Proverbs 17:1

17:1 Better is a dry crust of bread where there is quietness

than a house full of feasting with strife.

Proverbs 3:1-35

Exhortations to Seek Wisdom and Walk with the Lord

3:1 My child, do not forget my teaching,

but let your heart keep my commandments,

3:2 for they will provide a long and full life,

and they will add well-being to you.

3:3 Do not let truth and mercy leave you;

bind them around your neck,

write them on the tablet of your heart.

3:4 Then you will find favor and good understanding,

in the sight of God and people.

3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not rely on your own understanding.

3:6 Acknowledge him in all your ways,

and he will make your paths straight.

3:7 Do not be wise in your own estimation;

fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

3:8 This will bring healing to your body,

and refreshment to your inner self.

3:9 Honor the Lord from your wealth

and from the first fruits of all your crops;

3:10 then your barns will be filled completely,

and your vats will overflow with new wine.

3:11 My child, do not despise discipline from the Lord,

and do not loathe his rebuke.

3:12 For the Lord disciplines those he loves,

just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.

Blessings of Obtaining Wisdom

3:13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,

and the one who obtains understanding.

3:14 For her benefit is more profitable than silver,

and her gain is better than gold.

3:15 She is more precious than rubies,

and none of the things you desire can compare with her.

3:16 Long life is in her right hand;

in her left hand are riches and honor.

3:17 Her ways are very pleasant,

and all her paths are peaceful.

3:18 She is like a tree of life to those who obtain her,

and everyone who grasps hold of her will be blessed.

3:19 By wisdom the Lord laid the foundation of the earth;

he established the heavens by understanding.

3:20 By his knowledge the primordial sea was broken open,

and the clouds drip down dew.

3:21 My child, do not let them escape from your sight;

safeguard sound wisdom and discretion.

3:22 So they will give life to you,

and grace to adorn your neck.

3:23 Then you will walk on your way with security,

and you will not stumble.

3:24 When you lie down you will not be filled with fear;

when you lie down your sleep will be pleasant.

3:25 You will not be afraid of sudden disaster,

or when destruction overtakes the wicked;

3:26 for the Lord will be the source of your confidence,

and he will guard your foot from being caught in a trap.

Wisdom Demonstrated in Relationships with People

3:27 Do not withhold good from those who need it,

when you have the ability to help.

3:28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go! Return tomorrow

and I will give it,” when you have it with you at the time.

3:29 Do not plot evil against your neighbor

when he dwells by you unsuspectingly.

3:30 Do not accuse anyone without legitimate cause,

if he has not treated you wrongly.

3:31 Do not envy a violent man,

and do not choose to imitate any of his ways;

3:32 for one who goes astray is an abomination to the Lord,

but he reveals his intimate counsel to the upright.

3:33 The Lord’s curse is on the household of the wicked,

but he blesses the home of the righteous.

3:34 Although he is scornful to arrogant scoffers,

yet he shows favor to the humble.

3:35 The wise inherit honor,

but he holds fools up to public contempt.

Proverbs 23:1-35

23:1 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,

consider carefully what is before you,

23:2 and put a knife to your throat

if you possess a large appetite.

23:3 Do not crave that ruler’s delicacies,

for that food is deceptive.

23:4 Do not wear yourself out to become rich;

be wise enough to restrain yourself.

23:5 When you gaze upon riches, they are gone,

for they surely make wings for themselves,

and fly off into the sky like an eagle!

23:6 Do not eat the food of a stingy person,

do not crave his delicacies;

23:7 for he is like someone calculating the cost in his mind.

“Eat and drink,” he says to you,

but his heart is not with you;

23:8 you will vomit up the little bit you have eaten,

and will have wasted your pleasant words.

23:9 Do not speak in the ears of a fool,

for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

23:10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone,

or take over the fields of the fatherless,

23:11 for their Protector is strong;

he will plead their case against you.

23:12 Apply your heart to instruction

and your ears to the words of knowledge.

23:13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;

even if you strike him with the rod, he will not die.

23:14 If you strike him with the rod,

you will deliver him from death.

23:15 My child, if your heart is wise,

then my heart also will be glad;

23:16 my soul will rejoice

when your lips speak what is right.

23:17 Do not let your heart envy sinners,

but rather be zealous in fearing the Lord all the time.

23:18 For surely there is a future,

and your hope will not be cut off.

23:19 Listen, my child, and be wise,

and guide your heart on the right way.

23:20 Do not spend time among drunkards,

among those who eat too much meat,

23:21 because drunkards and gluttons become impoverished,

and drowsiness clothes them with rags.

23:22 Listen to your father who begot you,

and do not despise your mother when she is old.

23:23 Acquire truth and do not sell it –

wisdom, and discipline, and understanding.

23:24 The father of a righteous person will rejoice greatly;

whoever fathers a wise child will have joy in him.

23:25 May your father and your mother have joy;

may she who bore you rejoice.

23:26 Give me your heart, my son,

and let your eyes observe my ways;

23:27 for a prostitute is like a deep pit;

a harlot is like a narrow well.

23:28 Indeed, she lies in wait like a robber,

and increases the unfaithful among men.

