32 for the perverse are an abomination to YEHOWAH, but His secret counsel is with the righteous.
33 The curse of YEHOWAH is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
34 Surely He mocks the mockers, but He gives grace to the humble.
35 The wise will inherit glory, but shame will be the wages of fools.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 4

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 4

Hear, you children, the instruction of a father, and give heed to know understanding,
2 for I give you good doctrine; do not forsake my law.
3 When I was a son to my father, tender and beloved in the sight of my mother,
4 he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live;
5 attain wisdom; get understanding; do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; love her, and she will keep you.
7 The beginning of wisdom is, acquire wisdom, and with all your acquiring, get understanding.
8 Exalt her, and she will promote you; she will honor you when you embrace her;
9 she will place on your head a garland of grace; she will present you with a crown of beauty.”
10 Hear, my child, and accept my sayings, and the years of your life will be many.
11 I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths;
12 when you walk, your steps will not be distressed, and if you run, you will not stumble.
13 Hold fast to instruction; do not let go.  Guard her, for she is your life.
14 Enter not onto the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of the evil;
15 avoid it, do not pass by it; turn away from it and pass on,
16 for they sleep not unless they do mischief; and their sleep is spoiled unless they cause someone to fall,
17 for they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the righteous is like a shining light that shines brighter and brighter until the perfect day.
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; they know not over what they stumble.
20 My child, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings;
21 do not let them depart from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart,
22 for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.
23 Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the issues of life.
24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse speech far from you.
25 Let your eyes look forward, and let your gaze be fixed straight before you.
26 Ponder the path of your feet, and all your ways will be established.
27 Turn not to the right or to the left, and remove your foot from evil.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 5

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 5

My child, attend unto my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding,
2 that you may regard discretion, and your lips may keep knowledge,
3 for the lips of a strange woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil,
4 but in the end is bitter as wormwood; sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold of the grave.
6 She does not ponder the path of life; her ways are moveable, she does not know it.
7 Hear me now, therefore, my children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove your way far from her, and go not near the door of her house,
9 lest you give your honor to others, and your years to the cruel,
10 and strangers will be filled with your wealth, and your labor be in the house of a stranger;
11 and you mourn at the end, when your flesh and your body are consumed,
12 and you say, “How I have hated instruction and my heart despised reproof,
13 and I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, or inclined my ear to those that instructed me!
14 I was almost in utter ruin in the midst of the assembly and congregation.”
15 Drink waters from your own cistern and running waters from your own well.
16 Let your fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.
17 Let them be only yours, and not for strangers with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 Let her be as a loving hind and a pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy you at all times, and be you intoxicated always with her love.
20 For why should you, my child, be intoxicated with an adulteress and embrace the bosom of a stranger?
21 For the ways of a man are before the eyes of YEHOWAH, and He weighs all his goings.
22 His own iniquities will take hold of wickedness, and he will be held with the cords of his sins.
23 He will die without instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 6

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 6

My child, if you have become surety for your neighbor; have given a pledge for a stranger;
2 if you have been snared with the words of your mouth, and have been caught with the words of your mouth,
3 do this then, my child, and deliver yourself:  When you have come into the hand of your neighbor, go, humble yourself, and strengthen your neighbor.
4 Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids;
5 deliver yourself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, O sluggard, consider her ways and be wise,
7 which, having no captain, overseer or ruler,
8 prepares its food in the summer and gathers its provision in the harvest.
9 How long will you sleep, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?
10 “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest”.
11 So will your poverty come as a traveler, and your need as an armed man.
12 A worthless person; a wicked person, walks with a perverse mouth,
13 and winks with their eyes, and speaks with their feet, and teaches with their fingers,
14 and with perversity in their heart devise evil continually, and sow strife.
15 Therefore their calamity will come suddenly, and in a moment they will be broken without remedy.
16 There are six things that YEHOWAH hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:
17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood;
18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 a false witness who speaks lies, and one who spreads strife among brethren.
20 My child, keep the commandment of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.
21 Bind them continually on your heart; tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk about, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will keep you; and when you awake, they will talk to you.
23 For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light, and reproofs for discipline are the way of life,
24 to keep you from the evil woman; from the smooth tongue of a strange woman.
25 Lust not after her beauty in your heart, nor let her seize you with her eyelids,
26 for on account of a whorish woman one is reduced to a piece of bread, and the adulteress hunts for the precious life.
27 Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be utterly burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
29 So is the one who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; whoever touches her will not be innocent.
30 Mankind does not despise a thief if they steal to satisfy themselves when they are hungry.
31 But when they are found, they must repay sevenfold; they must give all the substance of their house.
32 The one who commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; he who would destroy himself does it.
33 Wounds and disgrace he will find, and his reproach will not be wiped away,
34 for jealousy is the rage of a man, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance;
35 he will not regard any ransom, nor will he be content though you give many gifts.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 7

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 7

My child, keep my words and lay up my commandments within you;
2 keep my commandments and live, and my law as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers; write them upon the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister”, and call understanding your kinswoman,
5 that they may keep you from the strange woman; from the stranger who flatters with her words,
6 for at the window of my house I looked through my lattice,
7 and beheld among the foolish, and discerned among the youths, a young man lacking sense;
8 passing through the street near her corner, and he went the way to her house;
9 in the twilight; in the evening; in the black and dark night.
10 And behold, a woman came to meet him, attired as a harlot, and cunning of heart.
11 She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her home;
12 now in the streets, now in the squares, and lying in wait at every corner.
13 So she seizes him and kisses him, and with an impudent face said to him,
14 “I have peace offerings with me; this day I have paid my vows.
15 Therefore I came out to meet you, to seek your face, and I have found you.
16 I have decked my bed with tapestries and fine linen of Egypt;
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; let us solace ourselves with love,
19 for my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey;
20 he has taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.”
21 With her very fair speech she caused him to yield; with the flattering of her lips she compelled him.
22 He went after her straightway, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks,
23 until an arrow pierces through his liver; as a bird hastens to the snare, and knows not that it is for his life.
24 Now therefore, my children, listen to me, and pay attention to the words of my mouth:
25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways; go not astray in her paths,
26 for she has cast down many wounded, and many strong have been slain by her.
27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 8

