Webster - Proverbs

Chapter 1

1:1  The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

1:2  To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

1:3  To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;

1:4  To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

1:5  A wise [man] will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain to wise counsels:

1:6  To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

1:7  The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.

1:8  My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

1:9  For they [shalt be] an ornament of grace to thy head, and chains about thy neck.

1:10  My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

1:11  If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:

1:12  Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:

1:13  We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:

1:14  Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

1:15  My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:

1:16  For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

1:17  Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

1:18  And they lay wait for their [own] blood; they lurk privily for their [own] lives.

1:19  So [are] the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; [who] taketh away the life of its owners.

1:20  Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:

1:21  She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, [saying],

1:22  How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

1:23  Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit to you, I will make known to you my words.

1:24  Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;

1:25  But ye have set at naught all my counsel, and rejected my reproof:

1:26  I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

1:27  When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

1:28  Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

1:29  For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:

1:30  They rejected my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

1:31  Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

1:32  For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

1:33  But whoever hearkeneth to me shall dwell in safety, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

Chapter 2

2:1  My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;

2:2  So that thou incline thy ear to wisdom, [and] apply thy heart to understanding;

2:3  Yes, if thou criest after knowledge, [and] liftest up thy voice for understanding;

2:4  If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as [for] hid treasures;

2:5  Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

2:6  For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth [cometh] knowledge and understanding.

2:7  He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: [he is] a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

2:8  He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.

2:9  Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; [and] every good path.

2:10  When wisdom entereth into thy heart, and knowledge is pleasant to thy soul;

2:11  Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

2:12  To deliver thee from the way of the evil [man], from the man that speaketh froward things;

2:13  Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

2:14  Who rejoice to do evil, [and] delight in the frowardness of the wicked;

2:15  Whose ways [are] crooked, and [they] froward in their paths:

2:16  To deliver thee from the strange woman, [even] from the stranger [who] flattereth with her words;

2:17  Who forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.

2:18  For her house inclineth to death, and her paths to the dead.

2:19  None that go to her return again, neither do they take hold of the paths of life.

2:20  That thou mayest walk in the way of good [men], and keep the paths of the righteous.

2:21  For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.

2:22  But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

Chapter 3

3:1  My son, forget not my law; but let thy heart keep my commandments;

3:2  For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

3:3  Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thy heart:

3:4  So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thy heart; and lean not to thy own understanding.

3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will direct thy paths.

3:7  Be not wise in thy own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

3:8  It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

3:9  Honor the LORD with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thy increase:

3:10  So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

3:11  My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:

3:12  For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son [in whom] he delighteth.

3:13  Happy [is] the man [that] findeth wisdom, and the man [that] getteth understanding.

3:14  For the merchandise of it [is] better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain of it than fine gold.

3:15  She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared to her.

3:16  Length of days [is] in her right hand; [and] in her left hand riches and honor.

3:17  Her ways [are] ways of pleasantness, and all her paths [are] peace.

3:18  She [is] a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy [is every one] that retaineth her.

3:19  The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.

3:20  By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

3:21  My son, let not them depart from thy eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:

3:22  So shall they be life to thy soul, and grace to thy neck.

3:23  Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.

3:24  When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: but thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

3:25  Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.

3:26  For the LORD will be thy confidence, and will keep thy foot from being taken.

3:27  Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thy hand to do [it].

3:28  Say not to thy neighbor, Go, and come again, and to-morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.

3:29  Devise not evil against thy neighbor, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.

3:30  Strive not with a man without cause, if he hath done thee no harm.

3:31  Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.

3:32  For the froward [is] abomination to the LORD: but his secret [is] with the righteous.

3:33  The curse of the LORD [is] in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.

3:34  Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace to the lowly.

3:35  The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.

Chapter 4

4:1  Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

4:2  For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.

4:3  For I was my father's son, tender and only [beloved] in the sight of my mother.

4:4  He taught me also, and said to me, Let thy heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

4:5  Get wisdom, get understanding: forget [it] not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.

4:6  Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.

4:7  Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

4:8  Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her.

4:9  She shall give to thy head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.

4:10  Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.

4:11  I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.

4:12  When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

4:13  Take fast hold of instruction; let [her] not go: keep her; for she [is] thy life.

4:14  Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil [men].

4:15  Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

4:16  For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause [some] to fall.

4:17  For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

4:18  But the path of the just [is] as the shining light, that shineth more and more to the perfect day.

4:19  The way of the wicked [is] as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

4:20  My son, attend to my words; incline thy ear to my sayings.

4:21  Let them not depart from thy eyes; keep them in the midst of thy heart.

4:22  For they [are] life to those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

4:23  Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life.

4:24  Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.

4:25  Let thy eyes look right on, and let thy eyelids look straight before thee.

4:26  Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.

4:27  Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

Chapter 5

5:1  My son, attend to my wisdom, [and] bow thy ear to my understanding:

5:2  That thou mayest regard discretion, and [that] thy lips may keep knowledge.

5:3  For the lips of a strange woman drop [as] a honey-comb, and her mouth [is] smoother than oil:

5:4  But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.

5:5  Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.

5:6  Lest thou shouldst ponder the path of life, her ways are movable, [that] thou canst not know [them].

5:7  Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.

5:8  Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:

5:9  Lest thou give thy honor to others, and thy years to the cruel:

5:10  Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labors [be] in the house of a stranger;

5:11  And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,

5:12  And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

5:13  And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to them that instructed me!

5:14  I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.

5:15  Drink waters out of thy own cistern, and running waters out of thy own well.

5:16  Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, [and] rivers of waters in the streets.

5:17  Let them be only thy own, and not for strangers with thee.

5:18  Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

5:19  [Let her be as] the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.

5:20  And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

5:21  For the ways of man [are] before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.

5:22  His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be held with the cords of his sins.

5:23  He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

Chapter 6

6:1  My son, if thou art surety for thy friend, [if] thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,

6:2  Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

6:3  Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.

6:4  Give not sleep to thy eyes, nor slumber to thy eyelids.

6:5  Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand [of the hunter], and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6:6  Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

6:7  Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

6:8  Provideth her provisions in the summer, [and] gathereth her food in the harvest.

6:9  How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

6:10  [Yet] a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

6:11  So shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth, and thy want as an armed man.

