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Proverbs 22-24
Complete Jewish Bible
Proverbs 22-24
Complete Jewish Bible
22 Rather than wealth, choose a good reputation,
esteem over silver and gold.
2 Rich and poor have this in common —
Adonai made them both.
3 The clever see trouble coming and hide;
the simple go on and pay the penalty.
4 The reward for humility is fear of Adonai,
along with wealth, honor and life.
5 Thorns and snares beset the way of the stubborn;
he who values his life keeps his distance from them.
6 Train a child in the way he [should] go;
and, even when old, he will not swerve from it.
7 The rich rule the poor,
and the borrower is slave to the lender.
8 He who sows injustice reaps trouble,
and the rod of his angry outburst will fail.
9 He who is generous is blessed,
because he shares his food with the poor.
10 Throw the scoffer out, and quarreling goes too;
strife and insults cease.
11 He who loves the pure-hearted and is gracious in speech
will have the king as his friend.
12 The eyes of Adonai protect [the man with] knowledge,
but he overturns the plans of a traitor.
13 A lazy man says, “There’s a lion outside!
I’ll be killed if I go out in the street!”
14 The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit;
the man with whom Adonai is angry falls into it.
15 Doing wrong is firmly tied to the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline will drive it far away from him.
16 Both oppressing the poor to enrich oneself
and giving to the rich yield only loss.
17 Pay attention, and listen to the words of the wise;
apply your heart to my knowledge;
18 for it is pleasant to keep them deep within you;
have all of them ready on your lips.
19 I want your trust to be in Adonai;
this is why I’m instructing you about them today.
20 I have written you worthwhile things
full of good counsel and knowledge,
21 so you will know that these sayings are certainly true
and bring back true sayings to him who sent you.
22 Don’t exploit the helpless, because they are helpless,
and don’t crush the poor in court,
23 for Adonai will plead their case for them
and withhold life from those who defraud them.
24 Don’t associate with an angry man;
make no hot-tempered man your companion.
25 If you do, you may learn his ways
and find yourself caught in a trap.
26 Don’t be one of those who give pledges,
guaranteeing loans made to others;
27 for if you don’t have the wherewithal to pay,
they will take your bed away from underneath you.
28 Don’t move the ancient boundary stone
set up by your ancestors.
29 Do you see a man skilled at his work?
He will serve kings, not obscure people.
23 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
think carefully about who is before you.
2 If you have a big appetite,
put a knife to your throat!
3 Don’t be greedy for his delicacies,
for they are deceptive food.
4 Don’t exhaust yourself in pursuit of wealth;
be smart enough to desist.
5 If you make your eyes rush at it,
it’s no longer there!
For wealth will surely grow wings,
like an eagle flying off to the sky.
6 Don’t eat the food of a stingy man;
don’t be greedy for his delicacies.
7 For he is like someone who keeps accounts —
“Eat! Drink!” he says to you,
but he doesn’t really mean it.
8 The little you eat you will vomit up,
and your compliments will have been wasted.
9 Don’t speak in the ears of a fool,
for he will only despise the common sense in your words.
10 Don’t move the ancient boundary stone
or encroach on the land of the fatherless;
11 for their Redeemer is strong;
he will take up their fight against you.
12 Apply your mind to discipline
and your ears to words of knowledge.
13 Don’t withhold discipline from a child —
if you beat him with a stick, he won’t die!
14 If you beat him with a stick,
you will save him from Sh’ol.
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
then my own heart too is glad;
16 my inmost being rejoices
when your lips say what is right.
17 Don’t envy sinners, but follow the example
of those who always fear God;
18 for then you will have a future;
what you hope for will not be cut off.
19 You, my son: listen, be wise,
and set your mind on the right way.
20 Don’t be one of those who guzzle wine
or of those who eat meat to excess,
21 for both drunkard and glutton will become poor —
drowsiness will clothe them with rags.
22 Listen to your father, who gave you life;
and don’t despise your mother when she gets old.
23 Buy the truth, don’t sell it,
also wisdom, discipline and discernment.