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 8

Does not wisdom call, and understanding lift up her voice?
2 She stands on top of the high places, by the way in the place of the paths,
3 and she cries out at the gates; at the entrance of the city; at the opening of the doors,
4 “To you, O mankind, I call, and my voice is to the children of men.
5 O you simple, understand wisdom, and, O you fools, be of an understanding heart.
6 Listen, for I will speak excellent things, and the opening of my lips will bring forth upright things.
7 For my mouth will utter truth, and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing immoral or perverse in them.
9 They are all straightforward to those who understand, and right to those who find knowledge.
10 Take my instruction and not silver, and knowledge rather than fine gold.
11 For wisdom is better than rubies, and all desirable things cannot compare with it.
12 I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge with discretion.
13 The fear of YEHOWAH is to hate evil, pride, arrogance, and the evil way; and I hate the perverted mouth.
14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I, understanding, have power.
15 By me king’s reign, and princes decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles; all who judge rightly.
17 I love those who love me, and those who diligently seek me will find me.
18 Riches and honor are with me; yes, enduring wealth and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold, and my gain is better than choice silver.
20 I walk in the way of righteousness; in the midst of the paths of justice,
21 that I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; that I may fill their treasuries.
22 YEHOWAH possessed me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old.
23 From everlasting I was established; from the beginning; from before the earth was.
24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains were settled; before the hills I was brought forth,
26 while He had not yet made the earth, or the fields, or the first parts of the dust of the world.
27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there; when He set the circuit upon the face of the deep;
28 when He established the firmament above; when He strengthened the springs of the deep;
29 when He gave the sea its boundary, so that the water would not transgress His command; when He cut out the foundations of the earth,
30 I was beside Him, as an architect, and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him;
31 rejoicing in the world and His earth, and having my delight in the children of men.
32 Now therefore, give heed unto me, O children, for blessed are they who keep my ways.
33 Heed instruction and be wise, and do not dismiss it.
34 Blessed are they who listen to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts,
35 for they who find me find life, and obtain favor from YEHOWAH,
36 but those who sin against me injures themselves, and all who hate me love death.”

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 9

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 9

Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out her seven pillars;
2 she has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table;
3 she has sent out her maidens; she calls out from the highest places of the city,
4 “Whoever is foolish, let them turn in here!”  To those who lack understanding she says,
5 “Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 Forsake the foolish and live, and go in the way of understanding.
7 Those who correct scoffers get dishonor for themselves, and they who reprove the wicked get insults for themselves.
8 Do not reprove a scoffer, lest they hate you.  Reprove the wise and they will love you.
9 Give instructions to the wise, and they will be wiser still.  Teach the righteous, and they will increase their learning.
10 The fear of YEHOWAH is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding,
11 for by me your days will be multiplied, and the years of your life will be increased.
12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, but if you scoff, you alone will bear it.
13 A foolish woman is clamorous; she is simple and knows nothing,
14 for she sits at the doorway of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,
15 calling to passers-by, who are right on their way,
16 “Whoever is foolish, let them turn in here”, and to those lacking understanding she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But they do not know that the dead are there; that her guests are in the depths of the grave.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 10

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 10

The proverbs of Solomon:
A wise child makes a father glad, but a foolish child is a grief to their mother.
2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death.
3 YEHOWAH will not allow the soul of the righteous to hunger, but He casts away the substance of the wicked.
4 Poor are they who deal with a false hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 Those who gather in summer are children who act wisely, but those who sleep in harvest are children who act shamefully.
6 Blessings are upon the heads of the righteous, but violence fills up the mouth of the wicked.
7 Remembrances of the righteous are blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot.
8 The wise of heart will receive commands, but a babbling fool will fall.
9 Those that walk uprightly walk securely, but those who pervert their ways will be known.
10 Those that wink the eye cause trouble, and a babbling fool will fall.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
12 Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.
13 On the lips of the discerning wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of those who lack understanding.
14 The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
15 The wealth of the rich is their fortress; the destruction of the poor is their poverty.
16 The reward for righteousness is life; the fruit of wickedness is punishment.
17 They are on the path of life who heed instruction, but those who refuse reproof go astray.
18 Those that hide hatred have lying lips, and those who spread slander are fools.
19 In the multitude of words, sin is not lacking, but they who restrain their lips are wise.
20 The tongues of the righteous are as choice silver, but the hearts of the wicked are worth little.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of understanding.
22 The blessing of YEHOWAH makes rich, and He adds no sorrow to it.
23 Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool, but those with understanding have wisdom.
24 The fears of the wicked will come upon them, but the desires of the righteous will be granted.
25 As a whirlwind passes, so are the wicked no more, but the righteous are an everlasting foundation.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth, and smoke to the eyes, so are the slothful to those who send them.
27 The fear of YEHOWAH prolongs days, but the years of the wicked will be shortened.
28 The hope of the righteous is gladness, but the expectation of the wicked perishes.
29 The way of YEHOWAH is a stronghold to the upright, but destruction to the workers of iniquity.
30 The righteous will never waver, but the wicked will not inhabit the earth.
31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverted tongue will be cut out.
32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouths of the wicked speak perverse things.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 11

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 11

A false balance is an abomination to YEHOWAH, but a just weight is His delight.
2 When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom.
3 The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perverseness of transgressors will destroy them.
4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
5 The righteousness of the perfect will straighten their path, but the wicked will fall by their own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, but transgressors will be caught in their own iniquity.
7 When the wicked die their expectations perish, just as the hopes of the unjust perish.
8 The righteous are delivered from trouble, but the wicked go in their stead.
9 With their mouths hypocrites destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the just are delivered.
10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.
11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
12 Those who lack wisdom despise their neighbor, but those with understanding keep silent.
13 A talebearer reveals secrets, but those with a faithful spirit conceal a matter.
14 Where there is no guidance the people fall, but in a multitude of counselors there is safety.
15 Those who are surety for strangers will surely suffer for it, but those who hate being a guarantor are secure.
16 A gracious woman attains honor, and the powerful retain riches.
17 The merciful do good to their own soul, but the cruel trouble their own flesh.
18 The wicked earn deceptive wages, but those who sow righteousness get a true reward.
19 As the righteous tend to life, those who pursue evil will bring about their own death.
20 The perverse of heart are an abomination to YEHOWAH, but the upright in their walk are His delight.
21 Though hand in hand, the evil person will not go unpunished, but the seed of the righteous will be delivered.
22 As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous is only good, but the expectation of the wicked is wrath.
24 There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds more than is right, and it results only in want.
25 The generous soul will be fat, and those who water will also be watered.
26 The people will curse those who withhold, but blessing will be on the head of those who sell.
27 Those who diligently seek good procure favor, but those who seek evil, evil will come to them.
28 Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a branch.
29 Those who trouble their own house will inherit wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and they who are wise win souls.
31 Behold, if the righteous are rewarded in the earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner?