6:12  A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.

6:13  He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;

6:14  Frowardness [is] in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.

6:15  Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.

6:16  These six [things] doth the LORD hate: yes, seven [are] an abomination to him:

6:17  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.

6:18  A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that are swift in running to mischief,

6:19  A false witness [that] speaketh lies, and him that soweth discord among brethren.

6:20  My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

6:21  Bind them continually upon thy heart, [and] tie them about thy neck.

6:22  When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and [when] thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

6:23  For the commandment [is] a lamp; and the law [is] light; and reproofs of instruction [are] the way of life:

6:24  To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.

6:25  Lust not after her beauty in thy heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

6:26  For by means of a lewd woman [a man is brought] to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.

6:27  Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

6:28  Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?

6:29  So he that goeth in to his neighbor's wife; whoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.

6:30  [Men] do not despise a thief, if he stealeth to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;

6:31  But [if] he is found, he shall restore seven-fold; he shall give all the substance of his house.

6:32  [But] whoever committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he [that] doeth it destroyeth his own soul.

6:33  A wound and dishonor shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.

6:34  For jealousy [is] the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

6:35  He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

Chapter 7

7:1  My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.

7:2  Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thy eye.

7:3  Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thy heart.

7:4  Say to wisdom, Thou [art] my sister; and call understanding [thy] kinswoman:

7:5  That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger [which] flattereth with her words.

7:6  For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,

7:7  And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,

7:8  Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house.

7:9  In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:

7:10  And behold, there met him a woman [with] the attire of a harlot, and subtil of heart.

7:11  (She [is] loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:

7:12  Now [is she] without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)

7:13  So she caught him, and kissed him, [and] with an impudent face said to him,

7:14  [I have] peace-offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows.

7:15  Therefore I came forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.

7:16  I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved [works], with fine linen of Egypt.

7:17  I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

7:18  Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.

7:19  For the good-man [is] not at home, he is gone a long journey:

7:20  He hath taken a bag of money with him, [and] will come home at the day appointed.

7:21  With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she impelled him.

7:22  He goeth after her quickly, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;

7:23  Till a dart striketh through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it [is] for his life.

7:24  Now therefore hearken to me, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.

7:25  Let not thy heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.

7:26  For she hath cast down many wounded: yes, many strong [men] have been slain by her.

7:27  Her house [is] the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

Chapter 8

8:1  Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?

8:2  She standeth on the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.

8:3  She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the entrance of the doors.

8:4  To you, O men, I call; and my voice [is] to the sons of man.

8:5  O ye simple, understand wisdom: and ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.

8:6  Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips [shall be] right things.

8:7  For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness [is] an abomination to my lips.

8:8  All the words of my mouth [are] in righteousness; [there is] nothing froward or perverse in them.

8:9  They [are] all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.

8:10  Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.

8:11  For wisdom [is] better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.

8:12  I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of ingenious inventions.

8:13  The fear of the LORD [is] to hate evil: pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

8:14  Counsel [is] mine, and sound wisdom: I [am] understanding; I have strength.

8:15  By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.

8:16  By me princes rule, and nobles, [even] all the judges of the earth.

8:17  I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

8:18  Riches and honor [are] with me; durable riches and righteousness.

8:19  My fruit [is] better than gold, yes, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.

8:20  I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment.

8:21  That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.

8:22  The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

8:23  I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.

8:24  When [there were] no depths, I was brought forth; when [there were] no fountains abounding with water.

8:25  Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth.

8:26  While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.

8:27  When he prepared the heavens, I [was] there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:

8:28  When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:

8:29  When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:

8:30  Then I was by him, [as] one brought up [with him]: and I was daily [his] delight, rejoicing always before him;

8:31  Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights [were] with the sons of men.

8:32  Now therefore hearken to me, O ye children: for blessed [are they that] keep my ways.

8:33  Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.

8:34  Blessed [is] the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.

8:35  For whoever findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor from the LORD.

8:36  But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

Chapter 9

9:1  Wisdom hath built her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:

9:2  She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.

9:3  She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city,

9:4  Whoever [is] simple, let him turn in hither: [as for] him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,

9:5  Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine [which] I have mingled.

9:6  Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

9:7  He that reproveth a scorner, getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked [man getteth] himself a blot.

9:8  Reprove not a scorner, lest he shall hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.

9:9  Give [instruction] to a wise [man], and he will be yet wiser: teach a just [man], and he will increase in learning.

9:10  The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy [is] understanding.

9:11  For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.

9:12  If thou art wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but [if] thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear [it].

9:13  A foolish woman [is] clamorous: [she is] simple, and knoweth nothing.

9:14  For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,

9:15  To call passengers who go right on their ways:

9:16  Whoever [is] simple, let him turn in hither: and [as for] him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,

9:17  Stolen waters are sweet, and bread [eaten] in secret is pleasant.

9:18  But he knoweth not that the dead [are] there; [and that] her guests [are] in the depths of hell.

Chapter 10

10:1  The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son [is] the heaviness of his mother.

10:2  Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.

10:3  The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.

10:4  He becometh poor that dealeth [with] a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

10:5  He that gathereth in summer [is] a wise son: [but] he that sleepeth in harvest [is] a son that causeth shame.

10:6  Blessings [are] upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.

10:7  The memory of the just [is] blessed: but the name of the wicked shall perish.

10:8  The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.

10:9  He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.

10:10  He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.

10:11  The mouth of a righteous [man is] a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.

10:12  Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

10:13  In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod [is] for the back of him that is void of understanding.

10:14  Wise [men] lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish [is] near destruction.

10:15  The rich man's wealth [is] his strong city: the destruction of the poor [is] their poverty.

10:16  The labor of the righteous [tendeth] to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.

10:17  He [is in] the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.

10:18  He that hideth hatred [with] lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, [is] a fool.

10:19  In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that restraineth his lips [is] wise.

10:20  The tongue of the just [is as] choice silver: the heart of the wicked [is] little worth.

10:21  The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.

10:22  The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.

10:23  [It is] as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom.

10:24  The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.

10:25  As the whirlwind passeth, so [is] the wicked no [more]: but the righteous [is] an everlasting foundation.

10:26  As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so [is] the sluggard to them that send him.