23:29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?

Who has contentions? Who has complaints?

Who has wounds without cause? Who has dullness of the eyes?

23:30 Those who linger over wine,

those who go looking for mixed wine.

23:31 Do not look on the wine when it is red,

when it sparkles in the cup,

when it goes down smoothly.

23:32 Afterward it bites like a snake,

and stings like a viper.

23:33 Your eyes will see strange things,

and your mind will speak perverse things.

23:34 And you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,

and like one who lies down on the top of the rigging.

23:35 You will say, “They have struck me, but I am not harmed!

They beat me, but I did not know it!

When will I awake? I will look for another drink.”

Proverbs 25:1-28

Proverbs of Solomon Collected by Hezekiah

25:1 These also are proverbs of Solomon,

which the men of King Hezekiah of Judah copied:

25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,

and it is the glory of a king to search out a matter.

25:3 As the heaven is high and the earth is deep

so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.

25:4 Remove the dross from the silver,

and material for the silversmith will emerge;

25:5 remove the wicked from before the king,

and his throne will be established in righteousness.

25:6 Do not honor yourself before the king,

and do not stand in the place of great men;

25:7 for it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,”

than to put you lower before a prince,

whom your eyes have seen.

25:8 Do not go out hastily to litigation,

or what will you do afterward

when your neighbor puts you to shame?

25:9 When you argue a case with your neighbor,

do not reveal the secret of another person,

25:10 lest the one who hears it put you to shame

and your infamy will never go away.

25:11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver,

so is a word skillfully spoken.

25:12 Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold,

so is a wise reprover to the ear of the one who listens.

25:13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest,

so is a faithful messenger to those who send him,

for he refreshes the heart of his masters.

25:14 Like cloudy skies and wind that produce no rain,

so is the one who boasts of a gift not given.

25:15 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,

and a soft tongue can break a bone.

25:16 When you find honey, eat only what is sufficient for you,

lest you become stuffed with it and vomit it up.

25:17 Don’t set foot too frequently in your neighbor’s house,

lest he become weary of you and hate you.

25:18 Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow,

so is the one who testifies against his neighbor as a false witness.

25:19 Like a bad tooth or a foot out of joint,

so is confidence in an unfaithful person at the time of trouble.

25:20 Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,

or like vinegar poured on soda,

so is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

25:21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat,

and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,

25:22 for you will heap coals of fire on his head,

and the Lord will reward you.

25:23 The north wind brings forth rain,

and a gossiping tongue brings forth an angry look.

25:24 It is better to live on a corner of the housetop

than in a house in company with a quarrelsome wife.

25:25 Like cold water to a weary person,

so is good news from a distant land.

25:26 Like a muddied spring and a polluted well,

so is a righteous person who gives way before the wicked.

25:27 It is not good to eat too much honey,

nor is it honorable for people to seek their own glory.

25:28 Like a city that is broken down and without a wall,

so is a person who cannot control his temper.

Proverbs 27:1-27

27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow;

for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

27:2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;

someone else, and not your own lips.

27:3 A stone is heavy and sand is weighty,

but vexation by a fool is more burdensome than the two of them.

27:4 Wrath is cruel and anger is overwhelming,

but who can stand before jealousy?

27:5 Better is open rebuke

than hidden love.

27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend,

but the kisses of an enemy are excessive.

27:7 The one whose appetite is satisfied loathes honey,

but to the hungry mouth every bitter thing is sweet.

27:8 Like a bird that wanders from its nest,

so is a person who wanders from his home.

27:9 Ointment and incense make the heart rejoice,

likewise the sweetness of one’s friend from sincere counsel.

27:10 Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend,

and do not enter your brother’s house in the day of your disaster;

a neighbor nearby is better than a brother far away.

27:11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,

so that I may answer anyone who taunts me.

27:12 A shrewd person sees danger and hides himself,

but the naive keep right on going and suffer for it.

27:13 Take a man’s garment when he has given security for a stranger,

and when he gives surety for a stranger, hold him in pledge.

27:14 If someone blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning,

it will be counted as a curse to him.

27:15 A continual dripping on a rainy day

and a contentious wife are alike.

27:16 Whoever hides her hides the wind

or grasps oil with his right hand.

27:17 As iron sharpens iron,

so a person sharpens his friend.

27:18 The one who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,

and whoever takes care of his master will be honored.

27:19 As in water the face is reflected as a face,

so a person’s heart reflects the person.

27:20 As Death and Destruction are never satisfied,

so the eyes of a person are never satisfied.

27:21 As the crucible is for silver and the furnace is for gold,

so a person is proved by the praise he receives.

27:22 If you should pound the fool in the mortar

among the grain with the pestle,

his foolishness would not depart from him.

27:23 Pay careful attention to the condition of your flocks,

give careful attention to your herds,

27:24 for riches do not last forever,

nor does a crown last from generation to generation.

27:25 When the hay is removed and new grass appears,

and the grass from the hills is gathered in,

27:26 the lambs will be for your clothing,

and the goats will be for the price of a field.

27:27 And there will be enough goat’s milk for your food,

for the food of your household,

and for the sustenance of your servant girls.