• ¹Don’t be envious of evil men;
• neither desire to be with them:

• ²for their hearts plot violence,
• and their lips talk about mischief.

• ³Through wisdom a house is built;
• by understanding it is established;

• ⁴by knowledge the rooms are filled
• with all rare and beautiful treasure.

• ⁵A wise man has great power;
• and a knowledgeable man increases strength;

• ⁶for by wise guidance you wage your war;
• and victory is in many advisors.

• ⁷Wisdom is too high for a fool:
• he doesn’t open his mouth in the gate.

• ⁸One who plots to do evil
• will be called a schemer.

• ⁹The schemes of folly are sin.
• The mocker is detested by men.

• ¹⁰If you falter in the time of trouble,
• your strength is small.

• ¹¹Rescue those who are being led away to death!
• Indeed, hold back those who are staggering to the slaughter!

• ¹²If you say, “Behold, we didn’t know this;”
• doesn’t he who weighs the hearts consider it?

• He who keeps your soul, doesn’t he know it?
• Shall he not render to every man according to his work?

• ¹³My son, eat honey, for it is good;
• the droppings of the honeycomb, which are sweet to your taste:

• ¹⁴so you shall know wisdom to be to your soul;
• if you have found it, then there will be a reward,
• your hope will not be cut off.

• ¹⁵Don’t lay in wait, wicked man, against the habitation of the righteous.
• Don’t destroy his resting place:

• ¹⁶for a righteous man falls seven times, and rises up again;
• but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.

• ¹⁷Don’t rejoice when your enemy falls.
• Don’t let your heart be glad when he is overthrown;

• ¹⁸lest Yahweh see it, and it displease him,
• and he turn away his wrath from him.

• ¹⁹Don’t fret yourself because of evildoers;
• neither be envious of the wicked:

• ²⁰for there will be no reward to the evil man;
• and the lamp of the wicked shall be snuffed out.

• ²¹My son, fear Yahweh and the king.
• Don’t join those who are rebellious:

• ²²for their calamity will rise suddenly;
• the destruction from them both—who knows?

²³These also are sayings of the wise.

• To show partiality in judgment is not good.

• ²⁴He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous;”
• peoples shall curse him, and nations shall abhor him—

• ²⁵but it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
• and a rich blessing will come on them.

• ²⁶An honest answer
• is like a kiss on the lips.

• ²⁷Prepare your work outside,
• and get your fields ready.
• Afterwards, build your house.

• ²⁸Don’t be a witness against your neighbor without cause.
• Don’t deceive with your lips.

• ²⁹Don’t say, “I will do to him as he has done to me;
• I will render to the man according to his work.”

• ³⁰I went by the field of the sluggard,
• by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;

• ³¹Behold, it was all grown over with thorns.
• Its surface was covered with nettles,
• and its stone wall was broken down.

• ³²Then I saw, and considered well.
• I saw, and received instruction:

• ³³a little sleep, a little slumber,
• a little folding of the hands to sleep;

• ³⁴so your poverty will come as a robber,
• and your want as an armed man.