Proverbs 22

¹A good name is more desirable than great riches,

and high esteem, than gold and silver.

²Rich and poor have a common bond:

the Lord is the maker of them all.

³The astute see an evil and hide,

while the naive continue on and pay the penalty.

⁴The result of humility and fear of the Lord

is riches, honor and life.

⁵Thorns and snares are on the path of the crooked;

those who would safeguard their lives will avoid them.

⁶Train the young in the way they should go;

even when old, they will not swerve from it.

⁷The rich rule over the poor,

and the borrower is the slave of the lender.

⁸Those who sow iniquity reap calamity,[#Jb 4:8; Sir 7:3; Hos 8:7.]

and the rod used in anger will fail.

⁹The generous will be blessed,

for they share their food with the poor.

¹⁰Expel the arrogant and discord goes too;

strife and insult cease.

¹¹The Lord loves the pure of heart;[#Mt 5:8.]

the person of winning speech has a king for a friend.

¹²The eyes of the Lord watch over the knowledgeable,

but he defeats the projects of the faithless.

¹³The sluggard says, “A lion is outside;[#Prv 26:13.]

I might be slain in the street.”

¹⁴The mouth of the foreign woman is a deep pit;[#Prv 23:27.]

whoever incurs the Lord ’s anger will fall into it.

¹⁵Folly is bound to the heart of a youth,

but the rod of discipline will drive it out.

¹⁶Oppressing the poor for enrichment,

giving to the rich: both are sheer loss.

IV. SAYINGS OF THE WISE

¹⁷The Words of the Wise:[#22:17–23:35] The maxims warn against: robbing the poor and defenseless (22:22–23), anger (22:24–25), giving surety for debts (22:26–27), advancing oneself by socializing with rulers (23:1–2), anxiety for riches (23:4–5), forcing oneself on a grudging host (23:6–8), intemperance in food and drink (23:19–21, 29–35), and adultery (23:26–28). They exhort to: careful workmanship (22:29), respect for the rights of orphans (23:10–11), correction of the young (23:13–14), filial piety (23:15–16, 22–25), and fear of the Lord (23:17–18).]

Incline your ear, and hear my words,

and let your mind attend to my teaching;

¹⁸For it will be well if you hold them within you,

if they all are ready on your lips.

¹⁹That your trust may be in the Lord ,

I make them known to you today—yes, to you.

²⁰Have I not written for you thirty sayings,

containing counsels and knowledge,

²¹To teach you truly

how to give a dependable report to one who sends you?

²²Do not rob the poor because they are poor,

nor crush the needy at the gate;

²³For the Lord will defend their cause,[#Prv 23:11.]

and will plunder those who plunder them.

²⁴Do not be friendly with hotheads,

nor associate with the wrathful,

²⁵Lest you learn their ways,

and become ensnared.

²⁶Do not be one of those who give their hand in pledge,

those who become surety for debts;

²⁷For if you are unable to pay,

your bed will be taken from under you.

²⁸Do not remove the ancient landmark[#: marks the boundary of property. To remove it is the equivalent of stealing land. A similar warning is contained in 23:10.]

that your ancestors set up.

²⁹Do you see those skilled at their work?

They will stand in the presence of kings,

but not in the presence of the obscure.