Proverbs

1A wise son — the instruction of a father, And a scorner — he hath not heard rebuke.

2From the fruit of the mouth a man eateth good, And the soul of the treacherous — violence.

3Whoso is keeping his mouth, is keeping his soul, Whoso is opening wide his lips — ruin to him!

4The soul of the slothful is desiring, and hath not. And the soul of the diligent is made fat.

5A false word the righteous hateth, And the wicked causeth abhorrence, and is confounded.

6Righteousness keepeth him who is perfect in the way, And wickedness overthroweth a sin offering.

7There is who is making himself rich, and hath nothing, Who is making himself poor, and wealth [is] abundant.

8The ransom of a man's life [are] his riches, And the poor hath not heard rebuke.

9The light of the righteous rejoiceth, And the lamp of the wicked is extinguished.

10A vain man through pride causeth debate, And with the counselled [is] wisdom.

11Wealth from vanity becometh little, And whoso is gathering by the hand becometh great.

12Hope prolonged is making the heart sick, And a tree of life [is] the coming desire.

13Whoso is despising the Word is destroyed for it, And whoso is fearing the Command is repayed.

14The law of the wise [is] a fountain of life, To turn aside from snares of death.

15Good understanding giveth grace, And the way of the treacherous [is] hard.

16Every prudent one dealeth with knowledge, And a fool spreadeth out folly.

17A wicked messenger falleth into evil, And a faithful ambassador is healing.

18Whoso is refusing instruction — poverty and shame, And whoso is observing reproof is honoured.

19A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul, And an abomination to fools [is]: Turn from evil.

20Whoso is walking with wise men is wise, And a companion of fools suffereth evil.

21Evil pursueth sinners, And good recompenseth the righteous.

22A good man causeth sons' sons to inherit, And laid up for the righteous [is] the sinner's wealth.

23Abundance of food — the tillage of the poor, And substance is consumed without judgment.

24Whoso is sparing his rod is hating his son, And whoso is loving him hath hastened him chastisement.

25The righteous is eating to the satiety of his soul, And the belly of the wicked lacketh!

A Father’s Discipline

1A wise son heeds his father’s discipline,but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.

2From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things,but the desire of the faithless is violence.

3He who guards his mouth protects his life,but the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.

4The slacker craves yet has nothing,but the soul of the diligent is fully satisfied.

5The righteous hate falsehood,but the wicked bring shame and disgrace.

6Righteousness guards the man of integrity,but wickedness undermines the sinner.

7One pretends to be rich, but has nothing;another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

8Riches may ransom a man’s life,but a poor man hears no threat.

9The light of the righteous shines brightly,but the lamp of the wicked is extinguished.

10Arrogance leads only to strife,but wisdom is with the well-advised.

11Dishonest wealth will dwindle,but what is earned through hard work will be multiplied.

12Hope deferred makes the heart sick,but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

13He who despises instruction will pay the penalty,but the one who respects a command will be rewarded.

14The teachingof the wise is a fountain of life,turning one from the snares of death.

15Good understanding wins favor,but the way of the faithless is difficult.

16Every prudent man acts with knowledge,but a fool displays his folly.

17A wicked messenger falls into trouble,but a faithful envoy brings healing.

18Poverty and shame come to him who ignores discipline,but whoever heeds correction is honored.

19Desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,but turning from evil is detestable to fools.

20He who walks with the wise will become wise,but the companion of fools will be destroyed.

21Disaster pursues sinners,but prosperity is the reward of the righteous.

22A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,but the sinner’s wealth is passed to the righteous.

23Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor,but without justice it is swept away.

24He who spares the rod hates his son,but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.

25A righteous man eats to his heart’s content,but the stomach of the wicked is empty.