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 12

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 12

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but those who hate reproof are foolish.
2 The good will obtain favor from YEHOWAH, but He will condemn those who devise evil.
3 A person will not be established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will not be moved.
4 A virtuous woman is the crown of her husband, but she who shames him is like rottenness in his bones.
5 The thoughts of the righteous are just, but the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the upright will deliver them.
7 The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous will stand.
8 A person will be praised according to their insight, but those with a perverse mind will be despised.
9 Better are they who are lightly esteemed and have a servant, than they who honor themselves and lack bread.
10 The righteous have regard for the life of their animal, but the compassion of the wicked is cruel.
11 Those who till their land will have plenty of bread, but those who follow after empty things lack wisdom.
12 The wicked desire the net of the evil, but the root of the righteous yields fruit.
13 The wicked are ensnared by the transgression of their lips, but the just will come out of trouble.
14 A person will be satisfied with good by the fruit of their words, and the deeds of their hands will return to them.
15 The way of a fool is right in their own eyes, but those who listen to counsel are wise.
16 A fool’s anger is known at once, but the prudent conceal shame.
17 Those who speak truth tell what is right, but a false witness, deceit.
18 There are those who speak like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise bring healing.
19 Truthful lips will be established forever, but a lying tongue is only for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but counselors of peace have joy.
21 No evil shall befall the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble.
22 Lying lips are an abomination to YEHOWAH, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.
23 The prudent conceal knowledge, but the heart of the stupid proclaims foolishness.
24 The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slothful will be under tribute.
25 Heaviness in the heart drags it down, but a good word makes glad.
26 The righteous are more excellent to their neighbor, but the way of the wicked seduces them.
27 The slothful do not roast their prey, but the substance of the diligent is precious.
28 The way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 13

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 13

A wise child accepts their father’s discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
2 Mankind will eat good by the fruit of their mouth, but the souls of transgressors will eat violence.
3 Those that guard their mouths preserve their life; those who open wide their lips will have destruction.
4 The soul of the sluggard desires, but has nothing, but the soul of the diligent will be made fat.
5 The righteous hate lying, but the wicked are loathsome, and come to shame.
6 Righteousness guards the one whose way is blameless, but wickedness subverts the sinner.
7 There is one who pretends to be rich, but has nothing; there is another who pretends to be poor, but has great wealth.
8 The ransom of a person’s life is their wealth, but the poor hears no rebuke.
9 The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked goes out.
10 Only by pride comes contention, but with the well advised is wisdom.
11 Wealth obtained by vanity dwindles, but the one who gathers by labor increases it.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when desire comes, it is a tree of life.
13 The one who despises the word will be destroyed, but the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded.
14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
15 Good understanding produces favor, but the way of the treacherous is hard.
16 Every prudent person acts with knowledge, but a fool displays folly.
17 A wicked messenger falls into adversity, but a faithful ambassador brings healing.
18 Poverty and shame will come to those who refuse instruction, but those who regard reproof will be honored.
19 Desire accomplished is sweet to the soul, but it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil.
20 Those who walk with wise will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.
21 Evil pursues sinners, but to the righteous, good will be rewarded.
22 The good leave an inheritance to their children’s children, and the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the just.
23 Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor, but it perishes for want of justice.
24 Those who withhold discipline hate their children, but those who love them discipline them diligently.
25 The righteous eat to satisfy their soul, but the stomach of the wicked shall want.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 14

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 14

Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.
2 Those who walk in their uprightness fear YEHOWAH, but those who are devious in their ways despise Him.
3 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, but the lips of the wise will protect them.
4 Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.
5 A trustworthy witness will not lie, but a false witness utters lies.
6 A scorner seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge is easy to one who has understanding.
7 Leave the presence of a fool when you perceive no knowledge in their lips.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand their way, but the folly of fools is deceit.
9 Fools mock at sin, but among the righteous there is favor.
10 The heart knows its own bitterness, and a stranger does not share its joy.
11 The house of the wicked will be overthrown, but the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There is a way which seems right to a person, but its end is the way of death.
13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, and the end of joy may be grief.
14 The backslider in heart will be filled with their own ways, but the good will be satisfied with theirs.
15 The simple believe everything, but the sensible consider their steps.
16 The wise are cautious and turn away from evil, but a fool rages and is careless.
17 The quick-tempered act foolishly, and a person of evil devices is hated.
18 The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19 The evil bow before the good, and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 The poor is hated even by their neighbor, but those who love the rich are many.
21 Those that despise their neighbor sins, but happy are they who are gracious to the poor.
22 Do they not err that devise evil? But mercy and truth will be to those who devise good.
23 In all labor there is profit, but talk alone leads to poverty.
24 The crown of the wise is their riches, but the folly of fools is folly.
25 A truthful witness delivers souls, but the deceitful utter lies.
26 In the fear of YEHOWAH is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge.
27 The fear of YEHOWAH is a fountain of life that departs from the snares death.
28 In a multitude of people is a king’s honor, but in the want of people is a prince’s destruction.
29 Those who are slow to anger have great understanding, but those who are quick-tempered exalt folly.
30 A sound heart is the life of the flesh, but envy is rottenness to the bones.
31 Those who oppress the poor taunt their Maker, but those who are gracious to the needy honor Him.
32 The wicked are driven away by their wickedness, but the righteous have a refuge when they die.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding, but that which is in the heart of a fool is made known.
34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.
35 The king’s favor is toward a wise servant, but his anger is toward those who act shamefully.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 15

