| A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men. | A gift opens doors for the giver and wins him access to the powerful. |
| Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. | The tongue has the power over life and death; those who cherish it will enjoy its fruits. |
| He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the Lord. | One who finds a wife finds happiness and receives favor from the Lord. |
| A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. | Some friends can lead us to ruin, but a true friend is closer than a brother. |
| He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; He who keeps understanding will find good. | Whoever gains wisdom loves his own soul; one who cherishes understanding will prosper. |
| Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, But a prudent wife is from the Lord. | A house and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is a gift from the Lord. |
| He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul, But he who is careless of his ways will die. | Whoever observes the commandments will live, but the one who scorns them will die. |
| There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand. | Many are the plans in a human mind, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will prevail. |
| What is desired in a man is kindness, And a poor man is better than a liar. | A man’s attraction is his kindness; it is far better to be poor than to be a liar. |
| It is honorable for a man to stop striving, Since any fool can start a quarrel. | It is honorable to avoid strife, but every fool is quarrelsome. |
| It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy, And afterward to reconsider his vows. | It is rash to pledge a sacred gift, or to make a vow and then have second thoughts. |
| Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts. | A man’s ways may seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart. |
| To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. | To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. |
| He who follows righteousness and mercy Finds life, righteousness, and honor. | Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life and honor too. |
| He covets greedily all day long, But the righteous gives and does not spare. | All day long the godless man continues to covet, whereas the righteous man gives unsparingly. |
| A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold. | An honorable name is more to be desired than great riches, and high esteem is preferable to silver and gold. |
| By humility and the fear of the Lord Are riches and honor and life. | The reward of humility and fear of the Lord is wealth, honor, and life. |
| Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. | Train a child in the way he should go, and he will not deviate from it, even in old age. |
| The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender. | The wealthy man lords it over the poor, and the borrower becomes the slave of the lender. |
| Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease! | Do not wear yourself out in the pursuit of wealth, and cease even to think about it. |
| Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven. | When you fix your gaze upon it, it is gone before you realize it. For it suddenly sprouts wings and flies up to the sky like an eagle. |
| My son, if your heart is wise, My heart will rejoice—indeed, I myself. | My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad. |
| The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who begets a wise child will delight in him. | The father of a good man will rejoice; he who begets a wise son will delight in him. |
| So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; If you have found it, there is a prospect, And your hope will not be cut off. | In much the same manner will wisdom be sweet to your soul. If you find it, you will have a future, and your hope will not be cut off. |
| Whoever has no rule over his own spirit Is like a city broken down, without walls. | Like a city that has been breached and made defenseless is the man devoid of self-control. |
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