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¹ A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold.

² The rich and the poor have this in common, The LORD is the maker of them all.

³ A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished.

⁴ By humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches and honor and life.

⁵ Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; He who guards his soul will be far from them.

⁶ Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

⁷ The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender.

⁸ He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow, And the rod of his anger will fail.

⁹ He who has a generous eye will be blessed, For he gives of his bread to the poor.

¹⁰ Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave; Yes, strife and reproach will cease.

¹¹ He who loves purity of heart And has grace on his lips, The king will be his friend.

¹² The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, But He overthrows the words of the faithless.

¹³ The lazy man says, "There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!"

¹⁴ The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit; He who is abhorred by the LORD will fall there.

¹⁵ Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him.

¹⁶ He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches, And he who gives to the rich, will surely come to poverty.

¹⁷ Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your heart to my knowledge; ¹⁸ For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you; Let them all be fixed upon your lips, ¹⁹ So that your trust may be in the LORD; I have instructed you today, even you. ²⁰ Have I not written to you excellent things Of counsels and knowledge, ²¹ That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth, That you may answer words of truth To those who send to you?

²² Do not rob the poor because he is poor, Nor oppress the afflicted at the gate; ²³ For the LORD will plead their cause, And plunder the soul of those who plunder them.

²⁴ Make no friendship with an angry man, And with a furious man do not go, ²⁵ Lest you learn his ways And set a snare for your soul.

²⁶ Do not be one of those who shakes hands in a pledge, One of those who is surety for debts; ²⁷ If you have nothing with which to pay, Why should he take away your bed from under you?

²⁸ Do not remove the ancient landmark Which your fathers have set.

²⁹ Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men.