1 Toute femme sage bâtit sa maison; mais la folle la ruine de ses mains.
2 Celui qui marche en sa droiture, révère l'Eternel; mais celui qui va de travers en ses voies, le méprise.
3 La verge d'orgueil est dans la bouche du fou; mais les lèvres des sages les garderont.
4 Où il n'y a point de bœuf, la grange est vide; et l'abondance du revenu provient de la force du bœuf.
5 Le témoin véritable ne mentira [jamais]; mais le faux témoin avance volontiers des mensonges.
6 Le moqueur cherche la sagesse, et ne la trouve point ; mais la science est aisée à trouver à l'homme intelligent.
7 Eloigne-toi de l'homme insensé, puisque tu ne lui as point connu de lèvres de science.
8 La sagesse de l'homme bien avisé est d'entendre sa voie; mais la folie des fous n'est que tromperie.
9 Les fous pallient le délit; mais il n'y a que plaisir entre les hommes droits.
10 Le cœur d'un chacun connaît l'amertume de son âme; et un autre n'est point mêlé dans sa joie.
11 La maison des méchants sera abolie; mais le tabernacle des hommes droits fleurira.
12 Il y a telle voie qui semble droite à l'homme, mais dont l'issue sont les voies de la mort.
13 Même en riant le cœur sera triste, et la joie finit par l'ennui.
14 Celui qui a un cœur hypocrite, sera rassasié de ses voies; mais l'homme de bien [le sera] de ce qui est en lui.
15 Le simple croit à toute parole; mais l'homme bien avisé considère ses pas.
16 Le sage craint, et se retire du mal; mais le fou se met en colère, et se tient assuré.
17 L'homme colère fait des folies; et l'homme rusé est haï.
18 Les niais hériteront la folie; mais les bien-avisés seront couronnés de science.
19 Les malins seront humiliés devant les bons, et les méchants, devant les portes du juste.
20 Le pauvre est haï, même de son ami; mais les amis du riche sont en grand nombre.
21 Celui qui méprise son prochain s'égare; mais celui qui a pitié des débonnaires, est bienheureux.
22 Ceux qui machinent du mal ne se fourvoient-ils pas? Mais la bonté et la vérité seront pour ceux qui procurent le bien.
23 En tout travail il y a quelque profit, mais le babil des lèvres ne tourne qu'à disette.
24 Les richesses des sages leur sont [comme] une couronne; mais la folie des fous n'est que folie.
25 Le témoin véritable délivre les âmes; mais celui qui prononce des mensonges, n'est que tromperie.
26 En la crainte de l'Eternel il y a une ferme assurance, et une retraite pour ses enfants.
27 La crainte de l'Eternel est une source de vie pour se détourner des filets de la mort.
28 La puissance d'un Roi consiste dans la multitude du peuple; mais quand le peuple diminue, c'est l'abaissement du Prince.
29 Celui qui est lent à la colère, est de grande intelligence; mais celui qui est prompt à se courroucer, excite la folie.
30 Le cœur doux est la vie de la chair; mais l'envie est la vermoulure des os.
31 Celui qui fait tort au pauvre, déshonore celui qui l'a fait; mais celui-là l'honore, qui a pitié du nécessiteux.
32 Le méchant sera poussé au loin par sa malice; mais le juste trouve retraite [même] en sa mort.
33 La sagesse repose au cœur de l'homme intelligent; et elle est même reconnue au milieu des fous.
34 La justice élève une nation; mais le péché est l'opprobre des peuples.
35 Le Roi prend plaisir au serviteur prudent; mais son indignation sera contre celui qui lui fait déshonneur.
1 Wisdom is building her house, but the foolish woman is pulling it down with her hands.
2 He who goes on his way in righteousness has before him the fear of the Lord; but he whose ways are twisted gives him no honour.
3 In the mouth of the foolish man is a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will keep them safe.
4 Where there are no oxen, their food-place is clean; but much increase comes through the strength of the ox.
5 A true witness does not say what is false, but a false witness is breathing out deceit.
6 The hater of authority, searching for wisdom, does not get it; but knowledge comes readily to the open-minded man.
7 Go away from the foolish man, for you will not see the lips of knowledge.
8 The wisdom of the man of good sense makes his way clear; but the unwise behaviour of the foolish is deceit.
9 In the tents of those hating authority there is error, but in the house of the upright man there is grace.
10 No one has knowledge of a man's grief but himself; and a strange person has no part in his joy.
11 The house of the sinner will be overturned, but the tent of the upright man will do well.
12 There is a way which seems straight before a man, but its end is the ways of death.
13 Even while laughing the heart may be sad; and after joy comes sorrow.
14 He whose heart is turned away will have the reward of his ways in full measure; but a good man will have the reward of his doings.
15 The simple man has faith in every word, but the man of good sense gives thought to his footsteps.
16 The wise man, fearing, keeps himself from evil; but the foolish man goes on in his pride, with no thought of danger.
17 He who is quickly angry will do what is foolish, but the man of good sense will have quiet.
18 Foolish behaviour is the heritage of the simple, but men of good sense are crowned with knowledge.
19 The knees of the evil are bent before the good; and sinners go down in the dust at the doors of the upright.
20 The poor man is hated even by his neighbour, but the man of wealth has numbers of friends.
21 He who has no respect for his neighbour is a sinner, but he who has pity for the poor is happy.
22 Will not the designers of evil come into error? But mercy and good faith are for the designers of good.
23 In all hard work there is profit, but talk only makes a man poor.
24 Their wisdom is a crown to the wise, but their foolish behaviour is round the head of the unwise.
25 A true witness is the saviour of lives; but he who says false things is a cause of deceit.
26 For him in whose heart is the fear of the Lord there is strong hope: and his children will have a safe place.
27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, by which one may be turned from the nets of death.
28 A king's glory is in the number of his people: and for need of people a ruler may come to destruction.
29 He who is slow to be angry has great good sense; but he whose spirit is over-quick gives support to what is foolish.
30 A quiet mind is the life of the body, but envy is a disease in the bones.
31 He who is hard on the poor puts shame on his Maker; but he who has mercy on those who are in need gives him honour.
32 The sinner is overturned in his evil-doing, but the upright man has hope in his righteousness.
33 Wisdom has her resting-place in the mind of the wise, but she is not seen among the foolish.
34 By righteousness a nation is lifted up, but sin is a cause of shame to the peoples.
35 The king has pleasure in a servant who does wisely, but his wrath is against him who is a cause of shame.