[1] Better the poor whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse. [2] Desire without knowledge is not good—how much more will hasty feet miss the way! [3] A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the LORD. [4] Wealth attracts many friends, but even the closest friend of the poor person deserts them. [5] A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will not go free. [6] Many curry favor with a ruler, and everyone is the friend of one who gives gifts. [7] The poor are shunned by all their relatives—how much more do their friends avoid them! Though the poor pursue them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found. [8] The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper. [9] A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will perish. [10] It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury—how much worse for a slave to rule over princes! [11] A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense. [12] A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass. [13] A foolish child is a father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof. [14] Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.
