Read the Bible

¹ Wine and beer make people lose control; they get loud and stumble around. And that is foolish.

² An angry king is like a roaring lion. If you make him angry, you could lose your life.

³ People who refuse to argue deserve respect. Any fool can start an argument.

⁴ Some people are too lazy to plant seeds. So at harvest time, they look for food and find nothing.

⁵ Getting information from someone can be like getting water from a deep well. If you are smart, you will draw it out.

⁶ You might call many people your "friends," but it is hard to find someone who can really be trusted.

⁷ When people live good, honest lives, their children are blessed.

⁸ When the king sits and judges people, he must look carefully to separate the evil from the good.

⁹ Can anyone say their heart is pure? Who can say, "I am free from sin"?

¹⁰ The Lord hates for people to use the wrong weights and measures to cheat others.

¹¹ Even children show what they are like by the things they do. You can see if their actions are pure and right.

¹² It was the Lord who gave us eyes for seeing and ears for hearing.

¹³ If you love to sleep, you will become poor. Use your time working and you will have plenty to eat.

¹⁴ When buying something, people always say, "It's no good. It costs too much." Then they go away and tell others what a good deal they got.

¹⁵ The right knowledge can bring you gold, pearls, and other expensive things.

¹⁶ If someone promises to pay the debt of a stranger, get a coat or something from him to keep until the debt is paid.

¹⁷ It may seem to be a good thing to get something by cheating, but in the end, it will be worth nothing.

¹⁸ Get good advice when you make your plans. Before you start a war, find good advisors.

¹⁹ You cannot trust someone who would talk about things told in private. So don't be friends with someone who talks too much.

²⁰ Those who would curse their father or mother are like a lamp that goes out on the darkest night.

²¹ If your wealth was easy to get, it will not be worth much to you.^[a]

²² Don't ever say, "I'll pay them back for what they did to me!" Wait for the Lord. He will make things right.

²³ The Lord hates for people to use the wrong weights to cheat others. It is wrong to use scales that are not accurate.

²⁴ The Lord guides our steps, and we never know where he will lead us.^[b]

²⁵ Think carefully before you promise to give something to God. Later, you might wish you had not made that promise.

²⁶ Like a farmer who separates wheat from the chaff, a wise king will decide who is wrong and crush them.

²⁷ Your spirit is like a lamp to the Lord. He is able to see into your deepest parts.^[c]

²⁸ A king who is loyal and true will keep his power. Loyalty will keep his kingdom strong.

²⁹ We admire a young man for his strength, but we respect an old man for his gray hair.

³⁰ A beating can remove evil and make you completely clean.^[d]