Proverbs 22:1–29

¹A name is to be chosen rather than abundant riches; favor is better than even silver and gold.

²The rich one and the one of little means have met each other. The Maker of them all is Jehovah.

³Shrewd is the one that has seen the calamity and proceeds to conceal himself, but the inexperienced have passed along and must suffer the penalty.

⁴The result of humility [and] the fear of Jehovah is riches and glory and life.

⁵Thorns [and] traps are in the way of the crooked one; he that is guarding his soul keeps far away from them.

⁶Train up a boy according to the way for him; even when he grows old he will not turn aside from it.

⁷The rich is the one that rules over those of little means, and the borrower is servant to the man doing the lending.

⁸He that is sowing unrighteousness will reap what is hurtful, but the very rod of his fury will come to its end.

⁹He that is kindly in eye will be blessed, for he has given of his food to the lowly one.

¹⁰Drive away the ridiculer, that contention may go out and that legal contest and dishonor may cease.

¹¹The one loving purity of heart—for the charm of his lips the king will be his companion.

¹²The eyes of Jehovah himself have safeguarded knowledge, but he subverts the words of the treacherous one.

¹³The lazy one has said: “There is a lion outside! In the midst of the public squares I shall be murdered!”

¹⁴The mouth of strange women is a deep pit. The one denounced by Jehovah will fall into it.

¹⁵Foolishness is tied up with the heart of a boy; the rod of discipline is what will remove it far from him.

¹⁶He that is defrauding the lowly one to supply many things to himself, he also that is giving to the rich one, is surely destined for want.

¹⁷Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise ones, that you may apply your very heart to my knowledge.¹⁸For it is pleasant that you should keep them in your belly, that they may be firmly established together upon your lips.

¹⁹For your confidence to come to be in Jehovah himself I have given you knowledge today, even you.

²⁰Have I not written you heretofore with counselings and knowledge,²¹to show you the truthfulness of true sayings, so as to return sayings that are the truth—to the one sending you forth?

²²Do not rob the lowly one because he is lowly, and do not crush the afflicted one in the gate.²³For Jehovah himself will plead their cause, and he will certainly rob of soul those robbing them.

²⁴Do not have companionship with anyone given to anger; and with a man having fits of rage you must not enter in,²⁵that you may not get familiar with his paths and certainly take a snare for your soul.

²⁶Do not get to be among those striking hands, among those who go security for loans.²⁷If you have nothing to pay, why should he take your bed from under you?

²⁸Do not move back a boundary of long ago, which your forefathers have made.

²⁹Have you beheld a man skillful in his work? Before kings is where he will station himself; he will not station himself before commonplace men.