10:27  The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.

10:28  The hope of the righteous [shall be] gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.

10:29  The way of the LORD [is] strength to the upright: but destruction [shall be] to the workers of iniquity.

10:30  The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.

10:31  The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out.

10:32  The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked [speaketh] frowardness.

Chapter 11

11:1  A false balance [is] abomination to the LORD: but a just weight [is] his delight.

11:2  [When] pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly [is] wisdom.

11:3  The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.

11:4  Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.

11:5  The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.

11:6  The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in [their own] naughtiness.

11:7  When a wicked man dieth, [his] expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust [men] perisheth.

11:8  The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead.

11:9  A hypocrite with [his] mouth destroyeth his neighbor: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.

11:10  When the righteous prosper, the city rejoiceth: and when the wicked perish, [there is] shouting.

11:11  By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

11:12  He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbor: but a man of understanding holdeth his peace.

11:13  A tale-bearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.

11:14  Where no counsel [is], the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors [there is] safety.

11:15  He that is surety for a stranger shall smart [for it]: and he that hateth suretiship is sure.

11:16  A gracious woman retaineth honor: and strong [men] retain riches.

11:17  The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but [he that is] cruel troubleth his own flesh.

11:18  The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness [shall be] a sure reward.

11:19  As righteousness [tendeth] to life: so he that pursueth evil [pursueth it] to his own death.

11:20  They that are of a froward heart [are] abomination to the LORD: but [such as are] upright in [their] way [are] his delight.

11:21  [Though] hand [join] in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.

11:22  [As] a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, [so is] a fair woman who is without discretion.

11:23  The desire of the righteous [is] only good: [but] the expectation of the wicked [is] wrath.

11:24  There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and [there is] that withholdeth more than is meet, but [it tendeth] to poverty.

11:25  The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.

11:26  He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing [shall be] upon the head of him that selleth [it].

11:27  He that diligently seeketh good procureth favor: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come to him.

11:28  He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.

11:29  He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool [shall be] servant to the wise of heart.

11:30  The fruit of the righteous [is] a tree of life; and he that winneth souls [is] wise.

11:31  Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed upon the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.

Chapter 12

12:1  Whoever loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof [is] brutish.

12:2  A good [man] obtaineth favor from the LORD: but a man of wicked devices he will condemn.

12:3  A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.

12:4  A virtuous woman [is] a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed [is] as rottenness in his bones.

12:5  The thoughts of the righteous [are] right: [but] the counsels of the wicked [are] deceit.

12:6  The words of the wicked [are] to lie in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.

12:7  The wicked are overthrown, and [are] not: but the house of the righteous shall stand.

12:8  A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised.

12:9  [He that is] despised, and hath a servant, [is] better than he that honoreth himself, and is destitute of bread.

12:10  A righteous [man] regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked [are] cruel.

12:11  He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain [persons is] void of understanding.

12:12  The wicked desireth the net of evil [men]: but the root of the righteous yieldeth [fruit].

12:13  The wicked is snared by the transgression of [his] lips: but the just shall come out of trouble.

12:14  A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of [his] mouth: and the recompense of a man's hands shall be rendered to him.

12:15  The way of a fool [is] right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth to counsel [is] wise.

12:16  A fool's wrath is presently known: but a prudent [man] covereth shame.

12:17  [He that] speaketh truth showeth forth righteousness: but a false witness, deceit.

12:18  There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise [is] health.

12:19  The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue [is] but for a moment.

12:20  Deceit [is] in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counselors of peace [is] joy.

12:21  There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief.

12:22  Lying lips [are] abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly [are] his delight.

12:23  A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.

12:24  The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.

12:25  Heaviness in the heart of man depresseth it: but a good word maketh it glad.

12:26  The righteous [is] more excellent than his neighbor: but the way of the wicked seduceth them.

12:27  The slothful [man] roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man [is] precious.

12:28  In the way of righteousness [is] life; and [in] the path [of it there is] no death.

Chapter 13

13:1  A wise son [heareth] his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke.

13:2  A man shall eat good by the fruit of [his] mouth: but the soul of the transgressors [shall eat] violence.

13:3  He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: [but] he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

13:4  The soul of the sluggard desireth, and [hath] nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

13:5  A righteous [man] hateth lying: but a wicked [man] is lothsome, and cometh to shame.

13:6  Righteousness keepeth [him that is] upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.

13:7  There is that maketh himself rich, yet [hath] nothing: [there is] that maketh himself poor, yet [hath] great riches.

13:8  The ransom of a man's life [is] his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke.

13:9  The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be extinguished.

13:10  Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well-advised [is] wisdom.

13:11  Wealth [gotten] by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labor shall increase.

13:12  Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but [when] the desire cometh, [it is] a tree of life.

13:13  Whoever despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.

13:14  The law of the wise [is] a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

13:15  Good understanding giveth favor: but the way of transgressors [is] hard.

13:16  Every prudent [man] dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open [his] folly.

13:17  A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful embassador [is] health.

13:18  Poverty and shame [shall be to] him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honored.

13:19  The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but [it is] abomination to fools to depart from evil.

13:20  He that walketh with wise [men] shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

13:21  Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repaid.

13:22  A good [man] leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner [is] laid up for the just.

13:23  Much food [is in] the tillage of the poor: but there is [that is] destroyed for want of judgment.

13:24  He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

13:25  The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want.

Chapter 14

14:1  Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

14:2  He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but [he that is] perverse in his ways despiseth him.

14:3  In the mouth of the foolish [is] a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.

14:4  Where no oxen [are], the crib [is] clean: but much increase [is] by the strength of the ox.

14:5  A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies.

14:6  A scorner seeketh wisdom, and [findeth it] not: but knowledge [is] easy to him that understandeth.

14:7  Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not [in him] the lips of knowledge.

14:8  The wisdom of the prudent [is] to understand his way: but the folly of fools [is] deceit.

14:9  Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous [there is] favor.

14:10  The heart knoweth its own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with its joy.

14:11  The house of the wicked shall be overthrown: but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish.

14:12  There is a way which seemeth right to a man, but the end of it [are] the ways of death.

14:13  Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth [is] heaviness.

