Proverbs 22

¹ A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

² The rich and the poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.

³ A prudent man seeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and suffer for it.

⁴ The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD is riches, and honour, and life.

⁵ Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that keepeth his soul shall be far from them.

⁶ Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not depart from it.

⁷ The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

⁸ He that soweth iniquity shall reap calamity: and the rod of his wrath shall fail.

⁹ He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.

¹⁰ Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and ignominy shall cease.

¹¹ He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.

¹² The eyes of the LORD preserve him that hath knowledge, but he overthroweth the words of the treacherous man.

¹³ The sluggard saith, There is a lion without: I shall be murdered in the streets.

¹⁴ The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein.

¹⁵ Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

¹⁶ He that oppresseth the poor to increase his gain, and he that giveth to the rich, cometh only to want.

¹⁷ Incline thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.

¹⁸ For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee, if they be established together upon thy lips.

¹⁹ That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made them known to thee this day, even to thee.

²⁰ Have not I written unto thee excellent things of counsels and knowledge;

²¹ To make thee know the certainty of the words of truth, that thou mayest carry back words of truth to them that send thee?

²² Rob not the poor, because he is poor, neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:

²³ For the LORD will plead their cause, and despoil of life those that despoil them.

²⁴ Make no friendship with a man that is given to anger; and with a wrathful man thou shalt not go:

²⁵ Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.

²⁶ Be thou not one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts:

²⁷ If thou hast not wherewith to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?

²⁸ Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.

²⁹ Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.