24 A righteous person’s father will be filled with joy;
yes, he whose son is wise will rejoice in him.
25 So let your father and mother be glad;
let her who gave you birth rejoice.
26 My son, give me your heart;
let your eyes observe my ways.
27 A prostitute is a deep ditch,
and a forbidden woman like a narrow well.
28 She lies in wait to snatch her prey
and adds to the number of faithless men.
29 Who has misery? Who has regret?
Who fights and complains all the time?
Who gets bruised for no good reason?
Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 Those who spend their time over wine,
those always trying out mixed drinks.
31 Don’t gaze at the red wine
as it gives its color to the cup.
It may glide down smoothly now;
32 but in the end, it bites like a serpent —
yes, it strikes like a poisonous snake.
33 Your eyes will see peculiar things,
your mind will utter nonsense.
34 You will feel as if lying on the waves of the sea
or sprawled on top of the mast —
35 “They hit me, but I didn’t feel it!
They beat me up, and I didn’t even know it!
When will I wake up? . . .
I’ll go get another drink.”
24 Don’t be envious of evil people,
and don’t desire to be with them.
2 For their minds are occupied with violence,
and their lips speak of making trouble.
3 By wisdom a house is built,
by understanding it is made secure,
4 and by knowledge its rooms are filled
with all kinds of costly and pleasant possessions.
5 A wise man is strong;
yes, a man of knowledge grows in strength.
6 For with clever strategy you wage your war,
and victory comes from having many advisers.
7 Wisdom is too lofty for a fool;
he keeps his mouth shut at the city gate.
8 He who plans to do evil
people call a schemer.
9 The evil plans of the foolish are sin,
and people detest a scorner.
10 If you slack off on a day of distress,
your strength is small indeed.
11 Yes, rescue those being dragged off to death —
won’t you save those about to be killed?
12 If you say, “We knew nothing about it,”
won’t he who weighs hearts discern it?
Yes, he who guards you will know it
and repay each one as his deeds deserve.
13 My son, eat honey, for it is good;
honeycomb drippings are sweet to your taste.
14 Know that wisdom is similar[ly sweet] to your soul;
if you find it, then you will have a future,
what you hope for will not be cut off.
15 Don’t lurk like an outlaw near the home of the righteous,
don’t raid the place where he lives.
16 For though he falls seven times, he will get up again;
it’s the wicked who fail under stress.
17 Don’t rejoice when your enemy falls;
don’t let your heart be glad when he stumbles.
18 For Adonai might see it, and it would displease him;
he might withdraw his anger from your foe.
19 Don’t get upset because of evildoers;
don’t be envious of the wicked.
20 For the evil person has no future —
the lamp of the wicked will go out.
21 My son, don’t get involved with revolutionaries,
but fear Adonai and the king.
22 For disaster from them will suddenly appear,
and who knows what ruin they both can cause?
23 These also are sayings of the wise:
Showing partiality in judgment is not good.
24 He who tells the guilty, “You are innocent,”
will be cursed by peoples, reviled by nations;
25 but with those who condemn him, things will go well,
and a good blessing will come upon them.
26 Giving an honest answer
is like giving a kiss.
27 Prepare your outside work,
and get things ready for yourself on the land;
after that, build your house.
28 Don’t be a witness against your neighbor for no reason —
would you use your lips to deceive?
29 Don’t say, “I’ll do to him what he did to me,
I’ll pay him back what his deeds deserve.”
30 I passed by the field of the lazy man
and the vineyard of the man lacking sense.
31 There it was, overgrown with thistles;
the ground was covered with nettles,
and its stone wall was broken down.
32 I looked, and I thought about it;
I saw, and I learned this lesson:
33 “I’ll just lie here a bit, rest a little longer,
just fold my hands for a little more sleep” —
34 and poverty comes marching in on you,
scarcity hits you like an invading soldier.
Proverbs 22-24
New International Version
Proverbs 22-24
New International Version
22 A good name is more desirable than great riches;
to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.(A)
2 Rich and poor have this in common:
The Lord is the Maker of them all.(B)
5 In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls,(G)
but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.