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 15

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge successfully, but the mouth of fools gushes forth foolishness.
3 The eyes of YEHOWAH are in every place, watching the evil and the good.
4 A healing tongue is a tree of life, but perversion in it crushes the spirit.
5 A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but they who regard reproof are sensible.
6 In the house of the righteous is great wealth, but in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.
7 The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, but the heart of the foolish is not so.
8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to YEHOWAH, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to YEHOWAH, but He loves those who follow after righteousness.
10 Chastisement is grievous to those that forsake the way.  Those who hate reproof will die.
11 Hell and destruction are before YEHOWAH; how much more the hearts of the children of men?
12 Scorners love not those who reprove them, neither will they go to the wise.
13 A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.
14 The hearts of those who have understanding seek knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
15 All the days of the afflicted are evil, but those with a joyful heart have a continual feast.
16 Better is a little with the fear of YEHOWAH, than great treasure and trouble with it.
17 Better is a dinner of herbs where there is love, than a fattened cow with hatred.
18 A wrathful person stirs up strife, but the slow to anger appease strife.
19 The way of the lazy is as a hedge of thorns, but the path of the righteous is made plain.
20 A wise child makes a father glad, but a foolish child despises their mother.
21 Folly is joy to those who are destitute of wisdom, but a person of understanding walks uprightly.
22 Without counsel plans are disappointed, but with many counselors they are established.
23 People enjoy an appropriate answer, and a word in season is delightful.
24 The way of life leads upward for the wise; that they may keep away from hell below.
25 YEHOWAH will destroy the house of the proud, but He will establish the boundary of the widow.
26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to YEHOWAH, but the words of the pure are pleasant.
27 Those that are greedy of gain trouble their own house, but those who hate bribes will live.
28 The heart of the righteous meditates on how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
29 YEHOWAH is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.
30 That which enlightens the eyes gladdens the heart, and good news puts fat on the bones.
31 The ear that hears the reproof of life abides among the wise.
32 Those who refuse instruction despise their own soul, but those who hear reproof get understanding.
33 The fear of YEHOWAH is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes humility.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 16

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 16

The plans of the heart belong to the person, but the answer of the tongue is from YEHOWAH.
2 All the ways of a person are clean in their own sight, but YEHOWAH weighs the motives.
3 Commit your works unto YEHOWAH and your plans will be established.
4 YEHOWAH has made everything for His own purpose; yes, even the wicked for the day of evil.
5 Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination unto YEHOWAH; with certainty they will not be unpunished.
6 In mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of YEHOWAH one departs from evil.
7 When a person’s ways please YEHOWAH, He makes even their enemies to be at peace with them.
8 Better is a little with righteousness, than great revenues without justice.
9 A person’s mind plans their way, but YEHOWAH directs their steps.
10 A divine sentence is in the speech of the king, whose mouth should not transgress in judgment.
11 A just weight and balance belong to YEHOWAH; all the weights of the bag are His work.
12 It is an abomination for kings to act wickedly, for a throne is established through righteousness.
13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings, and those who speak righteously are loved.
14 The wrath of a king is like messengers of death, but a wise person will placate it.
15 In the light of a king’s face is life, and his favor is like a cloud with the latter rains.
16 How much better it is to get wisdom than gold, and to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.
17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; those who watch their way preserve their life.
18 Pride goes before destruction, and an arrogant mind faces ruin.
19 It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
20 Those who wisely attend to the Word will find the good, and happy are they who trust in YEHOWAH.
21 The wise in heart will be called prudent, and the pleasantness of the language increases reception.
22 Understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it, but the chastisement of fools is folly.
23 The hearts of the wise instruct their mouth, and add fair speech to their lips.
24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
25 There is a way which seems right to a person, but its end is the way of death.
26 Those who labor work for themselves, for their mouths urge it of them.
27 The wicked dig up evil, and their lips are a raging fire.
28 A perverse person spreads strife, and a slanderer separates friends.
29 A violent person entices their neighbor, and leads them in a way that is not good.
30 Those who wink their eyes do so to devise perverse things, and those who pucker their lips bring evil to pass.
31 A gray head is a crown of glory; it is found in the way of righteousness.
32 Those who are slow to anger are better than the mighty, and they who rule their spirit, than those who capture a city.
33 The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole decision is from YEHOWAH.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 17

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 17

Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it, than a house full of sacrifices with strife.
2 A wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame, and will share in the inheritance among the brothers.
3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but YEHOWAH examines hearts.
4 A doer of wickedness listens to false lips, and a liar pays attention to a perverse tongue.
5 Whoever mocks the poor blasphemes their Maker, and those who rejoice at calamities will not go unpunished.
6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.
7 Excellent speech is unbecoming to a fool, much less are lying lips to a prince.
8 A reward is as a precious stone in the eyes of those who receive it; wherever they turn they prosper.
9 Those who conceal a transgression seek love, but those who repeat a matter separates friends.
10 A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding, than a hundred stripes unto a fool.
11 The rebellious seek only evil, therefore cruel messengers will be sent against them.
12 Let a bear robbed of her cubs meet a person, rather than meeting a fool in their folly.
13 Those that reward evil for good, evil will not depart from their house.
14 The beginning of contention is like the release of water, therefore forsake contention before it is meddled with.
15 They who justify the wicked and they who condemn the righteous, both of them are an abomination to YEHOWAH.
16 Why is there a payment in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, seeing as they have no understanding?
17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adverse times.
18 A person void of understanding makes a deal and becomes surety in the presence of their neighbor.
19 Those who love transgression love strife, and those who raise their gate seek destruction.
20 Those who have a crooked mind find no good, and those who have a perverted tongue fall into evil.
21 Those who beget a fool do so to their sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy.
22 A joyful heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.
23 The wicked receives bribes from the bosom to pervert the ways of justice.
24 Wisdom is before those who have understanding, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish child is a grief to their father, and bitterness to her who bore them.
26 Also, to punish the just is not good, nor to strike the noble for uprightness.
27 Those that have knowledge hold back their words, and a person of understanding is a precious spirit.
28 Even a fool, when they hold their tongue, is regarded as wise, and those that close their lips are considered prudent.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 18

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 18

Those who separate themselves seek their own desires, and quarrel against all sound wisdom.
2 A fool has no delight in understanding, but only that their heart may discover itself.
3 When the wicked come, contempt also comes, and with dishonor comes shame.
4 The words of a person’s mouth are deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook.
5 It is not good to magnify or honor the wicked, nor to pervert the righteous in judgment.
6 A fool’s lips bring contention, and their mouth calls for strokes.
7 A fool’s mouth is their ruin, and their lips are the snare of their soul.
8 The words of a slanderer are like wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the body.
9 Those who are slack in their work are brethren to those who destroy.
10 The Name of YEHOWAH is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe.
11 The wealth of the rich is their strong city, and like a high wall in their own imagination.
12 Before destruction the heart of a person is haughty, but humility goes before honor.
13 Those who answer a matter before they hear, it is folly and shame to them.
14 The spirit of a person can sustain their sickness, but who can bear a broken spirit?
15 The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16 A person’s gift enlarges them, and leads them before great people.
17 The first to plead their case seems right, until another comes and examines them.
18 The cast lot causes contention to cease, and separates the mighty.
19 A brother offended is stronger than a city, and contentions are like bars of a castle.
20 A person’s belly is satisfied with the fruit of their mouth, and with the increase of their speech they shall be filled.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
22 Those who find a wife find a good thing, and obtain favor from YEHOWAH.
23 The poor utter earnest prayers, but the rich speak harshly.
24 A person with too many friends must falsely show friendship, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 19

