ax[See ver. 24 above]
cv[See ver. 14 above]

Proverbs 22:16-29

16Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth,
or gives to the rich, awill only come to poverty.

Words of the Wise

17 bIncline your ear, and hear cthe words of the wise,
dand apply your heart to my knowledge,
18for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,
if all of them are ready on your lips.
19That your trust may be in the Lord,
I have made them known to you today, even to you.
20Have I not written for you ethirty sayings
of counsel and knowledge,
21to fmake you know what is right and true,
that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?
22 gDo not rob the poor, because he is poor,
or hcrush the afflicted at ithe gate,
23for jthe Lord will plead their cause
and rob of life those who rob them.
24Make no friendship with a man given to anger,
nor go with a wrathful man,
25lest you learn his ways
and entangle yourself in a snare.
26Be not one of those who kgive pledges,
who put up security for debts.
27If you have nothing with which to pay,
why should lyour bed be taken from under you?
28Do not move the ancient mlandmark
that your fathers have set.
29Do you see a man skillful in his work?
He will nstand before kings;
he will not stand before obscure men.

Proverbs 23

1When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
observe carefully what
Or who
is before you,
2and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to appetite.
3 pDo not desire his delicacies,
for they are deceptive food.
4 qDo not toil to acquire wealth;
rbe discerning enough to desist.
5When your eyes light on it, it is gone,
sfor suddenly it sprouts wings,
flying like an eagle toward heaven.
6 tDo not eat the bread of a man who is ustingy;
Hebrew whose eye is evil

wdo not desire his delicacies,
7for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.
Or  for as he calculates in his soul, so is he

Eat and drink!” he says to you,
but his yheart is not with you.
8You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten,
and waste your pleasant words.
9Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
for he will despise the good sense of your words.
10 zDo not move an ancient landmark
or enter the fields of the fatherless,
11for their aaRedeemer is strong;
he will abplead their cause against you.
12Apply your heart to instruction
and your ear to words of knowledge.
13Do not withhold acdiscipline from a child;
adif you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
14If you strike him with the rod,
you will aesave his soul from Sheol.
15 afMy son, if your heart is wise,
my heart too will be glad.
16My aginmost being
Hebrew  My kidneys
will exult
when your lips speak aiwhat is right.
17Let not your heart ajenvy sinners,
but continue in akthe fear of the Lord all the day.
18Surely althere is a future,
and your amhope will not be cut off.
19 Hear, my son, and anbe wise,
and aodirect your heart in the way.
20Be not among apdrunkards
Hebrew those who drink too much wine

or among argluttonous eaters of meat,
21for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
and asslumber will clothe them with rags.
22 atListen to your father who gave you life,
auand do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 avBuy truth, and do not sell it;
buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24 awThe father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;
he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.
25 axLet your father and mother be glad;
let ayher who bore you rejoice.
26 My son, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observe
Or delight in
my ways.
27For a prostitute is baa deep pit;
bban adulteress
Hebrew  a foreign woman
is a narrow bdwell.
28 beShe lies in wait like a robber
and increases the traitors among mankind.
29 bfWho has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaining?
Who has bgwounds without cause?
Who has bhredness of eyes?
30Those who bitarry long over wine;
those who go to try bjmixed wine.
31Do not look at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup
and goes down smoothly.
32In the end it bkbites like a serpent
and stings like an adder.
33Your eyes will see strange things,
and your heart utter blperverse things.
34You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,
like one who lies on the top of a mast.
Or  of the rigging

35“They bnstruck me,” you will say,
Hebrew lacks  you will say
“but I was not hurt;
they beat me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake?
I bpmust have another drink.”

