Proverbs

¹³The sluggard says, There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets! ¹⁴The mouth of a loose woman is a deep pit [for ensnaring wild animals]; he with whom the Lord is indignant and who is abhorrent to Him will fall into it. ¹⁵Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him. ¹⁶He who oppresses the poor to get gain for himself and he who gives to the rich–both will surely come to want. ¹⁷Listen (consent and submit) to the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge; ¹⁸For it will be pleasant if you keep them in your mind [believing them]; your lips will be accustomed to [confessing] them. ¹⁹So that your trust (belief, reliance, support, and confidence) may be in the Lord, I have made known these things to you today, even to you.