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 19

Better are the poor who walk with integrity, than those who are perverse in speech and are fools.
2 Also, it is not good for a person to be without knowledge, and they who hurry their footsteps err.
3 The foolishness of people perverts their way, and their hearts rage against YEHOWAH.
4 Wealth adds many friends, but the poor are separated from their friends.
5 A false witness will not go unpunished, and they who tell lies will not escape.
6 Many will seek the favor of the noble, and everyone is a friend to those who gives gifts.
7 All the brethren of the poor hate them, how much more do their friends abandon them? They pursue them with words, but they are gone.
8 Those who get wisdom love their own soul; those who keep understanding will find good.
9 A false witness will not go unpunished, and those who tell lies will perish.
10 Luxury is not fitting for a fool, much less for a slave to rule over princes.
11 Those with discretion defer their anger, and it is their glory to pass over a transgression.
12 The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion, but his favor is as the dew on the grass.
13 A foolish child is calamity to their father, and the contentions of a wife are a continual dripping.
14 House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from YEHOWAH.
15 Laziness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle soul will suffer hunger.
16 Those who keep the commandments keep their souls, but those who are careless of conduct will die.
17Those who are gracious to the poor lend to YEHOWAH, and He will repay them for their good deed.
18 Discipline your child while there is hope, and do not desire their death.
19 A person of great anger will bear the penalty, for if you rescue them, you will only have to do it again.
20 Hear counsel, and receive discipline, that you may be wise in your latter days.
21 Many are the plans within one’s heart, but the counsel of YEHOWAH is what will stand.
22 What is desirable in a person is their kindness, and it is better to be poor than to be a liar.
23 The fear of YEHOWAH leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.
24 The slothful hide their hand in their bosom, and will not so much as bring it to their mouth.
25 Strike a scorner, and the simple will beware, but reprove one who has understanding and they will understand knowledge.
26 They who assault their fathers and drive away their mothers, is a child that causes disgrace and shame.
27 Cease listening, my child, to discipline, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.
28 An evil witness scorns justice, and the mouth of the wicked spews iniquity.
29 Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes are for the backs of fools.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 20

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 20

Wine is a mocker; strong drink enrages, and whoever is intoxicated by them is not wise.
2 The fear of a king is like the roaring of a lion; those who provoke it to anger forfeit their own life.
3 Refraining from contending is an honor for a soul, but every fool is obstinate.
4 The sluggard will not plow in the cold, therefore they will beg during the harvest and have nothing.
5 Counsel within the heart of any person is like deep water, but those with understanding draw it out.
6 Most people will proclaim their own goodness, but a trustworthy soul, who can find?
7 The righteous walk in their own integrity, and their children are blessed after them.
8 A king who sits on the throne of judgment scatters away all evil with his eyes.
9 Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin”?
10 Differing weights and differing measures, both of them are an abomination to YEHOWAH.
11 Even a child is known by their doings, whether their work is pure, and whether it is right.
12 The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, YEHOWAH has made both of them.
13 Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food.
14 “Bad, bad,” say the buyers, but when they go their way, then they boast.
15 There is gold, and an abundance of jewels, but the lips of knowledge are a more precious thing.
16 Take one’s garment when they become surety for a stranger, and take a pledge from those who are foreigners
17 Bread obtained by deceit is sweet to a person, but afterward their mouth will be filled with gravel.
18 Every plan is prepared by consultation, and make war by wise guidance.
19 Those that go about as slanderers reveal secrets, therefore associate not with those who flatter with their lips.
20 Whoever curses their father or their mother, their lamp will go out in obscure darkness.
21 An inheritance gotten hastily as a youth will not be a blessing in the end.
22 Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for YEHOWAH, and He will save you.
23 Differing weights are an abomination to YEHOWAH, and a false balance is not good.
24 The steps of a person are ordained by YEHOWAH, how then can anyone understand their path?
25 It is a snare to rashly declare something, “Holy!”, and after making vows, to make inquiry.
26 A wise king scatters the wicked, and drives the threshing wheel over them.
27 The spirit of a person is the lamp of YEHOWAH, searching all the innermost parts of their being.
28 Kindness and truth preserve the king, and his throne is upheld by mercy.
29 The glory of young men is their strength, and the honor of old men is their gray hair.
30 The blueness of a wound cleanses away the evil, and strokes reach the innermost parts.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 21

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 21

The king’s heart is in the hand of YEHOWAH, as are the waters of a river; He turns it wherever He wishes.
2 Every way of a person is right in their own eyes, but YEHOWAH weighs the hearts.
3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to YEHOWAH than sacrifice.
4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked is sin.
5 The thoughts of the diligent lead surely to profit, but of everyone who is hasty only to want.
6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue, is a vanity tossed to and fro by those seeking death.
7 The violence of the wicked will destroy them, because they refuse to act with justice.
8 The way of the perverse is strange, but as for the pure, their work is right.
9 It is better to live in a corner of an attic, than in a wide house with a contentious woman.
10 The soul of the wicked desires evil; their neighbor finds no favor in their eyes.
11 When the scorner is punished, the simple are made wise, and when the wise are instructed, they receive knowledge.
12 The righteous wisely consider the houses of the wicked, which are overthrown for their wickedness.
13 Those that shut their ears to the cries of the poor, will also cry themselves, and not be answered.
14 A gift in secret pacifies anger, and a bribe in the bosom, strong wrath.
15 Justice is a joy for the righteous, but destruction is for the workers of iniquity.
16 Those that wander from the way of understanding will rest in the congregation of the dead.
17 Those who love pleasure will become poor; those who love wine and ointments will not become rich.
18 The wicked is a ransom for the just, and the transgressor for the righteous.
19 It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and angry woman.
20 There is treasure to be desired, and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but the foolish spends it all up.
21 Those that pursue righteousness and mercy find life, righteousness and honor.
22 The wise scale the city of the mighty, and cast down the stronghold in which they trust.
23 Whoever keeps their mouth and their tongue, keeps their soul from troubles.
24 “Proud,” “Haughty,” “Scorner,” are the names of those who act with presumptuous anger.
25 The desire of the slothful kills them, for their hands refuse to work;
26 they covet in greed all the day long, but the righteous give and spare nothing.
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, how much more when they bring it with evil intent!
28 A false witness will perish, but those who listen to the truth will speak forever.
29 The wicked display a hardened face, but as for the upright, they direct their way.
30 There is no wisdom, or understanding, or counsel against YEHOWAH.
31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory belongs to YEHOWAH.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 22

