¹The wicked flee when no one pursues ;

but the righteous are as bold as a lion .

²In rebellion , a land has many rulers ,

but order is maintained by a man of understanding and knowledge .

³A needy man who oppresses the poor

is like a driving rain which leaves no crops.

⁴Those who forsake the law praise the wicked ;

but those who keep the law contend with them .

⁵Evil men don’t understand justice ;

but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.

⁶Better is the poor who walks in his integrity

than he who is perverse in his ways , and he is rich .

⁷Whoever keeps the law is a wise son ;

but he who is a companion of gluttons shames his father .

⁸He who increases his wealth by excessive interest

gathers it for one who has pity on the poor .

⁹He who turns away his ear from hearing the law ,

even his prayer is an abomination .

¹⁰Whoever causes the upright to go astray in an evil way ,

he will fall into his own trap;

but the blameless will inherit good .

¹¹The rich man is wise in his own eyes ;

but the poor who has understanding sees through him .

¹²When the righteous triumph , there is great glory ;

but when the wicked rise , men hide themselves.

¹³He who conceals his sins doesn’t prosper ,

but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy .

¹⁴Blessed is the man who always fears ;

but one who hardens his heart falls into trouble .

¹⁵As a roaring lion or a charging bear ,

so is a wicked ruler over helpless people .

¹⁶A tyrannical ruler lacks judgement.

One who hates ill-gotten gain will have long days .

¹⁷A man who is tormented by blood guilt will be a fugitive until death .

No one will support him .

¹⁸Whoever walks blamelessly is kept safe ;

but one with perverse ways will fall suddenly.

¹⁹One who works his land will have an abundance of food ;

but one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty .

²⁰A faithful man is rich with blessings ;

but one who is eager to be rich will not go unpunished .

²¹To show partiality is not good ,

yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread .

²²A stingy man hurries after riches ,

and doesn’t know that poverty waits for him .

²³One who rebukes a man will afterward find more favour

than one who flatters with the tongue .

²⁴Whoever robs his father or his mother and says, “It ’s not wrong,”

is a partner with a destroyer .

²⁵One who is greedy stirs up strife ;

but one who trusts in the LORD will prosper .

²⁶One who trusts in himself is a fool ;

but one who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

²⁷One who gives to the poor has no lack ;

but one who closes his eyes will have many curses .

²⁸When the wicked rise , men hide themselves ;

but when they perish, the righteous thrive.