14:14  The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man [shall be satisfied] from himself.

14:15  The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.

14:16  A wise [man] feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.

14:17  [He that is] soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated.

14:18  The simple inherit folly: but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

14:19  The evil bow before the good; and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

14:20  The poor is hated even by his own neighbor: but the rich [hath] many friends.

14:21  He that despiseth his neighbor sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy [is] he.

14:22  Do they not err that devise evil? but mercy and truth [shall be] to them that devise good.

14:23  In all labor there is profit: but the talk of the lips [tendeth] only to penury.

14:24  The crown of the wise [is] their riches: [but] the foolishness of fools [is] folly.

14:25  A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful [witness] speaketh lies.

14:26  In the fear of the LORD [is] strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.

14:27  The fear of the LORD [is] a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

14:28  In the multitude of people [is] the king's honor: but in the want of people [is] the destruction of the prince.

14:29  [He that is] slow to wrath [is] of great understanding: but [he that is] hasty of spirit exalteth folly.

14:30  A sound heart [is] the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

14:31  He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoreth him hath mercy on the poor.

14:32  The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.

14:33  Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding: but [that which is] in the midst of fools is made known.

14:34  Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin [is] a reproach to any people.

14:35  The king's favor [is] towards a wise servant: but his wrath is [against] him that causeth shame.

Chapter 15

15:1  A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

15:2  The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.

15:3  The eyes of the LORD [are] in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

15:4  A wholesome tongue [is] a tree of life: but perverseness in it [is] a breach in the spirit.

15:5  A fool despiseth his father's instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent.

15:6  In the house of the righteous [is] much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble.

15:7  The lips of the wise diffuse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish [doeth] not so.

15:8  The sacrifice of the wicked [is] an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright [is] his delight.

15:9  The way of the wicked [is] an abomination to the LORD; but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.

15:10  Correction [is] grievous to him that forsaketh the way: [and] he that hateth reproof shall die.

15:11  Hell and destruction [are] before the LORD: how much more then the hearts of the children of men?

15:12  A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him: neither will he go to the wise.

15:13  A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

15:14  The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.

15:15  All the days of the afflicted [are] evil: but he that is of a merry heart [hath] a continual feast.

15:16  Better [is] little with the fear of the LORD, than great treasure and trouble with it.

15:17  Better [is] a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred with it.

15:18  A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but [he that is] slow to anger appeaseth strife.

15:19  The way of the slothful [man is] as a hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous [is] made plain.

15:20  A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother.

15:21  Folly [is] joy to [him that is] destitute of wisdom: but a man of understanding walketh uprightly.

15:22  Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counselors they are established.

15:23  A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word [spoken] in due season, how good [it is]!

15:24  The way of life [is] above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.

15:25  The LORD will destroy the house of the proud: but he will establish the border of the widow.

15:26  The thoughts of the wicked [are] an abomination to the LORD: but [the words] of the pure [are] pleasant words.

15:27  He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.

15:28  The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.

15:29  The LORD [is] far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.

15:30  The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart; [and] a good report maketh the bones fat.

15:31  The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise.

15:32  He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.

15:33  The fear of the LORD [is] the instruction of wisdom: and before honor is humility.

Chapter 16

16:1  The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, [are] from the LORD.

16:2  All the ways of a man [are] clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.

16:3  Commit thy works to the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

16:4  The LORD hath made all [things] for himself: yes, even the wicked for the day of evil.

16:5  Every one [that is] proud in heart [is] an abomination to the LORD: [though] hand [join] in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

16:6  By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD [men] depart from evil.

16:7  When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

16:8  Better [is] a little with righteousness, than great revenues without right.

16:9  A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.

16:10  A divine sentence [is] in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment.

16:11  A just weight and balance [are] the LORD'S: all the weights of the bag [are] his work.

16:12  [It is] an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness.

16:13  Righteous lips [are] the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right.

16:14  The wrath of a king [is as] messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.

16:15  In the light of a king's countenance [is] life; and his favor [is] as a cloud of the latter rain.

16:16  How much better [is it] to get wisdom than gold? and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver?

16:17  The highway of the upright [is] to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.

16:18  Pride [goeth] before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

16:19  Better [it is to be] of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

16:20  He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoever trusteth in the LORD, happy [is] he.

16:21  The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.

16:22  Understanding [is] a well-spring of life to him that hath it: but the instruction of fools [is] folly.

16:23  The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.

16:24  Pleasant words [are as] a honey-comb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

16:25  There is a way that seemeth right to a man, but the end of it [is] the ways of death.

16:26  He that laboreth laboreth for himself; for his mouth craveth it of him.

16:27  An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips [there is] as a burning fire.

16:28  A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.

16:29  A violent man enticeth his neighbor, and leadeth him into the way [that is] not good.

16:30  He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass.

16:31  The hoary head [is] a crown of glory, [if] it is found in the way of righteousness.

16:32  [He that is] slow to anger [is] better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city.

16:33  The lot is cast into the lap: but the whole disposing of it [is] from the LORD.

Chapter 17

17:1  Better [is] a dry morsel, and quietness with it, than a house full of sacrifices [with] strife.

17:2  A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.

17:3  The fining-pot [is] for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.

17:4  A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips: [and] a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.

17:5  He that mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker; [and] he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.

17:6  Children's children [are] the crown of old men; and the glory of children [is] their fathers.

17:7  Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince.

17:8  A gift [is as] a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.

17:9  He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth [very] friends.

17:10  A reproof entereth more into a wise man than a hundred stripes into a fool.

17:11  An evil [man] seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.

17:12  Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.

17:13  Whoever rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.

17:14  The beginning of strife [is as] when one letteth out water: therefore withdraw from contention, before it be meddled with.

17:15  He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both [are] abomination to the LORD.

17:16  Why [is there] a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing [he hath] no heart [to it]?

17:17  A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

17:18  A man void of understanding striketh hands, [and] becometh surety in the presence of his friend.

17:19  He loveth transgression that loveth strife: [and] he that exalteth his gate seeketh destruction.

17:20  He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.

17:21  He that begetteth a fool [doeth it] to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy.

17:22  A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

17:23  A wicked [man] taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.