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 22

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor is better than silver and gold.
2 The rich and the poor have a common bond; YEHOWAH is the maker of them all.
3 The prudent see the evil and hides himself, but the simple go on, and are punished.
4 Through humility and the fear of YEHOWAH come riches, and honor, and life.
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; those who guard their souls will be far from them.
6 Train up a child in the way they should go, even when they are old, they will not depart from it.
7 The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.
8 Those that sow iniquity will reap vanity, and the rod of their anger will perish.
9 Those that are generous will be blessed, for they give some of their food to the poor.
10 Cast out the scorner and contention will go out; even strife and dishonor will cease.
11 Those that love purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, the king is their friend.
12 The eyes of YEHOWAH preserve knowledge, but He overthrows the words of transgressors.
13 The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside; I will be killed in the streets!”
14 The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; those who are abhorred by YEHOWAH will fall into it.
15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will remove it far from them.
16 They who oppress the poor, to make more for themselves, or who give to the rich, will only come to poverty.
17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge,
18 for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, that they may be ready on your lips.
19 So that your trust may be in YEHOWAH, I have taught you today; even you!
20 Have I not written to you excellent things; of counsels and knowledge,
21 that I might make you know the certainty of the words of truth; that you might correctly answer those that send for you?
22 Do not steal from the poor, because they are poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate,
23 for YEHOWAH will plead their case, and take the life of those who steal from them.
24 Do not associate with anyone given to anger, or go with a hot-tempered person,
25 or you will learn their ways and find a snare for yourself.
26 Do not be among those who give pledges; among those who become guarantors for debts.
27 If you have nothing with which to pay, why should they take your bed from under you?
28 Do not move the ancient boundaries, which your fathers have set.
29 Do you see a person skilled in their work? They will stand before kings; they will not stand before mean people.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 23

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 23

When you sit to dine with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat if you are an individual of great appetite.
3 Do not desire their delicacies, for it is deceitful food.
4 Labor not to be rich; cease from your consideration of it.
5 Will you set your eyes upon that which is not? For wealth certainly makes itself wings, and flies away like an eagle toward heaven.
6 Do not eat the bread of a selfish person, or desire their delicacies,
7 for as they think within themselves, so they are.  They say to you, “Eat and drink!”, but their heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the morsel you have eaten, and waste your compliments.
9 Do not speak in the ears of a fool, for they will despise the wisdom of your words.
10 Do not move the ancient boundaries, or go into the fields of the fatherless,
11 for their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their case against you.
12 Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge.
13 Do not hold back discipline from the child, although you strike them with the rod, they will not die;
14 you will strike them with the rod, and deliver their soul from the grave.
15 My child, if your heart is wise, my own heart also will be glad;
16 yes, my innermost being will rejoice when your lips speak the right things.
17 Let not your heart envy sinners, but live in the fear of YEHOWAH all your days,
18 for surely there is an end, and your expectations will not be cut off.
19 Listen, my child, and be wise, and guide your heart in the way.
20 Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, or with gluttonous eaters of meat,
21 for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a person with rags.
22 Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 Buy the truth, and do not sell it; get wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and they who sire a wise child will rejoice in them;
25 your father and your mother be glad, and let her rejoice who gave birth to you.
26 My child, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways,
27 for a whore is a deep ditch, and an adulterous woman is a narrow pit.
28 She lies in wait as for prey, and increases the transgressors among men.
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?
30 Those who linger long over wine; those who go to taste mixed wine.
31 Do not look on the wine when it is red; when it gives its color in the cup; when it pours smoothly;
32 at the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will utter strange things.
34 Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, or like one who lies down on the top of a mast.
35 “They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not ill.  They beat me, but I felt it not. When I awake, I will seek another drink.”

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 24

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 24

Do not be envious of the wicked, or desire to be with them,
2 for their heart studies violence, and their lips talk of trouble.
3 Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established,
4 and by knowledge its chambers will be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
5 A wise person is strong, and an individual of knowledge increases power,
6 for by wise counsel you will wage war, and in a multitude of counselors there is victory.
7 Wisdom is too exalted for fools; they do not open their mouth in the gate.
8 One who plans to do evil, shall be called a mischievous person.
9 The devising of folly is sin, and the scorner is an abomination to mankind.
10 If you are slack in the day of adversity, your strength is small.
11 If you restrain from delivering those who are being drawn unto death, and those who are ready to be slain;
12 if you say, “Behold, we knew it not!” Does not He that knows the heart consider it? And does He that keeps your soul not know it? And will He not render to each person according to their works?
13 My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the honeycomb, which is sweet to your taste;
14 so is knowledge and wisdom unto your soul.  When you have found them there shall be a reward, and your expectations will not be cut off.
15 Do not lie in wait, O you wicked, against the dwelling of the righteous, and spoil not their resting place,
16 for the righteous falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked will fall into calamity.
17 Rejoice not when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when they stumble,
18 or YEHOWAH will see, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from them.
19 Do not fret because of evildoers, or be envious of the wicked,
20 for there will be no reward for the evil; the candle of the wicked will be put out.
21 My child, fear YEHOWAH and the king, and meddle not with those who are given to change,
22 for their calamity will rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin of them both?
23 These also belong to the wise:  It is not good to show partiality in judgment;
24 those who say to the wicked, “You are righteous,” shall be cursed by the people and abhorred by the nations,
25 but to those who rebuke them will be a delight, and a good blessing will come upon them.
26 Everyone shall kiss the lips of those that give an upright answer.
27 Make ready your work outside, and prepare your fields, and afterward build your house.
28 Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips.
29 Do not say, “I will do to them as they have done to me; I will render to them according to their work.”
30 I passed by the field of the sluggard, and by the vineyard of the person lacking sense,
31 and behold, they were completely overgrown with thorns, and nettles had covered the face of them, and the stone walls were broken down,
32 and when I saw, I considered it well; I looked, and received instruction,
33 “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest;
34 so shall your poverty come; and your want as an armed thief.”

