² Rich and poor have this in common:
The Lord is the Maker of them all.

³ The prudent see danger and take refuge,
but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

⁴ Humility is the fear of the Lord;
its wages are riches and honor and life.

⁵ In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls,
but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.

⁶ Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

⁷ The rich rule over the poor,
and the borrower is slave to the lender.

⁸ Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity,
and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.

⁹ The generous will themselves be blessed,
for they share their food with the poor.

¹⁰ Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife;
quarrels and insults are ended.

¹¹ One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace
will have the king for a friend.

¹² The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,
but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.

¹³ The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside!
I’ll be killed in the public square!”

¹⁴ The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit;
a man who is under the Lord’s wrath falls into it.

¹⁵ Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.

¹⁶ One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth
and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.

Thirty Sayings of the Wise

Saying 1

¹⁷ Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise;
apply your heart to what I teach,
¹⁸ for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
and have all of them ready on your lips.
¹⁹ So that your trust may be in the Lord,
I teach you today, even you.
²⁰ Have I not written thirty sayings for you,
sayings of counsel and knowledge,
²¹ teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth,
so that you bring back truthful reports
to those you serve?

Saying 2

²² Do not exploit the poor because they are poor
and do not crush the needy in court,
²³ for the Lord will take up their case
and will exact life for life.

Saying 3

²⁴ Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person,
do not associate with one easily angered,
²⁵ or you may learn their ways
and get yourself ensnared.

Saying 4

²⁶ Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge
or puts up security for debts;
²⁷ if you lack the means to pay,
your very bed will be snatched from under you.

Saying 5

²⁸ Do not move an ancient boundary stone
set up by your ancestors.

Saying 6

²⁹ Do you see someone skilled in their work?
They will serve before kings;
they will not serve before officials of low rank.