17:24  Wisdom [is] before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool [are] in the ends of the earth.

17:25  A foolish son [is] a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bore him.

17:26  Also to punish the just [is] not good, [nor] to strike princes for equity.

17:27  He that hath knowledge spareth his words: [and] a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.

17:28  Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: [and] he that shutteth his lips [is esteemed] a man of understanding.

Chapter 18

18:1  Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh [and] intermeddleth with all wisdom.

18:2  A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may reveal itself.

18:3  When the wicked cometh, [then] cometh also contempt, and with ignominy reproach.

18:4  The words of a man's mouth [are as] deep waters, [and] the well-spring of wisdom [as] a flowing brook.

18:5  [It is] not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.

18:6  A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.

18:7  A fool's mouth [is] his destruction, and his lips [are] the snare of his soul.

18:8  The words of a tale-bearer [are] as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

18:9  He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.

18:10  The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

18:11  The rich man's wealth [is] his strong city, and as a high wall in his own conceit.

18:12  Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honor [is] humility.

18:13  He that answereth a matter before he heareth [it], it [is] folly and shame to him.

18:14  The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?

18:15  The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

18:16  A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.

18:17  [He that is] first in his own cause [seemeth] just; but his neighbor cometh and searcheth him.

18:18  The lot causeth contentions to cease, and parteth between the mighty.

18:19  A brother offended [is harder to be won] than a strong city: and [their] contentions [are] like the bars of a castle.

18:20  A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; [and] with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.

18:21  Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit of it.

18:22  [Whoever] findeth a wife findeth a good [thing], and obtaineth favor from the LORD.

18:23  The poor useth entreaties; but the rich answereth roughly.

18:24  A man [that hath] friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend [that] sticketh closer than a brother.

Chapter 19

19:1  Better [is] the poor that walketh in his integrity, than [he that is] perverse in his lips, and is a fool.

19:2  Also, [that] the soul [be] without knowledge, [it is] not good; and he that hasteth with [his] feet sinneth.

19:3  The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the LORD.

19:4  Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbor.

19:5  A false witness shall not be unpunished, and [he that] speaketh lies shall not escape.

19:6  Many will entreat the favor of the prince: and every man [is] a friend to him that giveth gifts.

19:7  All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth [them with] words, [yet] they [are] wanting [to him].

19:8  He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good.

19:9  A false witness shall not be unpunished, and [he that] speaketh lies shall perish.

19:10  Delight is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes.

19:11  The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and [it is] his glory to pass over a transgression.

19:12  The king's wrath [is] as the roaring of a lion; but his favor [is] as dew upon the grass.

19:13  A foolish son [is] the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife [are] a continual dropping.

19:14  House and riches [are] the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife [is] from the LORD.

19:15  Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.

19:16  He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul; [but] he that despiseth his ways shall die.

19:17  He that hath pity upon the poor, lendeth to the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

19:18  Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.

19:19  A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver [him], yet thou must do it again.

19:20  Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.

19:21  [There are] many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.

19:22  The desire of a man [is] his kindness: and a poor man [is] better than a liar.

19:23  The fear of the LORD [tendeth] to life: and [he that hath it] shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.

19:24  A slothful [man] hideth his hand in [his] bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

19:25  Smite a scorner and the simple will beware: and reprove one that hath understanding, [and] he will understand knowledge.

19:26  He that wasteth [his] father, [and] chaseth away [his] mother, [is] a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach.

19:27  Cease, my son, to hear the instruction [that causeth] to err from the words of knowledge.

19:28  An ungodly witness scorneth judgment: and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity.

19:29  Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools.

Chapter 20

20:1  Wine [is] a mocker, strong drink [is] raging: and whoever is deceived by it is not wise.

20:2  The fear of a king [is] as the roaring of a lion: [whoever] provoketh him to anger sinneth [against] his own soul.

20:3  [It is] an honor for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.

20:4  The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; [therefore] shall he beg in harvest, and [have] nothing.

20:5  Counsel in the heart of man [is like] deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.

20:6  Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?

20:7  The just [man] walketh in his integrity: his children [are] blessed after him.

20:8  A king that sitteth on the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.

20:9  Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

20:10  Divers weights, [and] divers measures, both of them [are] alike abomination to the LORD.

20:11  Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work [is] pure, and whether [it is] right.

20:12  The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them.

20:13  Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thy eyes, [and] thou shalt be satisfied with bread.

20:14  [It is] naught, [it is] naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone, then he boasteth.

20:15  There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge [are] a precious jewel.

20:16  Take his garment that is surety [for] a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.

20:17  Bread of deceit [is] sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.

20:18  [Every] purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.

20:19  He that goeth about [as] a tale-bearer revealeth secrets; therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.

20:20  Whoever curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.

20:21  An inheritance [may be] gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end of it shall not be blessed.

20:22  Say not thou, I will recompense evil; [but] wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.

20:23  Divers weights [are] an abomination to the LORD; and a false balance [is] not good.

20:24  Man's goings [are] of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?

20:25  [It is] a snare to the man [who] devoureth [that which is] holy, and after vows to make inquiry.

20:26  A wise king scatterreth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them.

20:27  The spirit of man [is] the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

20:28  Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upheld by mercy.

20:29  The glory of young men [is] their strength: and the beauty of old men [is] the gray head.

20:30  The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so [do] stripes the inward parts of the belly.

Chapter 21

21:1  The king's heart [is] in the hand of the LORD, [as] the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

21:2  Every way of a man [is] right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.

21:3  To do justice and judgment [is] more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

21:4  A high look, and a proud heart, [and] the plowing of the wicked, [is] sin.

21:5  The thoughts of the diligent [tend] only to plenteousness; but of every one [that is] hasty only to want.

21:6  The getting of treasures by a lying tongue [is] a vanity tossed to and fro by them that seek death.

21:7  The robbery of the wicked shall destroy them; because they refuse to do judgment.

21:8  The way of man [is] froward and strange: but [as for] the pure, his work [is] right.

21:9  [It is] better to dwell in a corner of the house-top, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.

21:10  The soul of the wicked desireth evil: his neighbor findeth no favor in his eyes.

21:11  When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise: and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge.