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 25

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 25

These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiyeh, king of Yehudah, scribed:
2 It is the glory of Elohim to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
3 As are the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so is the heart of kings unsearchable.
4 Take away the dross from the silver, and there comes out a vessel for the refiner;
5 take away the wicked from before kings, and their thrones will be established in righteousness.
6 Do not claim honor for yourself in the presence of the king, and do not stand in the place of the great,
7 for it is better that it be said unto 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 forth hastily to contend your cause, lest you know not what to do in the end, when your neighbor humiliates you.
9 Argue your cause with your neighbor, but do not reveal a secret of another,
10 or those who hear it will disgrace you, and the evil report about you will not pass away.
11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
12 As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, is a wise instructor to a listening ear.
13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest, is a faithful messenger to those who send them, for they refresh the souls of their lords.
14 Whoever boasts of false gifts for themselves is like a cloud and wind without rain.
15 Through long-suffering a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue breaks the bone.
16 Have you found honey? Eat only what you need, that you not have it in excess and vomit.
17 Let your foot be rare in your neighbor’s house, so that they will not become weary of you and hate you.
18 A person that bears false witness against their neighbor is like a mallet, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.
19 Confidence in an unfaithful person in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, or a foot out of joint.
20 One who takes off a garment in cold weather, or who pours vinegar on mineral oil, is like one who sings songs to a troubled heart.
21 If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat, and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink,
22 for you will heap coals of fire upon their head, and YEHOWAH will reward you.
23 The north wind brings forth rain, as does an angry face and a backbiting tongue.
24 It is better to live in a corner of an attic, than in a wide house shared with a contentious woman.
25 Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a distant land.
26 The righteous falling down before the wicked is like a trampled spring, and a corrupt well.
27 It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it good for anyone to search out their own glory.
28 Those who have no rule over their own temperament are like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 26

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 26

Like snow in summer, and like rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.
2 Like a wandering bird, and flying swallow, so the curse without cause does not happen.
3 A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the back of fools.
4 Do not answer a fool according to their folly, or you also will be like them.
5 Answer a fool according to their folly, or they will be wise in their own eyes.
6 Those that send a message by the hand of a fool cut off their feet, and drink to their own damage.
7 Just as the legs of the lame are not equal, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.
8 Like one who binds a stone in a sling, so are they who give honor to fools.
9 Just as a thorn goes up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
10 While the Master formed all things, He repays the fool according to the wages of a transgressor.
11 Like a dog that returns to its vomit, is a fool who repeats their folly.
12 There is more hope for a fool, than for anybody who is wise in their own conceit.
13 The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! A lion is in the streets!”
14 As a door revolves on its hinges, so does the sluggard upon their bed.
15 The sluggard hides their hand in their boson, and it grieves them to bring it again to their mouth.
16 The sluggard is wiser in their own eyes, than seven wise souls who can render a discreet answer.
17 Those who pass by and meddle with strife not belonging to them, are like one who takes a dog by their ears.
18 Like the insane who cast forth firebrands, arrows and death,
19 so are they who deceive their neighbors, and say, “Was I not joking?”
20 Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; equally so, where there is no slanderer, strife ceases.
21 Like charcoal to hot embers, and wood to fire, so are the contentious to kindle strife.
22 The words of a slanderer are like wounds which go down into the innermost parts of the body.
23 Burning lips and an evil heart are like an earthen vessel covered with silver dross.
24 Those who hate disguise it with their lips, but they lay up deceit in their heart;
25 when they speak kindly, do not believe them, for there are seven abominations in their heart.
26 And though their hatred is covered by deceit, their wickedness will be shown before the assembly.
27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and those who roll a stone will have it come back upon them.
28 A lying tongue hates those who are afflicted by it, and a flattering mouth brings ruin.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 27

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 27

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.
2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.
3 A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the anger of a fool is heavier than both of them.
4 Wrath is cruel and anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?
5 Open rebuke is better than secret love.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
7 A satiated person loathes honeycomb, but to the hungry soul, every bitter thing is sweet.
8 Like a bird that wanders from its nest, so is the person who wanders from their home.
9 Ointment and perfume make the heart rejoice, so does the sweetness of a friend by heartfelt counsel.
10 Forsake not your own friend, or your father’s friend, and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity.  Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away.
11 Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad, that I may answer those who reproach me.
12 The prudent see evil and hide themselves; the simple pass by and are punished.
13 Take their garment when they become surety for a stranger, and take a pledge from an adulterous woman.
14 Those who bless their friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to them.
15 A constant dripping on a rainy day, and a contentious woman are alike;
16 whoever hides her hides the wind, and the ointment on his right hand reveals itself.
17 Iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
18 Those who tend the fig trees will eat of their fruit, and those who care for their lords will be honored.
19 As in water face reflects face, so the heart of a person reflects that person.
20 The grave and destruction are never satisfied, nor are the eyes of mankind ever satisfied.
21 As the refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, so is every person according to their praise.
22 Though you pound a fool with a mortar and pestle, as with wheat, yet their foolishness will not depart from them.
23 Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and look well after your herds,
24 for riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations.
25 When the hay is removed, and the tender grass appears, the herbs of the mountains are gathered in.
26 The lambs are for your clothing, and the goats are the price of the field,
27 and there will be goats’ milk enough for your food; for the food of your household, and sustenance for your maidens.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 28

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 28

The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion.
2 By the transgression of a land many are its taskmasters, but by one person of understanding and knowledge, the state shall endure.
3 One poor person who oppresses another weaker soul, is like a driving rain which leaves no food.
4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law contend with them.
5 The evil ones do not understand justice, but those who seek YEHOWAH understand everything.
6 Better are the poor who walk with integrity, than they who are crooked though they are rich.
7 Whoever keeps the law is a discerning child, but they who are companions of the riotous humiliate their father.
8 Those who increase their wealth by interest and unjust gain, gathers it for those who are gracious to the poor.
9 Those who turn their ear away from listening to the law, even their prayers are an abomination.
10 Those who lead the upright astray in an evil way, will themselves fall into their own pit, but the blameless will inherit good.
11 The rich are wise in their own eyes, but the poor who have understanding sees through them.
12 When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, mankind hides.
13 They who conceal their transgressions will not prosper, but those who confess and forsake them will find compassion.
14 Blessed are the reverent at all times, but those who harden their hearts will fall into calamity.
15 Like a roaring lion and a preying bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
16 A leader who lacks understanding is a great oppressor, but those who hate unjust gain will prolong their days.
17 Those that violently shed the blood of another will flee to the pit; let no one support them.
18 Whoever walks uprightly will be delivered, but the perverse will fall all at once.
19 Those who till their land will have plenty of food, but those who follow empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty.
20 The faithful will abound with blessings, but those who make haste to be rich will not go unpunished.
21 To show partiality is not good, because for a piece of bread a person will transgress.
22 Those that hasten to be rich have an eye set on evil, and consider not that poverty will come upon them.
23 Those who rebuke a person will afterward find more favor than those who flatter with their tongue.
24 Whoever robs their father or their mother and says, “It is not a transgression,” is the companion of the destroyer.
25 Those who are proud of heart stir up strife, but those who put their trust in YEHOWAH will prosper.
26 Those who trust in their own heart are fools, but those who walk wisely will be delivered.
27 Those who give to the poor will never want, but those who shut their eyes will have many curses.
28 When the wicked rise, people hide themselves, but when they perish, the righteous increase.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 29

