Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge,
That your trust may be in the Lord, I have made them known to you today, even to you.
Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate,
for the Lord will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them.
Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set.
Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies,
You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten, and waste your pleasant words.
Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.
Do not move an ancient landmark or enter the fields of the fatherless,
If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.
Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.
Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way.
for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.
The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.
She lies in wait like a robber and increases the traitors among mankind.
Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.
In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.
You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, like one who lies on the top of a mast.
by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the gate he does not open his mouth.
The devising of folly is sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.
If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.
Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?
My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous; do no violence to his home;
for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.
lest the Lord see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him.
Fret not yourself because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked,
for the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
My son, fear the Lord and the king, and do not join with those who do otherwise,
for disaster will arise suddenly from them, and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?
These also are sayings of the wise. Partiality in judging is not good.
Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,” will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations,
but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them.
Whoever gives an honest answer kisses the lips.
Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.
Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.”
I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,
and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied.
It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.
As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so the heart of kings is unsearchable.
Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel;
take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness.
Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence or stand in the place of the great,
for it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put lower in the presence of a noble. What your eyes have seen
do not hastily bring into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame?
Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
ESV® Permanent Text Edition (2016). The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers.
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