21:1 My son, if you have sinned, do so no more, and for your past sins pray to be forgiven.
21:2 Flee from sin as from a serpent. that will bite you if you go near it; Its teeth are lion’s teeth, destroying the souls of men.
21:3 Every offense is a two-edged sword; when it cuts, there can be no healing.
21:4 Violence and arrogance wipe out wealth; so too a proud man’s home is destroyed.
21:5 Prayer from a poor man’s lips is heard at once, and justice is quickly granted him.
21:6 He who hates correction walks the sinner’s path, but he who fears the LORD repents in his heart.
21:7 Widely known is the boastful speaker but the wise man knows his own faults.
21:8 He who builds his house with another’s money is collecting stones for his funeral mound.
21:9 A band of criminals is like a bundle of tow; they will end in a flaming fire.
21:10 The path of sinners is smooth stones that end in the depths of the nether world.
21:11 He who keeps the law controls his impulses; he who is perfect in fear of the LORD has wisdom.
21:12 He can never be taught who is not shrewd, but one form of shrewdness is thoroughly bitter.
21:13 A wise man’s knowledge wells up in a flood, and his counsel, like a living spring;
21:14 A fool’s mind is like a broken jar ? no knowledge at all can it hold.
21:15 When an intelligent man hears words of wisdom, he approves them and adds to them; The wanton hears them with scorn and casts them behind his back.
21:16 A fool’s chatter is like a load on a journey, but there is charm to be found upon the lips of the wise.
21:17 The views of a prudent man are sought in an assembly, and his words are considered with care.
21:18 Like a house in ruins is wisdom to a fool; the stupid man knows it only as inscrutable words.
21:19 Like fetters on the legs is learning to a fool, like a manacle on his right hand.
21:20 A fool raises his voice in laughter, but the prudent man at the most smiles gently.
21:21 Like a chain of gold is learning to a wise man, like a bracelet on his right arm.
21:22 The fool steps boldly into a house, while the well-bred man remains outside;
21:23 A boor peeps through the doorway of a house, but a cultured man keeps his glance cast down.
21:24 It is rude for one to listen at a door; a cultured man would be overwhelmed by the disgrace of it.
21:25 The lips of the impious talk of what is not their concern, but the words of the prudent are carefully weighed.
21:26 Fools' thoughts are in their mouths, wise men’s words are in their hearts.
21:27 When a godless man curses his adversary he really curses himself.
21:28 A slanderer besmirches himself, and is hated by his neighbors.