22 It is better to be respected than to be rich. A good name is more important than silver or gold. ²Rich people and poor people are the same. The Lord made them all. ³Wise people see trouble coming and get out of its way. But foolish people go straight to the trouble and suffer because of it. ⁴Respect the Lord and be humble. Then you will have wealth, honor, and true life. ⁵Evil people are trapped by many troubles. But the person who cares for his soul stays away from trouble. ⁶Teach a child the right way to live while he is young. Then when he grows older, he will continue living that way. ⁷Poor people are slaves to rich people. The person who borrows is a servant to the person who lends. ⁸A person who spreads trouble will harvest trouble. And in the end, that person will be destroyed because of the trouble he gave other people. ⁹A person who gives freely will be blessed. He will be blessed because he shares his food with poor people. ¹⁰If a person thinks he is better than other people, force him to leave. When that person leaves, trouble will leave with him. Then arguments and bragging will end. ¹¹The king will be your friend if you love a pure heart and kind words. ¹²The Lord watches over and protects people who know him. But he destroys people who turn against him. ¹³The lazy person says, “I can’t go {to work} now. There is a lion outside. It might kill me.” ¹⁴The sin of adultery is like a trap. The Lord will become very angry at the person who falls into that trap. ¹⁵Children do foolish things. But if you punish them, they will learn not to do those things. ¹⁶These two things will make you poor—hurting poor people to make yourself rich, and giving gifts to rich people.

Thirty Wise Sayings

¹⁷Listen to the things that I say. I will teach you the things wise men have said. Learn from these teachings. ¹⁸It will be good for you if you remember these things. It will help you if you can say these words. ¹⁹I will teach you these things now. I want you to trust the Lord. ²⁰I have written 30 sayings for you. These are words of advice and wisdom. ²¹These words will teach you true and important things. Then you can give good answers to the one that sent you.

—1 —

²²It is easy to steal from poor people, but don’t do it. And don’t take advantage of those poor people in court. ²³The Lord is on their side. He supports them and he will take things away from any person that takes from them.

—2 —

²⁴Don’t be friends with a person who becomes angry easily. Don’t go near a person who becomes mad fast. ²⁵If you do, you may learn to be like him. Then you will have the same troubles he has.

—3 —

²⁶Don’t promise to be responsible for another person’s debts. ²⁷If you can’t pay his debt, then you will lose everything you have. Why should you lose the bed you sleep on?

—4 —

²⁸Never move an old property line that was marked long ago by your ancestors.*

—5 —

²⁹If a person is skilled in his work, then he is good enough to serve kings. He will not have to work for people who are not important.

ancestors Literally, “fathers,” meaning a person’s parents, grandparents, and all the people they are descended from.

—6 —

23 When you sit and eat with an important man, remember who you are with. ²Never eat too much, even if you are very hungry. ³And don’t eat too much of the fine food he serves. It might be a trick.

—7 —

⁴Don’t ruin your health trying to become rich. If you are wise, you will be patient. ⁵Money goes very quickly, as if it grows wings and flies away like a bird.

—8 —

⁶Don’t eat with a selfish person. And stay away from the special foods he likes. ⁷He is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. He might say to you, “Eat and drink.” But that is not really what he wants. ⁸And if you eat his food, then you will become sick. And you will be embarrassed.

—9 —

⁹Don’t try to teach a fool. He will make fun of your wise words.

—10 —

¹⁰Never move an old property line. And never take land that belongs to orphans.* ¹¹The Lord will be against you. The Lord is powerful and he defends those orphans.

—11 —

¹²Listen to your teacher and learn all you can.

—12 —

¹³Always punish a child if it needs it. It will not hurt him to spank him. ¹⁴If you spank him, you may save his life.

—13 —

¹⁵My son, if you become wise, then I will be very happy. ¹⁶I will be happy in my heart if I hear you say things that are right.

—14 —

¹⁷Don’t be jealous of evil people. But always try as hard as you can to respect the Lord. ¹⁸There is always hope. And that hope will never be gone.

—15 —

¹⁹So listen, my son, and be wise. Always be careful to live the right way. ²⁰Don’t be friends with people who drink too much wine and eat too much food. ²¹People who drink too much and eat too much become poor. All they do is eat, drink, sleep, and soon they have nothing.

—16 —

²²Listen to the things your father tells you. Without your father, you would never have been born. And respect your mother, even when she is old. ²³Truth, wisdom, learning, and understanding are worth paying money for. And they are worth far too much to ever sell. ²⁴The father of a good person is very happy. If a person has a wise child, then that child brings joy. ²⁵So let your father and mother be happy with you. Let your mother have joy.

—17 —

²⁶My son, listen closely to what I am saying. Let my life be your example. ²⁷Prostitutes and bad women are a trap. They are like a deep well that you can’t get out of. ²⁸A bad woman waits for you like a thief. And she causes many men to become sinners.

—18 —

^29–30It will be very bad for people who drink too much wine and strong drinks. Those people have many fights and arguments. Their eyes are red and they stumble and hurt themselves. They could have avoided all those troubles! ³¹So be careful with wine. It is pretty and red. It sparkles in the cup. And it goes down so smooth when you drink it. ³²But in the end it bites like a snake. ³³Wine will cause you to see strange things. Your mind will be confused. ³⁴When you lie down, you will think you are on a rough sea. You feel like you are lying on a ship. ³⁵You will say, “They hit me but I never felt it. They beat me but I don’t remember it. Now I can’t wake up. I need another drink.”

orphans Children whose parents are dead. Often these children have no one to care for them.