Proverbs 24

1Be not bqenvious of evil men,
nor desire to be brwith them,
2for their hearts bsdevise violence,
and their lips bttalk of trouble.
3 By buwisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established;
4by knowledge the rooms are filled
with all bvprecious and pleasant riches.
5 bwA wise man is full of strength,
and a man of knowledge enhances his might,
6for by bxwise guidance you can wage your war,
and in byabundance of counselors there is victory.
7Wisdom is bztoo high for a fool;
in cathe gate he does not open his mouth.
8 Whoever cbplans to do evil
will be called a schemer.
9 ccThe devising
Or scheming
of folly is sin,
and cethe scoffer is an abomination to mankind.
10 If you cffaint in the day of adversity,
your strength is small.
11 cgRescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
12If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
chdoes not he who ciweighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who cjkeeps watch over your soul know it,
and will he not repay man ckaccording to his work?
13 My son, cleat honey, for it is good,
and cmthe drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
14Know that wisdom is such to your soul;
if you find it, there will be cna future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
15 coLie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous;
do no violence to his home;
16 cpfor the righteous falls cqseven times and rises again,
but crthe wicked stumble in times of calamity.
17 csDo not rejoice when your enemy falls,
and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,
18lest the Lord see it and be displeased,
and turn away his anger from him.
19 ctFret not yourself because of evildoers,
and be not cuenvious of the wicked,
20for the evil man has no cvfuture;
cwthe lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21 My son, cxfear the Lord and the king,
and do not join with those who do otherwise,
22for disaster will arise suddenly from them,
and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?

More Sayings of the Wise

23These also are sayings of cythe wise.

czPartiality in judging is not good.
24Whoever dasays to the wicked, “You are in the right,”
dbwill be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations,
25but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,
and a good blessing will come upon them.
26Whoever gives an honest answer
kisses the lips.
27 dcPrepare your work outside;
get everything ready for yourself in the field,
and after that build your house.
28 ddBe not a witness against your neighbor without cause,
and do not deceive with your lips.
29Do not say, de“I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will pay the man back for what he has done.”
30 dfI passed by the field of a sluggard,
by the vineyard of a man dglacking sense,
31and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
the ground was covered with nettles,
and its stone dhwall was broken down.
32Then I saw and diconsidered it;
I looked and received instruction.
33 djA little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
34and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.

Proverbs 25

More Proverbs of Solomon

1These also are dkproverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied.

2 It is the glory of God to dlconceal things,
but the glory of kings is to dmsearch things out.
3As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth,
so the heart of kings is dnunsearchable.
4Take away dothe dross from the silver,
and dpthe smith has material for a vessel;
5take away dqthe wicked from the presence of the king,
and his drthrone will be established in righteousness.
6Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence
or stand in the place of the great,
7for dsit is better to be told, “Come up here,”
than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.
What your eyes have seen
8 dtdo not hastily bring into court,
for
Hebrew or else
what will you do in the end,
when your neighbor puts you to shame?
9 dvArgue your case with your neighbor himself,
and do not reveal another’s secret,
10lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,
and your ill repute have no end.
11 dwA word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
12Like dxa gold ring or an ornament of gold
is a wise reprover to dya listening ear.
13Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
is dza faithful messenger to those who send him;
he refreshes the soul of his masters.
14Like eaclouds and wind without rain
is a man who ebboasts of a gift he does not give.
15 With ecpatience a ruler may be persuaded,
and a soft tongue will break a bone.
16If you have edfound honey, eat eeonly enough for you,
lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.
17Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house,
lest he have his fill of you and hate you.
18A man who efbears false witness against his neighbor
is like a war club, or ega sword, or a sharp arrow.
19Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble
is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.
20Whoever ehsings songs to a heavy heart
is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,
and like vinegar on soda.
21 eiIf your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
22for you will heap ejburning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.
23The north wind brings forth rain,
and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
24 ekIt is better to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
25Like cold water to ela thirsty soul,
so is emgood news from a far country.
26Like ena muddied spring or a polluted fountain
is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
27It is eonot good to eat much honey,
nor is it glorious to epseek one’s own glory.
The meaning of the Hebrew line is uncertain

28A man erwithout self-control
is like esa city broken into and left without walls.
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