1 ¶ A good reputation is rather to be chosen than great riches and good grace rather than silver and gold.

A name is chosen rather than much wealth, Than silver and than gold -- good grace.

2 ¶ The rich and poor meet together; the LORD is the maker of them all.

Rich and poor have met together, The Maker of them all Jehovah.

3 ¶ A prudent man foresees the evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and receive hurt.

The prudent hath seen the evil, and is hidden, And the simple have passed on, and are punished.

4 ¶ Riches and honour and life are the remuneration of humility and of the fear of the LORD.

The end of humility the fear of Jehovah, Riches, and honour, and life.

5 ¶ Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; he that keeps his soul shall be far from them.

Thorns -- snares in the way of the perverse, Whoso is keeping his soul is far from them.

6 ¶ Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Give instruction to a youth about his way, Even when he is old he turneth not from it.

7 ¶ The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.

The rich over the poor ruleth, And a servant the borrower to the lender.

8 ¶ He that sows iniquity shall reap iniquity, and the rod of his anger shall fail.

Whoso is sowing perverseness reapeth sorrow, And the rod of his anger weareth out.

9 ¶ He that has a merciful eye shall be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the destitute.

The good of eye -- he is blessed, For he hath given of his bread to the poor.

10 ¶ Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; strife and reproach shall cease.

Cast out a scorner -- and contention goeth out, And strife and shame cease.

11 ¶ He that loves pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.

Whoso is loving cleanness of heart, Grace his lips, a king his friend.

12 ¶ The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, and he overthrows the words of the transgressor.

The eyes of Jehovah have kept knowledge, And He overthroweth the words of the treacherous.

13 ¶ The slothful man says, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.

The slothful hath said, `A lion without, In the midst of the broad places I am slain.'

14 ¶ The mouth of strange women is a deep pit; he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein.

A deep pit the mouth of strange women, The abhorred of Jehovah falleth there.

15 ¶ Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

Folly is bound up in the heart of a youth, The rod of chastisement putteth it far from him.

16 ¶ He that oppresses the poor to increase his riches and who gives to the rich shall surely come to want.

He is oppressing the poor to multiply to him, He is giving to the rich -- only to want.

17 ¶ Bow down thine ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my wisdom.

Incline thine ear, and hear words of the wise, And thy heart set to my knowledge,

18 F or it is a delightful thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall be ordered together in thy lips.

For they are pleasant when thou dost keep them in thy heart, They are prepared together for thy lips.

19 T hat thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.

That thy trust may be in Jehovah, I caused thee to know to-day, even thou.

20 H ave I not written unto thee three times in counsels and knowledge,

Have I not written to thee three times With counsels and knowledge?

21 t hat I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth, that thou mightest answer the words of truth to those that send unto thee?

To cause thee to know the certainty of sayings of truth, To return sayings of truth to those sending thee.

22 ¶ Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither destroy the destitute in judgment:

Rob not the poor because he poor, And bruise not the afflicted in the gate.

23 F or the LORD will judge their cause and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them.

For Jehovah pleadeth their cause, And hath spoiled the soul of their spoilers.

24 ¶ Do not meddle with an angry man, and with a furious man thou shalt not go:

Shew not thyself friendly with an angry man, And with a man of fury go not in,

25 L est thou learn his ways and get a snare to thy soul.

Lest thou learn his paths, And have received a snare to thy soul.

26 ¶ Be not thou one of them that strike hands or of them that are sureties for debts.

Be not thou among those striking hands, Among sureties burdens.

27 I f thou hast nothing to pay, why should they take away thy bed from under thee?

If thou hast nothing to pay, Why doth he take thy bed from under thee?

28 ¶ Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.

Remove not a border of olden times, That thy fathers have made.

29 ¶ Seest thou a man diligent in his work? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before obscure men.

Hast thou seen a man speedy in his business? Before kings he doth station himself, He stations not himself before obscure men!