¹ A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,
But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
² A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth,
But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.
³ He who guards his mouth preserves his life,
But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.
⁴ The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
⁵ A righteous man hates lying,
But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame.
⁶ Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,
But wickedness overthrows the sinner.
⁷ There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing;
And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.
⁸ The ransom of a man’s life is his riches,
But the poor does not hear rebuke.
⁹ The light of the righteous rejoices,
But the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
¹⁰ By pride comes nothing but strife,
But with the well-advised is wisdom.
¹¹ Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase.
¹² Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.
¹³ He who despises the word will be destroyed,
But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.
¹⁴ The law of the wise is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.
¹⁵ Good understanding gains favor,
But the way of the unfaithful is hard.
¹⁶ Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool lays open his folly.
¹⁷ A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
But a faithful ambassador brings health.
¹⁸ Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction,
But he who regards a rebuke will be honored.
¹⁹ A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.
²⁰ He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will be destroyed.
²¹ Evil pursues sinners,
But to the righteous, good shall be repaid.
²² A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
²³ Much food is in the fallow ground of the poor,
And for lack of justice there is waste.^[a]
24 He who spares his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.
²⁵ The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul,
But the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.