Proverbs 22
1 A good name is better than great wealth; favor is worth more than silver and gold.
2 The rich and the poor meet; the LORD made them all.
3 The prudent see danger and take shelter, but the inexperienced go on and suffer for it.
4 The reward of humility and fear of the LORD is wealth, honor, and life.
5 Thorns and traps lie along the path of the crooked; whoever guards their life stays far from them.
6 Train a young person in the way they should go; even when they grow old, they will not turn from it.
7 The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
8 Whoever sows injustice will reap trouble, and the rod of their fury will come to an end.
9 The generous will be blessed, because they share their bread with the poor.
10 Drive out the mocker, and quarrels will go with him; disputes and disgrace will end.
11 Whoever loves a pure heart and speaks with grace will have the king as a friend.
12 The eyes of the LORD guard knowledge, but he overturns the words of the treacherous.
13 The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I would be killed in the middle of the square.”
14 The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit; the one the LORD condemns falls into it.
15 Folly is bound up in a young person's heart; the rod of discipline drives it far from them.
16 Whoever oppresses the poor to increase their own wealth, and whoever gives to the rich, will come only to poverty.
17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise; set your heart on my knowledge.
18 For it is good to keep them within you and have them all ready on your lips.
19 So that your trust may be in the LORD, I am teaching you today—yes, you.
20 Have I not written for you excellent things, with counsel and knowledge?
21 To teach you the certainty of truthful words, so you can give a truthful answer to the one who sent you.
22 Do not rob the poor because they are poor; do not crush the needy in court.
23 For the LORD will defend their cause and take the life of those who rob them.
24 Do not associate with a hot-tempered person; do not keep company with someone given to anger.
25 Or you may learn their ways and ensnare your own life.
26 Do not be among those who strike hands, among those who guarantee debts.
27 If you have nothing with which to pay, why should your bed be taken from beneath you?
28 Do not move the ancient boundary marker your ancestors set.
29 Have you seen someone skilled at their work? They will stand before kings; they will not stand before obscure people.
Read and listen to this chapter in the Shalem app, free: narration, chapter video and reading progress. Get the app