1Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD,
but an accurate weight is His delight.
1Scales of deceit are an abomination to YHWH, and a whole stone is His delight.
2When pride comes, disgrace follows,
but with humility comes wisdom.
2Pride has come, and shame also comes, and with the humble is wisdom.
3The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the perversity of the faithless destroys them.
3The integrity of the upright ones guides them, and the perversity of the treacherous ones destroys them.
4Riches are worthless in the day of wrath,
but righteousness brings deliverance from death.
4Wealth will not profit in the day of wrath, and righteousness delivers from death.
5The righteousness of the blameless directs their path,
but the wicked fall by their own wickedness.
5The righteousness of a blameless one makes his way straight, and in his wickedness a wicked one will fall.
6The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the faithless are trapped by their own desires.
6The righteousness of the upright ones will deliver them, and by their own desires those acting treacherously are captured.
7When the wicked man dies, his hope perishes,
and the hope of his strength vanishes.
7With the death of a wicked man, expectation perishes, and the hope of his vigor perishes.
8The righteous man is delivered from trouble;
in his place the wicked man goes in.
8A righteous one is drawn out from distress, and it comes to the wicked in his place.
9With his mouth the ungodly man destroys his neighbor,
but through knowledge the righteous are rescued.
9With the mouth a godless one destroys his neighbor, and with knowledge righteous ones will be delivered.
10When the righteous thrive, the city rejoices,
and when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.
10In the good of the righteous ones a city rejoices, and in the destruction of wicked ones is a shout of joy.
11By the blessing of the upright a city is built up,
but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
11By the blessing of the upright a city is lifted high, and by the mouth of the wicked ones it is torn down.
12Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks judgment,
but a man of understanding remains silent.
12The one despising his neighbor is lacking of heart, and a man of understanding keeps quiet.
13A gossip reveals a secret,
but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.
13One going about slandering is revealing secret counsel, and the one faithful of spirit conceals the matter.
14For lack of guidance, a nation falls,
but with many counselors comes deliverance.
14Without counsels, a people falls, and salvation is in many giving counsel.
15He who puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer,
but the one who hates indebtedness is secure.
15One will surely suffer evil if he pledges for for a stranger, and one who hates striking hands remains secure.
16A gracious woman attains honor,
but ruthless men gain only wealth.
16A woman of grace grasps honor, and the ruthless ones grasp riches.
17A kind man benefits himself,
but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.
17A man of kindness deals well with his soul, and a cruel one troubles his flesh.
18The wicked man earns an empty wage,
but he who sows righteousness reaps a true reward.
18A wicked one makes a reward of deception, and the one sowing righteousness has a wage of truth.
19Genuine righteousness leads to life,
but the pursuit of evil brings death.
19Rightly is righteousness for life, and the one pursuing evil is unto his own death.
20The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD,
but the blameless in their walk are His delight.
20The crooked of heart are an abomination to YHWH, and those blameless in their way are His delight.
21Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished,
but the offspring of the righteous will escape.
21Hand to hand, a wicked one is not acquitted, and the seed of the righteous will escape punishment.
22Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.
22A ring of gold in the nose of a pig, is a beautiful woman lacking discretion.
23The desire of the righteous leads only to good,
but the hope of the wicked brings wrath.
23The desire of the righteous is only good, and the hope of the wicked is wrath.
24One gives freely, yet gains even more;
another withholds what is right, only to become poor.
24There is one dispersing, and increasing more, and one withholding from uprightness, only for lack.
25A generous soul will prosper,
and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
25A soul of blessing is made fat, and the one who drenches, he also will sprout.
26The people will curse the hoarder of grain,
but blessing will crown the one who sells it.
26The one withholding grain, the people will curse him, and blessing is on the head of the one selling.
27He who searches out good finds favor,
but evil will come to him who seeks it.
27The one earnestly seeking good seeks favor, and the one seeking evil, it will come to him.
28He who trusts in his riches will fall,
but the righteous will thrive like foliage.
28The one trusting in his riches, he will fall, and the righteous ones will sprout like the leaf.
29He who brings trouble on his house will inherit the wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
29The one troubling his own house will inherit the wind, and the fool is servant to the wise of heart.
30The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and he who wins souls is wise.
30The fruit of a righteous one is a tree of life, and the one taking souls is wise.
31If the righteous receive their due on earth,
how much more the ungodly and the sinner!a
31Behold, a righteous one will be repaid in the land, surely also the ungodly and the sinner!