21:12  The righteous [man] wisely considereth the house of the wicked: [but God] overthroweth the wicked for [their] wickedness.

21:13  Whoever stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.

21:14  A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom, strong wrath.

21:15  [It is] joy to the just to do judgment: but destruction [shall be] to the workers of iniquity.

21:16  The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.

21:17  He that loveth pleasure [shall be] a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

21:18  The wicked [shall be] a ransom for the righteous, and the transgressor for the upright.

21:19  [It is] better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.

21:20  [There is] a treasure to be desired, and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.

21:21  He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honor.

21:22  A wise [man] scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of its confidence.

21:23  Whoever keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.

21:24  Proud [and] haughty scorner [is] his name, who dealeth in proud wrath.

21:25  The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labor.

21:26  He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not.

21:27  The sacrifice of the wicked [is] abomination: how much more, [when] he bringeth it with a wicked mind?

21:28  A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth speaketh constantly.

21:29  A wicked man hardeneth his face: but [as for] the upright, he directeth his way.

21:30  [There is] no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.

21:31  The horse [is] prepared against the day of battle: but safety [is] from the LORD.

Chapter 22

22:1  A [good] name [is] rather to be chosen than great riches, [and] loving favor rather than silver and gold.

22:2  The rich and poor meet together: the LORD [is] the maker of them all.

22:3  A prudent [man] foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

22:4  By humility [and] the fear of the LORD [are] riches, and honor, and life.

22:5  Thorns [and] snares [are] in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.

22:6  Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

22:7  The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower [is] servant to the lender.

22:8  He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.

22:9  He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.

22:10  Cast out the scorner, and contention shall end; yes, strife and reproach shall cease.

22:11  He that loveth pureness of heart, [for] the grace of his lips the king [shall be] his friend.

22:12  The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, and he overthroweth the words of the transgressor.

22:13  The slothful [man] saith, [There is] a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.

22:14  The mouth of strange women [is] a deep pit: he that is abhorred by the LORD shall fall therein.

22:15  Foolishness [is] bound in the heart of a child; [but] the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

22:16  He that oppresseth the poor to increase his [riches], [and] he that giveth to the rich, [shall] surely [come] to want.

22:17  Bow down thy ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thy heart to my knowledge.

22:18  For [it is] a pleasant thing if thou keepest them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.

22:19  That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.

22:20  Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,

22:21  That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send to thee?

22:22  Rob not the poor, because he [is] poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:

22:23  For the LORD will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them.

22:24  Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:

22:25  Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.

22:26  Be not thou [one] of them that strike hands, [or] of them that are sureties for debts.

22:27  If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?

22:28  Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.

22:29  Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean [men].

Chapter 23

23:1  When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what [is] before thee:

23:2  And put a knife to thy throat, if thou [art] a man given to appetite.

23:3  Be not desirous of his dainties: for they [are] deceitful food.

23:4  Labor not to be rich: cease from thy own wisdom.

23:5  Wilt thou set thy eyes upon that which is not? for [riches] certainly make to themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle towards heaven.

23:6  Eat thou not the bread of [him that hath] an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties:

23:7  For as he thinketh in his heart, so [is] he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart [is] not with thee.

23:8  The morsel [which] thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

23:9  Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

23:10  Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

23:11  For their redeemer [is] mighty; he will plead their cause with thee.

23:12  Apply thy heart to instruction, and thy ears to the words of knowledge.

23:13  Withhold not correction from the child: for [if] thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

23:14  Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

23:15  My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.

23:16  Yes, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.

23:17  Let not thy heart envy sinners: but [be thou] in the fear of the LORD all the day long.

23:18  For surely there is an end; and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

23:19  Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thy heart in the way.

23:20  Be not among wine-bibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:

23:21  For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe [a man] with rags.

23:22  Hearken to thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

23:23  Buy the truth, and sell [it] not; [also] wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

23:24  The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise [child] shall have joy of him.

23:25  Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bore thee shall rejoice.

23:26  My son, give me thy heart, and let thy eyes observe my ways.

23:27  For a lewd woman [is] a deep ditch; and a strange woman [is] a narrow pit.

23:28  She also lieth in wait as [for] a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.

23:29  Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?

23:30  They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.

23:31  Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth its color in the cup, [when] it moveth itself aright.

23:32  At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

23:33  Thy eyes shall behold strange women, and thy heart shall utter perverse things.

23:34  And thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.

23:35  They have stricken me, [wilt thou say], [and] I was not sick; they have beaten me, [and] I felt [it] not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

Chapter 24

24:1  Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.

24:2  For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.

24:3  Through wisdom is a house built; and by understanding it is established:

24:4  And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

24:5  A wise man [is] strong; and a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

24:6  For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counselors [there is] safety.

24:7  Wisdom [is] too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.

24:8  He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.

24:9  The thought of foolishness [is] sin: and the scorner [is] an abomination to men.

24:10  [If] thou faintest in the day of adversity, thy strength [is] small.

24:11  If thou forbearest to deliver [them that are] drawn to death, and [those that are] ready to be slain;

24:12  If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider [it]? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth [not] he know [it]? and will [not] he render to [every] man according to his works?

24:13  My son, eat thou honey, because [it is] good; and the honey-comb, [which is] sweet to thy taste:

24:14  So [shall] the knowledge of wisdom [be] to thy soul: when thou hast found [it], then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

24:15  Lay not wait, O wicked [man], against the dwelling of the righteous; destroy not his resting-place:

24:16  For a just [man] falleth seven times, and riseth again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

24:17  Rejoice not when thy enemy falleth, and let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth:

24:18  Lest the LORD see [it], and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

24:19  Fret not thyself because of evil [men], neither be thou envious at the wicked;

24:20  For there shall be no reward to the evil [man]; the candle of the wicked shall be extinguished.

24:21  My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: [and] meddle not with them that are given to change:

24:22  For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?

24:23  These [things] also [belong] to the wise. [It is] not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

24:24  He that saith to the wicked, Thou [art] righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him:

24:25  But to them that rebuke [him] shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.

24:26  [Every man] shall kiss [his] lips that giveth a right answer.

24:27  Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thy house.

24:28  Be not a witness against thy neighbor without cause; and deceive [not] with thy lips.

24:29  Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.

