2He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.

3In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,
But the lips of the wise will preserve them.

4Where no oxen are, the [a]trough is clean;
But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.

5A faithful witness does not lie,
But a false witness will utter lies.

6A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it,
But knowledge is easy to him who understands.
7Go from the presence of a foolish man,
When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.
8The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But the folly of fools is deceit.

9Fools mock at [b]sin,
But among the upright there is favor.

10The heart knows its own bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.

11The house of the wicked will be overthrown,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.

12There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

13Even in laughter the heart may sorrow,
And the end of mirth may be grief.

14The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways,
But a good man will be satisfied [c]from above.

15The simple believes every word,
But the prudent considers well his steps.
16A wise man fears and departs from evil,
But a fool rages and is self-confident.
17A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
And a man of wicked intentions is hated.
18The simple inherit folly,
But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19The evil will bow before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

20The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor,
But [d]the rich has many friends.
21He who despises his neighbor sins;
But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.

22Do they not go astray who devise evil?
But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.

23In all labor there is profit,
But [e]idle chatter leads only to poverty.

24The crown of the wise is their riches,
But the foolishness of fools is folly.

25A true witness [f]delivers souls,
But a deceitful witness speaks lies.

26In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge.
27The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.

28In a multitude of people is a king’s honor,
But in the lack of people is the downfall of a prince.

29He who is slow to wrath has great understanding,
But he who is [g]impulsive exalts folly.

30A sound heart is life to the body,
But envy is rottenness to the bones.

31He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker,
But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.

32The wicked is banished in his wickedness,
But the righteous has a refuge in his death.

33Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding,
But what is in the heart of fools is made known.

34Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a [h]reproach to any people.

35The king’s favor is toward a wise servant,
But his wrath is against him who causes shame.