Read the Bible

¹ The Lord hates anyone
    who cheats,
    but he likes everyone
    who is honest.
² Too much pride
can put you to shame.
    It's wiser to be humble.
³ If you do the right thing,
    honesty will be your guide.
But if you are crooked,
    you will be trapped
    by your own dishonesty.

⁴ When God is angry,
    money won't help you.
    Obeying God is the only way
    to be saved from death.
⁵ If you are truly good,
    you will do right;
if you are wicked,
    you will be destroyed
    by your own sin.
⁶ Honesty can keep you safe,
    but if you can't be trusted,
    you trap yourself.
⁷ When the wicked die,
    their hopes die with them.
⁸ Trouble goes right past
the Lord's people
    and strikes the wicked.

⁹ Dishonest people use gossip
    to destroy their neighbors;
    good people are protected
    by their own good sense.
¹⁰ When honest people prosper
and the wicked disappear,
    the whole city celebrates.
¹¹ When God blesses his people,
    their city prospers,
    but deceitful liars
    can destroy a city.

¹² It's stupid to say bad things
    about your neighbors.
    If you are sensible,
    you will keep quiet.
¹³ A gossip tells everything,
    but a true friend
    will keep a secret.
¹⁴ A city without wise leaders
    will end up in ruin;
    a city with many wise leaders
    will be kept safe.

¹⁵ It's a dangerous thing
    to guarantee payment
for someone's debts.
    Don't do it!
¹⁶ A gracious woman
    will be respected,
    but a man must work hard
    to get rich.^[a]
17 Kindness is rewarded—
    but if you are cruel,
    you hurt yourself.
¹⁸ Meanness gets you nowhere,
    but goodness is rewarded.
¹⁹ Always do the right thing,
    and you will live;
    keep on doing wrong,
    and you will die.

²⁰ The Lord hates sneaky people,
    but he likes everyone
    who lives right.
²¹ You can be sure of this:
    All crooks will be punished,
    but God's people won't.
²² A beautiful woman
    who acts foolishly
    is like a gold ring
    on the snout of a pig.
²³ Good people want what is best,
    but troublemakers
    hope to stir up trouble.^[b]

²⁴ Sometimes you can become rich
by being generous
    or poor by being greedy.
²⁵ Generosity will be rewarded:
    Give a cup of water,
    and you will receive
    a cup of water in return.
²⁶ Charge too much for grain,
    and you will be cursed;
    sell it at a fair price,
    and you will be praised.
²⁷ Try hard to do right,
    and you will win friends;
    go looking for trouble,
    and you will find it.
²⁸ Trust in your wealth,
    and you will be a failure,
    but God's people will prosper
    like healthy plants.

²⁹ Fools who cause trouble
in the family
    won't inherit a thing.
    They will end up as slaves
    of someone with good sense.
³⁰ Live right, and you will eat
    from the life-giving tree.
    And if you act wisely,
    others will follow.^[c]
31 If good people are rewarded^[d]
    here on this earth,
    all who are cruel and mean
    will surely be punished.