1 Contrast the Upright and the Wicked A wise son heedsandaccepts [and is the result of] his father’s disciplineandinstruction,But a scoffer does not listen to reprimandanddoes not learn from his errors.
2 From the fruit of his mouth a [wise] man enjoys good,But the desire of the treacherous is for violence.
3 The one who guards his mouth [thinking before he speaks] protects his life;The one who opens his lips wide [and chatters without thinking] comes to ruin.
4 The soul (appetite) of the lazy person craves and gets nothing [for lethargy overcomes ambition],But the soul (appetite) of the diligent [who works willingly] is richandabundantly supplied.
5 A righteous man hates lies,But a wicked man is loathsome, and he acts shamefully.
6 Righteousness (being in right standing with God) guards the one whose way is blameless,But wickedness underminesandoverthrows the sinner.
7 There is one who pretends to be rich, yet has nothing at all;Anotherpretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
8 The ransom for a man’s life is his wealth,But the poor man does not even have to listen to a rebukeorthreats [from the envious].
9 The light of the righteous [within him—grows brighter and] rejoices,But the lamp of the wicked [is a temporary light and] goes out.
10 Through prideandpresumption come nothing but strife,But [skillful and godly] wisdom is with those who welcome [well-advised] counsel.
11 Wealthobtainedby fraud dwindles,But he who gathers gradually by [honest] labor will increase [his riches].
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,But when desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.
13 Whoever despises the wordandcounsel [of God] brings destruction upon himself,But he who [reverently] fearsandrespects the commandment [of God] will be rewarded.
14 The teaching of the wise is a fountainandsource of life,So that one may avoid the snares of death.
15 Good understanding wins favor [from others],But the way of the unfaithful is hard [like barren, dry soil].
16 Every prudentandself-disciplined man acts with knowledge,But a [closed-minded] fool [who refuses to learn] displays his foolishness [for all to see].
17 A wicked messenger falls into hardship,But a faithful ambassador brings healing.
18 Poverty and shame will come to him who refuses instructionanddiscipline,But he who acceptsandlearns from reprooforcensure is honored.
19 Desire realized is sweet to the soul;But it is detestable to fools to turn away from evil [which they have planned].
20 He who walks [as a companion] with wise men will be wise,But the companions of [conceited, dull-witted] fools [are fools themselves and] will experience harm.
21 Adversity pursues sinners,But the [consistently] upright will be rewarded with prosperity.
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for [the hands of] the righteous.
23 Abundant food is in the fallow (uncultivated) ground of the poor,But [without protection] it is swept away by injustice.
24 He who withholds the rod [of discipline] hates his son,But he who loves him disciplinesandtrains him diligentlyandappropriately [with wisdom and love].
25 The [consistently] righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,But the stomach of the wicked is in need [of bread].