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 29

Those who stiffen their neck after much reproof, will suddenly be broken without remedy.
2 When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people mourn.
3 Whoever loves wisdom makes their father glad, but those who keep company with whore’s wastes their wealth.
4 Through justice the king establishes the land, but those who receive bribes overthrow it.
5 Those who flatter their neighbors are spreading a net for their steps.
6 The evil are ensnared in their transgressions, while the righteous sing and rejoice.
7 The righteous consider the rights of the poor; the wicked do not understand such concern.
8 Scorners ensnare a city, but the wise turn away wrath.
9 When the wise have a controversy with a fool, the fool either rages or laughs, and there is no rest.
10 The bloodthirsty hate the upright, but the upright seek for their soul.
11 Fools always lose their temper, but the wise hold it back.
12 If a ruler listens to lies, all of their ministers become wicked.
13 The poor and the oppressor have this in common:  YEHOWAH gives light to the eyes of both.
14 The king who faithfully judges the poor will establish his throne forever.
15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child who gets his own way brings shame to their mother.
16 When the wicked increase, transgression increases, but the righteous will see their fall.
17 Correct your child and they will give you comfort; they will also delight your soul.
18 Where there is no vision, the people perish, but those who keep the law are happy.
19 A servant will not be corrected by words alone, for though they understand, they will not reply.
20 Do you see a person who is hasty in their words? There is more hope for a fool than for them.
21 Those who rightly bring up their servant from childhood, will in the end find them to be as a child.
22 The angry stir up strife, and the hot-tempered abound in transgressions.
23 A persons pride will bring them low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.
24 Whoever is a partner with a thief hates their own life; they hear the oath but tell nothing.
25 A person’s fear brings a snare, but those who trust in YEHOWAH will be exalted.
26 Many seek the ruler’s favor, but every person’s judgment comes from YEHOWAH.
27 The unjust are abominable to the righteous, and those who are upright in the way are abominable to the wicked.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 30

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 30

The words of Agur the son of Jakeh; an oracle.  The man declares to Ithiel; to Ithiel and Ucal:
2 Surely I am more senseless than any other, and I do not have the understanding of the lowest human.
3 Neither have I learned wisdom, nor do I have the knowledge of The Holy One.
4 Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His Name or His Son’s Name? Surely you know!
5 Every word of Eloah is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
6 Add not to His words, or He will reprove you, and you will be found to be a liar.
7 Two things have I asked of You; do not refuse me before I die:
8 Remove far from me vanity and lies.  Give me neither poverty nor riches, but feed me with the food that is my portion,
9 so that I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is YEHOWAH?” Or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the Name of my Elohim.
10 Accuse not a servant to their lord, or they will curse you, and you be found guilty.
11 There is a kind of person who curses their father and does not bless their mother;
12 there is a kind who is pure in their own eyes, yet is not washed from their filthiness;
13 there is a kind, O how lofty are their eyes!  And their eyelids are raised up;
14 there is a kind of person whose teeth are like swords, and their jaw teeth are like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among mankind.
15 The leech has two daughters, “Give!” “Give!”  There are three things that are never satisfied; four that will not say, “Enough”:
16 The grave; the barren womb; earth that is never filled with water, and fire that never says, “Enough!”
17 The eye that mocks a father and scorns a mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it.
18 There are three things that are too wonderful for me, four that I do not understand:
19 The way of an eagle in the sky; the way of a serpent on a rock; the way of a ship in the middle of the sea; and the way of a man with a maiden.
20 This is the way of an adulterous woman:  She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, “I have done no wrong.”
21 Under three things the earth quakes, and under four, it cannot bear up:
22 Under a servant who becomes king, and a fool when they are satisfied with food;
23 under a hateful woman when she gets a husband, and a maidservant that is heir to her mistress.
24 There are four things that are small on the earth, but are exceedingly wise:
25 The ants are not a strong people, but they prepare their food in the summer;
26 the rock rabbit are not mighty people, yet they make their houses in the rocks;
27 the locusts have no king, yet they all go forth in their ranks;
28 the lizard you may grasp with your hands, yet it is in kings’ palaces.
29 There are three things which are stately in their march, even four that are content when they walk:
30 The lion which is strongest among beasts, and does not retreat before any;
31 the greyhound; the male goat also, and a king against whom none can rise up.
32 If you have been foolish in exalting yourself, or if you have plotted evil, put your hand upon your mouth.
33 Surely the churning of milk brings forth butter, and pressure on the nose brings forth blood; so the churning of anger brings forth strife.

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 31

PROVERBS:  CHAPTER 31

The words of King Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him:
2 What, O my son? And what, O son of my womb? And what, O son of my vows?
3 Give not your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings.
4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel; it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to desire strong drink,
5 lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert justice for the afflicted.
6 Give strong drink to those who are ready to perish, and wine to those whose hearts are heavy.
7 Let them drink and forget their poverty, and remember their trouble no more.
8 Open your mouth for the mute in their cause, and for the rights of all the orphans;
9 open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the afflicted and needy.
10 Who can find a virtuous woman? For her value is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband safely trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.
13 She looks for wool and flax and works diligently with her hands.
14 She is like merchant ships; she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises also while it is still night, and gives food to her household and portions to her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it; from the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength, and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her gain is good; her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She lays her hands upon the spindle, and her hands work as a whirlwind.
20 She extends her hand to the poor, and she stretches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household, for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies belts to the tradesmen.
25 Strength and honor are her clothing, and she rejoices at the future.
26 She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her, saying:
29 “Many daughters have done nobly, but you exceed them all.”
30 Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears YEHOWAH, she will be praised.
31 Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.

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