| Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling. | It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. |
| Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people. | Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people. |
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| Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice. | Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. |
| A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted. | Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult. |
| A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls. | Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control. |
| Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. | Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. |
| Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. | Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding. |
| Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. | The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit. |
| True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life. | Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life. |
| As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person. | As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart. |
| How much better to get wisdom than gold, and good judgment than silver! | How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver! |
| People may be right in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their heart. | A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart. |
| Keep the commandments and keep your life; despising them leads to death. | Whoever keeps commandments keeps their life, but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die. |
| Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender. | The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender. |
| Tainted wealth has no lasting value, but right living can save your life. | Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value, but righteousness delivers from death. |
| A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. | A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. |
| The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth. | The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy. |
| My child, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life. | Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. |
| There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. | There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. |
| Loyalty makes a person attractive. It is better to be poor than dishonest. | What a person desires is unfailing love; better to be poor than a liar. |
| For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. | For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. |
| Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. | Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. |
| He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. | For he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. |
| Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating. | The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating. |
| Evil people get rich for the moment, but the reward of the godly will last. | A wicked person earns deceptive wages, but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward. |