24:30  I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;

24:31  And lo, it was all grown over with thorns, [and] nettles had covered the face of it, and its stone wall was broken down.

24:32  Then I saw, [and] considered [it] well: I looked upon [it], [and] received instruction.

24:33  [Yet] a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

24:34  So shall thy poverty come [as] one that traveleth; and thy want as an armed man.

Chapter 25

25:1  These [are] also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.

25:2  [It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings [is] to search out a matter.

25:3  The heaven for hight, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings [is] unsearchable.

25:4  Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.

25:5  Take away the wicked [from] before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.

25:6  Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great [men]:

25:7  For better [it is] that it be said to thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldst be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thy eyes have seen.

25:8  Go not forth hastily to strive, lest [thou know not] what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbor hath put thee to shame.

25:9  Debate thy cause with thy neighbor [himself]; and reveal not a secret to another:

25:10  Lest he that heareth [it] put thee to shame, and thy infamy turn not away.

25:11  A word fitly spoken [is like] apples of gold in pictures of silver.

25:12  [As] an ear-ring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, [so is] a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.

25:13  As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, [so is] a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.

25:14  Whoever boasteth himself of a false gift [is like] clouds and wind without rain.

25:15  By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.

25:16  Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled with it, and vomit it.

25:17  Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbor's house; lest he be weary of thee, and [so] hate thee.

25:18  A man that beareth false witness against his neighbor [is] a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.

25:19  Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble [is like] a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.

25:20  [As] he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, [and as] vinegar upon nitre; so [is] he that singeth songs to a heavy heart.

25:21  If thy enemy shall hunger, give him bread to eat; and if he shall thirst, give him water to drink:

25:22  For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD will reward thee.

25:23  The north wind driveth away rain: so [doth] an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.

25:24  [It is] better to dwell in a corner of the house-top, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house.

25:25  [As] cold waters to a thirsty soul, so [is] good news from a far country.

25:26  A righteous man falling down before the wicked [is as] a turbid fountain, and a corrupt spring.

25:27  [It is] not good to eat much honey: so [for men] to search their own glory [is not] glory.

25:28  He that [hath] no rule over his own spirit [is like] a city [that is] broken down, [and] without walls.

Chapter 26

26:1  As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest; so honor is not seemly for a fool.

26:2  As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.

26:3  A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.

26:4  Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like him.

26:5  Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

26:6  He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, [and] drinketh damage.

26:7  The legs of the lame are not equal: so [is] a parable in the mouth of fools.

26:8  As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so [is] he that giveth honor to a fool.

26:9  [As] a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so [is] a parable in the mouth of fools.

26:10  The great [God] that formed all [things] both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors.

26:11  As a dog returneth to his vomit, [so] a fool returneth to his folly.

26:12  Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? [there is] more hope of a fool than of him.

26:13  The slothful [man] saith, [There is] a lion in the way; a lion [is] in the streets.

26:14  [As] the door turneth upon its hinges, so [doth] the slothful upon his bed.

26:15  The slothful hideth [his] hand in [his] bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth.

26:16  The sluggard [is] wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.

26:17  He that passeth by, [and] meddleth with strife [belonging] not to him, [is like] one that taketh a dog by the ears.

26:18  As a mad [man] who casteth fire-brands, arrows, and death,

26:19  So [is] the man [that] deceiveth his neighbor, and saith, Am not I in sport?

26:20  Where no wood is, [there] the fire goeth out: so where [there is] no tale-bearer, the strife ceaseth.

26:21  [As] coals [are] to burning coals, and wood to fire; so [is] a contentious man to kindle strife.

26:22  The words of a tale-bearer [are] as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

26:23  Burning lips and a wicked heart [are like] a potsherd covered with silver dross.

26:24  He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him;

26:25  When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for [there are] seven abominations in his heart.

26:26  [Whose] hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shown before the [whole] congregation.

26:27  Whoever diggeth a pit shall fall into it: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.

26:28  A lying tongue hateth [those that are] afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.

Chapter 27

27:1  Boast not thyself of to-morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

27:2  Let another man praise thee, and not thy own mouth; a stranger, and not thy own lips.

27:3  A stone [is] heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath [is] heavier than both.

27:4  Wrath [is] cruel, and anger [is] outrageous; but who [is] able to stand before envy?

27:5  Open rebuke [is] better than secret love.

27:6  Faithful [are] the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy [are] deceitful.

27:7  The full soul lotheth a honey-comb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

27:8  As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so [is] a man that wandereth from his place.

27:9  Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so [doth] the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.

27:10  Thy own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: [for] better [is] a neighbor [that is] near, than a brother far off.

27:11  My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me.

27:12  A prudent [man] foreseeth the evil, [and] hideth himself; [but] the simple pass on, [and] are punished.

27:13  Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.

27:14  He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.

27:15  A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.

27:16  Whoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand [which] bewrayeth [itself].

27:17  Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

27:18  He that keepeth the fig-tree shall eat the fruit of it: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honored.

27:19  As in water face [answereth] to face, so the heart of man to man.

27:20  Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.

27:21  [As] the fining-pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so [is] a man to his praise.

27:22  Though thou shouldst bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, [yet] his foolishness will not depart from him.

27:23  Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, [and] look well to thy herds.

27:24  For riches [are] not for ever: and doth the crown [endure] to every generation?

27:25  The plant appeareth, and the tender grass showeth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered.

27:26  The lambs [are] for thy clothing, and the goats [are] the price of the field.

27:27  And [thou shalt have] goats milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and [for] maintenance for thy maidens.

Chapter 28

28:1  The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.

28:2  For the transgression of a land many [are] its princes: but by a man of understanding [and] knowledge the state [thereof] shall be prolonged.

28:3  A poor man that oppresseth the poor [is like] a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.

28:4  They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.

28:5  Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all [things].

28:6  Better [is] the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than [he that is] perverse [in his] ways, though he [is] rich.

28:7  He who keepeth the law [is] a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous [men] shameth his father.

28:8  He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.

28:9  He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer [shall be] abomination.

28:10  Whoever causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good [things] in possession.

28:11  The rich man [is] wise in his own conceit; but the poor man that hath understanding searcheth him out.

