22:1 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
22:2 Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all.
22:3 The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.
22:4 Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.
22:5 In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls, but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.
22:6 Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
22:7 The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.
22:8 Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity, and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.
22:9 The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.
22:10 Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended.
22:11 One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend.
22:12 The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.
22:13 The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside! I’ll be killed in the public square!”
22:14 The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit; a man who is under the Lord’s wrath falls into it.
22:15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.
22:16 One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and one who gives gifts to the rich - both come to poverty.
22:17 Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach,
22:18 for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips.
22:19 So that your trust may be in the Lord, I teach you today, even you.
22:20 Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge,
22:21 teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth, so that you bring back truthful reports to those you serve?
22:22 Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court,
22:23 for the Lord will take up their case and will exact life for life.
22:24 Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered,
22:25 or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared.
22:26 Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts;
22:27 if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you.
22:28 Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your ancestors.
22:29 Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.