Proverbs 22
22
1A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches,
And loving favor rather than silver and gold.
2The rich and the poor meet together:
Jehovah is the maker of them all.
3A prudent man seeth the evil, and hideth himself;
But the simple pass on, and suffer for it.
4The reward of humility and the fear of Jehovah
Is riches, and honor, and life.
5Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse:
He that keepeth his soul shall be far from them.
6Train up a child in the way he should go,
And even when he is old he will not depart from it.
7The rich ruleth over the poor;
And the borrower is servant to the lender.
8He that soweth iniquity shall reap calamity;
And the rod of his wrath shall fail.
9He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed;
For he giveth of his bread to the poor.
10Cast out the scoffer, and contention will go out;
Yea, strife and ignominy will cease.
11He that loveth pureness of heart,
For the grace of his lips the king will be his friend.
12The eyes of Jehovah preserve him that hath knowledge;
But he overthroweth the words of the treacherous man.
13The sluggard saith, There is a lion without;
I shall be slain in the streets.
14The mouth of strange women is a deep pit;
He that is abhorred of Jehovah shall fall therein.
15Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
But the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
16He that oppresseth the poor to increase his gain,
And he that giveth to the rich, shall come only to want.
17Incline thine ear, and hear the words of the wise,
And apply thy heart unto my knowledge.
18For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee,
If they be established together upon thy lips.
19That thy trust may be in Jehovah,
I have made them known to thee this day, even to thee.
20Have not I written unto thee excellent things
Of counsels and knowledge,
21To make thee know the certainty of the words of truth,
That thou mayest carry back words of truth to them that send thee?
22Rob not the poor, because he is poor;
Neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:
23For Jehovah will plead their cause,
And despoil of life those that despoil them.
24Make no friendship with a man that is given to anger;
And with a wrathful man thou shalt not go:
25Lest thou learn his ways,
And get a snare to thy soul.
26Be thou not one of them that strike hands,
Or of them that are sureties for debts.
27If thou hast not wherewith to pay,
Why should he take away thy bed from under thee?
28Remove not the ancient landmark,
Which thy fathers have set.
29Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings;
He shall not stand before mean men.
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Proverbs 22: ASV
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Proverbs 22
22
1If you have to choose between a good reputation and great wealth, choose a good reputation.
2The rich and the poor have this in common: the LORD made them both.
3Sensible people will see trouble coming and avoid it, but an unthinking person will walk right into it and regret it later.
4Obey the LORD, be humble, and you will get riches, honour, and a long life.
5If you love your life, stay away from the traps that catch the wicked along the way.
6Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their lives.
7Poor people are slaves of the rich. Borrow money and you are the lender's slave.
8If you sow the seeds of injustice, disaster will spring up, and your oppression of others will end.
9Be generous and share your food with the poor. You will be blessed for it.
10Get rid of a conceited person, and then there will be no more arguments, quarrelling, or calling of names.
11If you love purity of heart and graciousness of speech, the king will be your friend.
12The LORD sees to it that truth is kept safe by disproving the words of liars.
13Lazy people stay at home; they say a lion might get them if they go outside.
14Adultery is a trap — it catches those with whom the LORD is angry.
15Children just naturally do silly, careless things, but a good spanking will teach them how to behave.
16If you make gifts to rich people or oppress the poor to get rich, you will become poor yourself.
The Thirty Wise Sayings
17Listen, and I will teach you what the wise have said. Study their teachings, 18and you will be glad if you remember them and can quote them. 19I want you to put your trust in the LORD; that is why I am going to tell them to you now. 20I have written down thirty sayings for you. They contain knowledge and good advice, 21and will teach you what the truth really is. Then when you are sent to find it out, you will bring back the right answer.
The First Saying
22Don't take advantage of the poor just because you can; don't take advantage of those who stand helpless in court. 23The LORD will argue their case for them and threaten the life of anyone who threatens theirs.
The Second Saying
24Don't make friends with people who have hot, violent tempers. 25You might learn their habits and not be able to change.
The Third Saying
26Don't promise to be responsible for someone else's debts. 27If you should be unable to pay, they will take away even your bed.
The Fourth Saying
28Never move an old boundary mark that your ancestors established.
The Fifth Saying
29Show me someone who does a good job, and I will show you someone who is better than most and worthy of the company of kings.
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Good News Bible with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.