5The righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way,
         But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.

6The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,
         But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed.

7When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish,
         And the hope of strong men perishes.

8The righteous is delivered from trouble,
         But the wicked takes his place.

9With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor,
         But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.

10When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
         And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.

11By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
         But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.

12He who despises his neighbor lacks sense,
         But a man of understanding keeps silent.

13He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets,
         But he who is trustworthy conceals a matter.

14Where there is no guidance the people fall,
         But in abundance of counselors there is victory.

15He who is guarantor for a stranger will surely suffer for it,
         But he who hates being a guarantor is secure.

16A gracious woman attains honor,
         And ruthless men attain riches.

17The merciful man does himself good,
         But the cruel man does himself harm.

18The wicked earns deceptive wages,
         But he who sows righteousness gets a true reward.

19He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life,
         And he who pursues evil will bring about his own death.

20The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD,
         But the blameless in their walk are His delight.

21Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished,
         But the descendants of the righteous will be delivered.

22As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout
         So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

23The desire of the righteous is only good,
         But the expectation of the wicked is wrath.

24There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more,
         And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want.

25The generous man will be prosperous,
         And he who waters will himself be watered.

26He who withholds grain, the people will curse him,
         But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.

27He who diligently seeks good seeks favor,
         But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.

28He who trusts in his riches will fall,
         But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.

29He who troubles his own house will inherit wind,
         And the foolish will be servant to the wisehearted.

30The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
         And he who is wise wins souls.

31If the righteous will be rewarded in the earth,
         How much more the wicked and the sinner!

NASB ©1995