1The Lord abhors dishonest scales,

but an accurate weight is his delight.

2When pride comes, then comes disgrace,

but with humility comes wisdom.

3The integrity of the upright guides them,

but the crookedness of the unfaithful destroys them.

4Wealth does not profit in the day of wrath,

but righteousness delivers from mortal danger.

5The righteousness of the blameless will make straight their way,

but the wicked person will fall by his own wickedness.

6The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,

but the faithless will be captured by their own desires.

7When a wicked person dies, his expectation perishes,

and the hope of his strength perishes.

8The righteous person is delivered out of trouble,

and the wicked turns up in his stead.

9With his speech the godless person destroys his neighbor,

but by knowledge the righteous will be delivered.

10When the righteous do well, the city rejoices;

when the wicked perish, there is joy.

11A city is exalted by the blessing provided from the upright,

but it is destroyed by the counsel of the wicked.

12The one who denounces his neighbor lacks wisdom,

but the one who has discernment keeps silent.

13The one who goes about slandering others reveals secrets,

but the one who is trustworthy conceals a matter.

14When there is no guidance a nation falls,

but there is success in the abundance of counselors.

15The one who puts up security for a stranger will surely have trouble,

but whoever avoids shaking hands will be secure.

16A generous woman gains honor,

and ruthless men seize wealth.

17A kind person benefits himself,

but a cruel person brings himself trouble.

18The wicked person earns deceitful wages,

but the one who sows righteousness reaps a genuine reward.

19True righteousness leads to life,

but the one who pursues evil pursues it to his own death.

20The Lord abhors those who are perverse in heart,

but those who are blameless in their ways are his delight.

21Be assured that the evil person will certainly be punished,

but the descendants of the righteous will not suffer unjust judgment.

22Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout

is a beautiful woman who rejects discretion.

23What the righteous desire leads only to good,

but what the wicked hope for leads to wrath.

24One person is generous and yet grows more wealthy,

but another withholds more than he should and comes to poverty.

25A generous person will be enriched,

and the one who provides water for others will himself be satisfied.

26People will curse the one who withholds grain,

but they will praise the one who sells it.

27The one who diligently seeks good seeks favor,

but the one who searches for evil – it will come to him.

28The one who trusts in his riches will fall,

but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.

29The one who troubles his family will inherit nothing,

and the fool will be a servant to the wise person.

30The fruit of the righteous is like a tree producing life,

and the one who wins souls is wise.

31If the righteous are recompensed on earth,

how much more the wicked sinner!