| Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. | Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. |
| Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. | Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin. |
|
| The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin. | The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin. |
| A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. | One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. |
| But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. | Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. |
| The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. | The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. |
| Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” | Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” |
| The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless, but destruction to evildoers. | The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless, but it is the ruin of those who do evil. |
| With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered. | With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the righteous escape. |
| Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even 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 mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. |