28:12  When righteous [men] rejoice, [there is] great glory: but when the wicked rise, a man is hidden.

28:13  He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but he who confesseth and forsaketh [them] shall have mercy.

28:14  Happy [is] the man that feareth always: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.

28:15  [As] a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; [so is] a wicked ruler over the poor people.

28:16  The prince that wanteth understanding [is] also a great oppressor: [but] he that hateth covetousness shall prolong [his] days.

28:17  A man that doeth violence to the blood of [any] person shall flee to the pit; let no man stay him.

28:18  He who walketh uprightly shall be saved: but [he that is] perverse [in his] ways shall fall at once.

28:19  He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain [persons] shall have poverty enough.

28:20  A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.

28:21  To have respect of persons [is] not good: for, for a piece of bread [that] man will transgress.

28:22  He that hasteth to be rich [hath] an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.

28:23  He that rebuketh a man afterward shall find more favor than he that flattereth with the tongue.

28:24  He that robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, [It is] no transgression; the same [is] the companion of a destroyer.

28:25  He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.

28:26  He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoever walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.

28:27  He that giveth to the poor shall not want: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.

28:28  When the wicked rise, men hide themselves: but when they perish, the righteous increase.

Chapter 29

29:1  He, that being often reproved hardeneth [his] neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

29:2  When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.

29:3  He that loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father: but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth [his] substance.

29:4  The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.

29:5  A man that flattereth his neighbor spreadeth a net for his feet.

29:6  In the transgression of an evil man [there is] a snare: but the righteous doth sing and rejoice.

29:7  The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: [but] the wicked regardeth not to know [it].

29:8  Scornful men bring a city into a snare: but wise [men] turn away wrath.

29:9  [If] a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rageth or laugheth, [there is] no rest.

29:10  The blood-thirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul.

29:11  A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise [man] keepeth it in till afterwards.

29:12  If a ruler hearkeneth to lies, all his servants [are] wicked.

29:13  The poor and the deceitful man meet together: the LORD enlighteneth both their eyes.

29:14  The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established for ever.

29:15  The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left [to himself] bringeth his mother to shame.

29:16  When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall.

29:17  Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yes, he shall give delight to thy soul.

29:18  Where [there is] no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy [is] he.

29:19  A servant will not be corrected by words: for though he understandeth, he will not answer.

29:20  Seest thou a man [that is] hasty in his words? [there is] more hope of a fool than of him.

29:21  He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him at length become [his] son.

29:22  An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.

29:23  A man's pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit.

29:24  Whoever is partner with a thief, hateth his own soul: he heareth cursing, and discloseth [it] not.

29:25  The fear of man bringeth a snare: but he who putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.

29:26  Many seek the ruler's favor; but [every] man's judgment [cometh] from the LORD.

29:27  An unjust man [is] an abomination to the just: and [he that is] upright in the way [is] abomination to the wicked.

Chapter 30

30:1  The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, [even] the prophecy: the man spoke to Ithiel, even to Ithiel and Ucal,

30:2  Surely I [am] more brutish than [any] man, and have not the understanding of a man.

30:3  I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.

30:4  Who hath ascended into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what [is] his name, and what [is] his son's name, if thou canst tell?

30:5  Every word of God [is] pure: he [is] a shield to them that put their trust in him.

30:6  Add thou not to his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

30:7  Two [things] have I required of thee; deny [them] not to me before I die:

30:8  Remove far from me vanity and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:

30:9  Lest I be full, and deny [thee], and say, Who [is] the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God [in vain].

30:10  Accuse not a servant to his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.

30:11  [There is] a generation [that] curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.

30:12  [There is] a generation [that are] pure in their own eyes, and [yet] are not washed from their filthiness.

30:13  [There is] a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.

30:14  [There is] a generation, whose teeth [are as] swords, and their jaw-teeth [as] knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from [among] men.

30:15  The horse-leech hath two daughters, [crying], Give, give. There are three [things that] are never satisfied, [yes], four [things] say not, [It is] enough:

30:16  The grave; and the barren womb; the earth [that] is not filled with water; and the fire [that] saith not, [It is] enough.

30:17  The eye [that] mocketh at [its] father, and despiseth to obey [its] mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

30:18  There are three [things which] are too wonderful for me, yes, four which I know not:

30:19  The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.

30:20  Such [is] the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.

30:21  For three [things] the earth is disquieted, and for four [which] it cannot bear:

30:22  For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with food.

30:23  For an odious [woman] when she is married; and a handmaid that is heir to her mistress.

30:24  There are four [things which are] little upon the earth, but they [are] very wise:

30:25  The ants [are] a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer;

30:26  The conies [are but] a feeble people, yet they make their houses in the rocks;

30:27  The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;

30:28  The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in king's palaces.

30:29  There are three [things] which go well, yes, four are comely in going:

30:30  A lion, [which is] strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any;

30:31  A greyhound; a he-goat also; and a king, against whom [there is] no rising up.

30:32  If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, [lay] thy hand upon thy mouth.

30:33  Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.

Chapter 31

31:1  The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.

31:2  What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows?

31:3  Give not thy strength to women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.

31:4  [It is] not for kings, O Lemuel, [it is] not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:

31:5  Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.

31:6  Give strong drink to him that is ready to perish, and wine to those that are of heavy hearts.

31:7  Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.

31:8  Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.

31:9  Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.

31:10  Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price [is] far above rubies.

31:11  The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

31:12  She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

31:13  She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.

31:14  She is like the merchant's ships; she bringeth her food from afar.

31:15  She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth food to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

31:16  She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

31:17  She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.

31:18  She perceiveth that her merchandise [is] good: her candle goeth not out by night.

31:19  She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.

31:20  She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yes, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

31:21  She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household [are] clothed with scarlet.

31:22  She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing [is] silk and purple.

31:23  Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.

31:24  She maketh fine linen, and selleth [it]; and delivereth girdles to the merchant.

31:25  Strength and honor [are] her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.

31:26  She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and on her tongue [is] the law of kindness.

31:27  She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

31:28  Her children rise up, and call her blessed; her husband [also], and he praiseth her.

31:29  Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.

31:30  Favor [is] deceitful, and beauty [is] vain: [but] a woman [that] feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

31:31  Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.