1The wisdom of the lowly shall lift up his head, And make him to sit in the midst of great men.
2Commend not a man for his beauty; And abhor not a man for his outward appearance.
3The bee is little among such as fly; And her fruit is the chief of sweetmeats.
4Glory not in the putting on of raiment, And exalt not thyself in the day of honour; For the works of the Lord are wonderful, And his works are hidden among men.
5Many kings have sat down upon the ground; And one that was never thought of hath worn a diadem.
6Many mighty men have been greatly disgraced; And men of renown have been delivered into other men’s hands.
7Blame not before thou hast examined: Understand first, and then rebuke.
8Answer not before thou hast heard; And interrupt not in the midst of speech.
9Strive not in a matter that concerneth thee not; And where sinners judge, sit not thou with them.
10My son, be not busy about many matters: For if thou meddle much, thou shalt not be unpunished; And if thou pursue, thou shalt not overtake; And thou shalt not escape by fleeing.
11There is one that toileth, and laboureth, and maketh haste, And is so much the more behind.
12There is one that is sluggish, and hath need of help, Lacking in strength, and that aboundeth in poverty; And the eyes of the Lord looked upon him for good, And he set him up from his low estate,
13And lifted up his head; And many marvelled at him.
14Good things and evil, life and death, Poverty and riches, are from the Lord.
17The gift of the Lord remaineth with the godly, And his good pleasure shall prosper for ever.
18There is that waxeth rich by his wariness and pinching, And this is the portion of his reward:
19When he saith, I have found rest, And now will I eat of my goods; Yet he knoweth not what time shall pass, And he shall leave them to others, and die.
20Be stedfast in thy covenant, and be conversant therein, And wax old in thy work.
21Marvel not at the works of a sinner; But trust the Lord, and abide in thy labour: For it is an easy thing in the sight of the Lord swiftly on the sudden to make a poor man rich.
22The blessing of the Lord is in the reward of the godly; And in an hour that cometh swiftly he maketh his blessing to flourish.
23Say not, What use is there of me? And what from henceforth shall my good things be?
24Say not, I have sufficient, And from henceforth what harm shall happen unto me?
25In the day of good things there is a forgetfulness of evil things; And in the day of evil things a man will not remember things that are good.
26For it is an easy thing in the sight of the Lord To reward a man in the day of death according to his ways.
27The affliction of an hour causeth forgetfulness of delight; And in the last end of a man is the revelation of his deeds.
28Call no man blessed before his death; And a man shall be known in his children.
29Bring not every man into thine house; For many are the plots of the deceitful man.
30As a decoy partridge in a cage, so is the heart of a proud man; And as one that is a spy, he looketh upon thy falling.
31For he lieth in wait to turn things that are good into evil; And in things that are praiseworthy he will lay blame.
32From a spark of fire a heap of many coals is kindled; And a sinful man lieth in wait for blood.
33Take heed of an evil-doer, for he contriveth wicked things; Lest haply he bring upon thee blame for ever.
34Receive a stranger into thine house, and he will distract thee with brawls, And estrange thee from thine own.