21:1 In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.
21:2 A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.
21:3 To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
21:4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart - the unplowed field of the wicked - produce sin.
21:5 The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.
21:6 A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.* / *Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts vapor for those who seek death
21:7 The violence of the wicked will drag them away, for they refuse to do what is right.
21:8 The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.
21:9 Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
21:10 The wicked crave evil; their neighbors get no mercy from them.
21:11 When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom; by paying attention to the wise they get knowledge.
21:12 The Righteous One* takes note of the house of the wicked and brings the wicked to ruin. / *Or The righteous person
21:13 Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.
21:14 A gift given in secret soothes anger, and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.
21:15 When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.
21:16 Whoever strays from the path of prudence comes to rest in the company of the dead.
21:17 Whoever loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.
21:18 The wicked become a ransom for the righteous, and the unfaithful for the upright.
21:19 Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.
21:20 The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.
21:21 Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity* and honor. / *Or righteousness
21:22 One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.
21:23 Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.
21:24 The proud and arrogant person - “Mocker” is his name - behaves with insolent fury.
21:25 The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.
21:26 All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing.
21:27 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable - how much more so when brought with evil intent!
21:28 A false witness will perish, but a careful listener will testify successfully.
21:29 The wicked put up a bold front, but the upright give thought to their ways.
21:30 There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.
21:31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.