¹A false balance is an abomination to the Lord ,[#Pr 20:10, 23]

but a just weight is His delight.

²When pride comes, then comes disgrace,

but with the humble is wisdom.

³The integrity of the upright will guide them,

but the perverseness of the treacherous will destroy them.

⁴Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,

but righteousness delivers from death.

⁵The righteousness of the blameless will direct 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 desires.

⁷When a wicked man dies, his hope will perish,

and the expectation of the iniquitous comes to nothing.

⁸The righteous is delivered out of trouble,

and the wicked walks into it instead.

⁹The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor,

but by knowledge the righteous will be delivered.

¹⁰When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices;[#Pr 28:12]

and when the wicked perish, there is singing.

¹¹By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,

but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown.

¹²He who is devoid of wisdom derides his neighbor,

but a man of intelligence remains silent.

¹³A talebearer reveals secrets,[#Lev 19:16; Pr 20:19]

but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals the matter.

¹⁴Where there is no counsel, the nation falls,

but in a multitude of counselors there is safety.

¹⁵He who guarantees loans for a stranger will suffer,[#Pr 17:18]

but he who hates pledging collateral is secure.

¹⁶A gracious woman retains honor,[#Pr 31:30–31]

but ruthless men attain riches.

¹⁷The merciful man does good for his own soul,[#Mt 5:7; 25:34–40]

but a cruel man troubles his own flesh.

¹⁸The wicked man earns deceptive wages,

but he who sows righteousness reaps a true reward.

¹⁹As righteousness leads to life,[#Pr 10:16; 19:23]

so he who pursues evil will find death.

²⁰The perverse in heart are an abomination to the Lord ,

but the blameless in their ways are His delight.

²¹Be assured, the wicked will not go unpunished,[#Pr 16:5]

but the sons of the righteous will be delivered.

²²Like a ring of gold in the snout of a pig

is a woman of beauty, who shows no discretion.

²³The desire of the righteous ends only in good,

but the hope of transgressors, only in wrath.

²⁴One gives freely, and yet increases;[#Ps 112:9]

another withholds what is due, but only suffers want.

²⁵The generous soul will prosper,

and he who waters will himself be watered.

²⁶He who withholds grain, the people will curse,

but to him who will sell it, a blessing will be given.

²⁷He who diligently seeks good procures favor,

but to him who seeks mischief, evil will come.

²⁸He who trusts in his riches will wither,

but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.

²⁹He who troubles his own house will inherit the wind,[#Ecc 5:16]

and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

³⁰As the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,[#Pr 3:18]

so he who wins souls is wise.

³¹If the righteous will be repaid on the earth,

how much more the wicked and the sinner!