1 Solomon’s proverbs:  *

A wise son brings joy to his father,

but a foolish son, heartache to his mother.  *

2 Ill-gotten gains do not profit anyone,

but righteousness rescues from death.  *

3 The Lord will not let the righteous go hungry,  *

but he denies the wicked what they crave.  *

4 Idle hands make one poor,

but diligent hands bring riches.  *

5 The son who gathers during summer is prudent;

the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful.  *

6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,

but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.  *

7 The remembrance of the righteous is a blessing,

but the name of the wicked will rot.  *

8 A wise heart accepts commands,  *

but foolish lips will be destroyed.

9 The one who lives with integrity lives securely,  *

but whoever perverts his ways will be found out.  *

10 A sly wink of the eye  * causes grief,

and foolish lips will be destroyed.

11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,  *

but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.  *

12 Hatred stirs up conflicts,

but love covers all offenses.  *

13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,

but a rod is for the back of the one who lacks sense.  *

14 The wise store up knowledge,

but the mouth of the fool hastens destruction.  *

15 The wealth of the rich is his fortified city;  *

the poverty of the poor is their destruction.

16 The reward of the righteous is life;

the wages of the wicked is punishment.  *

17 The one who follows instruction is on the path to life,

but the one who rejects correction goes astray.  *

18 The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,

and whoever spreads slander is a fool.  *

19 When there are many words, sin is unavoidable,

but the one who controls his lips is prudent.  *

20 The tongue of the righteous is pure silver;

the heart of the wicked is of little value.  *

21 The lips of the righteous feed many,

but fools die for lack of sense.  *

22 The Lord’s blessing enriches,  *

and he adds no painful effort to it.  *,*

23 As shameful conduct is pleasure for a fool,  *

so wisdom is for a person of understanding.

24 What the wicked dreads will come to him,  *

but what the righteous desire will be given to them.  *

25 When the whirlwind passes,

the wicked are no more,  *

but the righteous are secure forever.  *

26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,  *

so the slacker is to the one who sends him on an errand.

27 The fear of the  Lord prolongs life,  *,*

but the years of the wicked are cut short.  *

28 The hope of the righteous is joy,  *

but the expectation of the wicked will perish.  *

29 The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the honorable,

but destruction awaits evildoers.  *

30 The righteous will never be shaken,

but the wicked will not remain on the earth.  *

31 The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom,  *

but a perverse tongue will be cut out.  *

32 The lips of the righteous know what is appropriate,  *

but the mouth of the wicked, only what is perverse.  *