[1] Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and a fool.
[2] Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes.
[3] People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.
[4] Wealth makes many “friends”; poverty drives them all away.
[5] A false witness will not go unpunished, nor will a liar escape.
[6] Many seek favors from a ruler; everyone is the friend of a person who gives gifts!
[7] The relatives of the poor despise them; how much more will their friends avoid them! Though the poor plead with them, their friends are gone.
[8] To acquire wisdom is to love yourself; people who cherish understanding will prosper.
[9] A false witness will not go unpunished, and a liar will be destroyed.
[10] It isn’t right for a fool to live in luxury or for a slave to rule over princes!
[11] Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.
[12] The king’s anger is like a lion’s roar, but his favor is like dew on the grass.
[13] A foolish child is a calamity to a father; a quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping.
[14] Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the Lord can give an understanding wife.
[15] Lazy people sleep soundly, but idleness leaves them hungry.
[16] Keep the commandments and keep your life; despising them leads to death.
[17] If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord— and he will repay you!
[18] Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives.
[19] Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty. If you rescue them once, you will have to do it again.
[20] Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.
[21] You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.
[22] Loyalty makes a person attractive. It is better to be poor than dishonest.
[23] Fear of the Lord leads to life, bringing security and protection from harm.
[24] Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.
[25] If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded will learn a lesson; if you correct the wise, they will be all the wiser.
[26] Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother are an embarrassment and a public disgrace.
[27] If you stop listening to instruction, my child, you will turn your back on knowledge.
[28] A corrupt witness makes a mockery of justice; the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.
[29] Punishment is made for mockers, and the backs of fools are made to be beaten.