Return, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions, so iniquity will not be your ruin. | Repent and renounce all your transgressions. Otherwise your iniquity will prove to be your downfall. |
He who guards his mouth guards his soul. One who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. | He who guards his mouth makes his life secure, but one who talks excessively ensures his own downfall. |
|
But those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation, a snare, and many foolish and harmful lusts, such as drown men in ruin and destruction. | However, those who want riches fall into temptations and are trapped into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. |
A man of many companions may be ruined, 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. |
The wise in heart accept commandments, but a chattering fool will fall. | A wise man will heed commandments, but a babbling fool will come to grief. |
Yahweh preserves the foreigners. He upholds the fatherless and widow, but he turns the way of the wicked upside down. | The Lord watches over the stranger and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he blocks the way of the wicked. |
The way of Yahweh is a stronghold to the upright, but it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity. | The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the upright, but destruction for evildoers. |
Don’t be deceived! “Evil companionships corrupt good morals.” | Do not let anyone lead you astray. “Bad company corrupts good morals.” |
With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, but the righteous will be delivered through knowledge. | With his mouth the godless man seeks to ruin his neighbor, but knowledge enables the righteous to be delivered. |
Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, these may forget, yet I will not forget you! Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. Your walls are continually before me. | Can a woman forget the infant at her breast; or feel no compassion for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you. Behold, I have inscribed your name on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before my eyes. |