2A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth,
But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.
3He who guards his mouth preserves his life,
But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

4The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

5A righteous man hates lying,
But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame.
6Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,
But wickedness overthrows the sinner.

7There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing;
And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.

8The ransom of a man’s life is his riches,
But the poor does not hear rebuke.

9The light of the righteous rejoices,
But the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

10By pride comes nothing but strife,
But with the well-advised is wisdom.

11Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase.

12Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

13He who despises the word will be destroyed,
But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.
14The law of the wise is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.

15Good understanding [a]gains favor,
But the way of the unfaithful is hard.
16Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool lays open his folly.

17A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
But a faithful ambassador brings health.

18Poverty and shame will come to him who [b]disdains correction,
But he who regards a rebuke will be honored.

19A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.

20He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will be destroyed.

21Evil pursues sinners,
But to the righteous, good shall be repaid.

22A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

23Much food is in the [c]fallow ground of the poor,
And for lack of justice there is [d]waste.

24He who spares his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him [e]promptly.

25The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul,
But the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.