Turn away from the mouth that deceives and keep your distance from lips that mislead. | Put away from yourself a perverse mouth. Put corrupt lips far from you. |
Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze on what lies before you. | Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you. |
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Ensure that the path you tread is level, and then your ways will be sure. | Make the path of your feet level. Let all of your ways be established. |
Do not swerve either to the right or to the left; keep your foot far from evil. | Don’t turn to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil. |
Observe your father’s command, my son, and do not reject your mother’s teaching. | My son, keep your father’s commandment, and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching. |
Or can a man walk on red-hot coals without scorching his feet? | Or can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be scorched? |
The fear of the Lord implies hatred of evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil ways and perverse speech. | The fear of Yahweh is to hate evil. I hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth. |
For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord. | For whoever finds me finds life, and will obtain favor from Yahweh. |
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. | The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. |
A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son gives grief to his mother. | A wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish son brings grief to his mother. |
Treasures obtained by wicked means profit nothing, but a righteous life brings delivery from death. | Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death. |
Blessings are showered on the head of the righteous, but sorrow will cover the face of the wicked. | Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked. |
The righteous is remembered with blessings, but the name of the wicked fades away. | The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot. |
A wise man will heed commandments, but a babbling fool will come to grief. | The wise in heart accept commandments, but a chattering fool will fall. |
Anyone who leads an honorable life walks in safety, but whoever pursues wicked ways will be found out. | He who walks blamelessly walks surely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out. |
Hatred stirs up strife, but love overlooks all offenses. | Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all wrongs. |
Whoever heeds admonition is on the path to life, but anyone who rejects correction goes astray. | He is in the way of life who heeds correction, but he who forsakes reproof leads others astray. |
Lying lips conceal hatred, and anyone who slanders another is a fool. | He who hides hatred has lying lips. He who utters a slander is a fool. |
Where many words are spoken, sin is not absent, but whoever restrains his tongue is prudent. | In the multitude of words there is no lack of disobedience, but he who restrains his lips does wisely. |
The tongue of the just man is like pure silver; the heart of the wicked is without worth. | The tongue of the righteous is like choice silver. The heart of the wicked is of little worth. |
The blessing of the Lord is what brings wealth, and our toil adds nothing to it. | Yahweh’s blessing brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it. |
The hope of the righteous brings them joy, but the expectations of the wicked are frustrated. | The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hope of the wicked will perish. |
The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the upright, but destruction for evildoers. | The way of Yahweh is a stronghold to the upright, but it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity. |
The lips of the righteous utter words of kindness, but the mouth of the wicked knows only how to pervert. | The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked is perverse. |
When pride is nurtured, disgrace soon follows, but wisdom is the hallmark of the humble. | When pride comes, then comes shame, but with humility comes wisdom. |