6 Start(H) children off on the way they should go,(I)
and even when they are old they will not turn from it.(J)
7 The rich rule over the poor,
and the borrower is slave to the lender.
10 Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife;
quarrels and insults are ended.(O)
11 One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace
will have the king for a friend.(P)
12 The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,
but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.
13 The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside!(Q)
I’ll be killed in the public square!”
14 The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit;(R)
a man who is under the Lord’s wrath falls into it.(S)
15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.(T)
16 One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth
and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.
Thirty Sayings of the Wise
Saying 1
17 Pay attention(U) and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise;(V)
apply your heart to what I teach,(W)
18 for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
and have all of them ready on your lips.
19 So that your trust may be in the Lord,
I teach you today, even you.
20 Have I not written thirty sayings for you,
sayings of counsel and knowledge,
21 teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth,(X)
so that you bring back truthful reports
to those you serve?
Saying 2
22 Do not exploit the poor(Y) because they are poor
and do not crush the needy in court,(Z)
23 for the Lord will take up their case(AA)
and will exact life for life.(AB)
Saying 3
24 Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person,
do not associate with one easily angered,
25 or you may learn their ways
and get yourself ensnared.(AC)
Saying 4
26 Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge(AD)
or puts up security for debts;
27 if you lack the means to pay,
your very bed will be snatched from under you.(AE)
Saying 5
28 Do not move an ancient boundary stone(AF)
set up by your ancestors.
Saying 6
29 Do you see someone skilled(AG) in their work?
They will serve(AH) before kings;(AI)
they will not serve before officials of low rank.
Saying 7
23 When you sit to dine with a ruler,
note well what[a] is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to gluttony.
3 Do not crave his delicacies,(AJ)
for that food is deceptive.
Saying 8
4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
do not trust your own cleverness.
5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,(AK)
for they will surely sprout wings
and fly off to the sky like an eagle.(AL)
Saying 9
6 Do not eat the food of a begrudging host,
do not crave his delicacies;(AM)
7 for he is the kind of person
who is always thinking about the cost.[b]
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the little you have eaten
and will have wasted your compliments.
Saying 10
9 Do not speak to fools,
for they will scorn your prudent words.(AN)
Saying 11
10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone(AO)
or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,
11 for their Defender(AP) is strong;(AQ)
he will take up their case against you.(AR)
Saying 12
12 Apply your heart to instruction(AS)
and your ears to words of knowledge.
Saying 13
13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;
if you punish them with the rod, they will not die.
14 Punish them with the rod
and save them from death.(AT)
Saying 14
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
then my heart will be glad indeed;
16 my inmost being will rejoice
when your lips speak what is right.(AU)
Saying 15
17 Do not let your heart envy(AV) sinners,
but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.
18 There is surely a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.(AW)
Saying 16
19 Listen, my son,(AX) and be wise,
and set your heart on the right path:
20 Do not join those who drink too much wine(AY)
or gorge themselves on meat,
21 for drunkards and gluttons become poor,(AZ)
and drowsiness clothes them in rags.
Saying 17
22 Listen to your father, who gave you life,
and do not despise your mother when she is old.(BA)
23 Buy the truth and do not sell it—
wisdom, instruction and insight as well.(BB)
24 The father of a righteous child has great joy;
a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.(BC)
25 May your father and mother rejoice;
may she who gave you birth be joyful!(BD)
Saying 18
26 My son,(BE) give me your heart
and let your eyes delight in my ways,(BF)
27 for an adulterous woman is a deep pit,(BG)
and a wayward wife is a narrow well.
28 Like a bandit she lies in wait(BH)
and multiplies the unfaithful among men.
Saying 19
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaints?
Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 Those who linger over wine,(BI)
who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.
31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup,
when it goes down smoothly!
32 In the end it bites like a snake
and poisons like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange sights,
and your mind will imagine confusing things.
34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas,
lying on top of the rigging.
