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but an accurate weight is His delight.
2 When pride comes, disgrace follows,
but with humility comes wisdom.
3 The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the perversity of the treacherous destroys them.
4 Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.
5 The righteousness of the blameless clears his path,
but the wicked fall because of their own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the treacherous are trapped by their own evil desires.
7 When a wicked man dies, all his expectations perish,
and all his vain ambitions vanish.
8 The righteous are rescued from trouble,
and it falls on the wicked instead.
9 With his mouth the godless destroys his neighbour,
but through knowledge the righteous are delivered.
10 When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices,
and when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.
11 Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
12 Whoever derides his neighbour lacks wisdom,
but a man of understanding remains silent.
13 A gossip goes around revealing secrets,
but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a confidence.
14 Where there is a lack of guidance a nation collapses,
but with many advisers there is survival.
15 He who puts up security for a stranger will suffer for it,
but the one who hates going surety is safeguarded.
16 A gracious woman gains honour,
but ruthless men gain only riches.
17 A kind man does good for his own soul,
but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.
18 The wicked man earns a deceptive wage,
but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.
19 As righteousness leads to life,
but he who pursues evil goes to his own death.
20 Those who are of a perverse heart are detestable to the Lord,
but those who are blameless in their ways are His delight.
21 Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished
but the offspring of the righteous will escape.
22 Like a ring of gold in a pig’s snout
so is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
but the expectation of the wicked only in wrath.
24 One person gives freely, yet gains even more;
another withholds what is due, but ends up in poverty.
25 A generous person will be enriched,
and he who gives water will receive water himself.
26 People curse those who hoard grain,
but a blessing is on the head of the one who is willing to sell.
27 He who diligently seeks good finds favour,
but evil comes to the one who searches for it.
28 Anyone who trusts in his riches will fall,
but the righteous will flourish like green leaves.
29 He who brings trouble on his own household will inherit the wind,
and the fool will be a servant to the wise of heart.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and he who wins souls is wise.
31 If the righteous are repaid on earth,
how much more the wicked and the sinner!