1 An unfriendly person pursues selfish endsand against all sound judgment starts quarrels.
2 Fools find no pleasure in understandingbut delight in airing their own opinions.
3 When wickedness comes, so does contempt,and with shame comes reproach.
4 The words of the mouth are deep waters,but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.
5 It is not good to be partial to the wickedand so deprive the innocent of justice.
6 The lips of fools bring them strife,and their mouths invite a beating.
7 The mouths of fools are their undoing,and their lips are a snare to their very lives.
8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;they go down to the inmost parts.
9 One who is slack in his workis brother to one who destroys.
10 The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;the righteous run to it and are safe.
11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;they imagine it a wall too high to scale.
12 Before a downfall the heart is haughty,but humility comes before honour.
13 To answer before listening –that is folly and shame.
14 The human spirit can endure in times of illness,but a crushed spirit who can bear?
15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,for the ears of the wise seek it out.
16 A gift opens the wayand ushers the giver into the presence of the great.
17 In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,until someone comes forward and cross-examines.
18 Casting the lot settles disputesand keeps strong opponents apart.
19 A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city;disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.
20 From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.
21 The tongue has the power of life and death,and those who love it will eat its fruit.
22 He who finds a wife finds what is goodand receives favour from the Lord.
23 The poor plead for mercy,but the rich answer harshly.
24 One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.