35 “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt!
They beat me, but I don’t feel it!
When will I wake up
so I can find another drink?”(BJ)
Saying 20
24 Do not envy(BK) the wicked,
do not desire their company;
2 for their hearts plot violence,(BL)
and their lips talk about making trouble.(BM)
Saying 21
3 By wisdom a house is built,(BN)
and through understanding it is established;
4 through knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and beautiful treasures.(BO)
Saying 22
5 The wise prevail through great power,
and those who have knowledge muster their strength.
6 Surely you need guidance to wage war,
and victory is won through many advisers.(BP)
Saying 23
7 Wisdom is too high for fools;
in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths.
Saying 24
8 Whoever plots evil
will be known as a schemer.
9 The schemes of folly are sin,
and people detest a mocker.
Saying 25
10 If you falter in a time of trouble,
how small is your strength!(BQ)
11 Rescue those being led away to death;
hold back those staggering toward slaughter.(BR)
12 If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”
does not he who weighs(BS) the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay(BT) everyone according to what they have done?(BU)
Saying 26
13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good;
honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
14 Know also that wisdom is like honey for you:
If you find it, there is a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.(BV)
Saying 27
15 Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous,
do not plunder their dwelling place;
16 for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,
but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.(BW)
Saying 28
17 Do not gloat(BX) when your enemy falls;
when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,(BY)
18 or the Lord will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from them.(BZ)
Saying 29
19 Do not fret(CA) because of evildoers
or be envious of the wicked,
20 for the evildoer has no future hope,
and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.(CB)
Saying 30
21 Fear the Lord and the king,(CC) my son,
and do not join with rebellious officials,
22 for those two will send sudden destruction(CD) on them,
and who knows what calamities they can bring?
Further Sayings of the Wise
23 These also are sayings of the wise:(CE)
To show partiality(CF) in judging is not good:(CG)
24 Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,”(CH)
will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.
25 But it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
and rich blessing will come on them.
26 An honest answer
is like a kiss on the lips.
27 Put your outdoor work in order
and get your fields ready;
after that, build your house.
28 Do not testify against your neighbor without cause(CI)—
would you use your lips to mislead?
29 Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me;
I’ll pay them back for what they did.”(CJ)
30 I went past the field of a sluggard,(CK)
past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
31 thorns had come up everywhere,
the ground was covered with weeds,
and the stone wall was in ruins.
32 I applied my heart to what I observed
and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest(CL)—
34 and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.(CM)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 23:1 Or who
- Proverbs 23:7 Or for as he thinks within himself, / so he is; or for as he puts on a feast, / so he is
Proverbs 22-24
King James Version
Proverbs 22-24
King James Version
22 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.
2 The rich and poor meet together: the Lord is the maker of them all.
3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
4 By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
8 He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.
9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.
10 Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.
11 He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.
12 The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge, and he overthroweth the words of the transgressor.
13 The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.
14 The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein.
15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
16 He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.
17 Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.
18 For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.
19 That thy trust may be in the Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.
20 Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,
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 unto thee?
22 Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:
23 For the Lord will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them.
24 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:
25 Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.
26 Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts.
27 If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?
28 Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.
29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.
23 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:
2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.
4 Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:
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.
8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.
9 Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
10 Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
11 For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.
12 Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
13 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.
14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
15 My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.
16 Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.
17 Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.
18 For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.
20 Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
22 Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.
25 Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.
26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
27 For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.
28 She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.
29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
34 Yea, 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.
35 They have stricken me, shalt 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.
24 Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.
2 For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.
3 Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:
4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.
6 For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.
8 He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.
9 The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.
10 If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
11 If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain;
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 shall not he render to every man according to his works?
13 My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:
14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.
15 Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place:
16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:
18 Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.
19 Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked:
20 For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.
21 My son, fear thou the Lord and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:
22 For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?
23 These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.
24 He that saith unto the wicked, Thou are righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him:
25 But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.
26 Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer.
27 Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.
28 Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and deceive not with thy lips.
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.
30 I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.
32 Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.
33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
34 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.
Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.