Proverbs 22:1-29

¹◄Having a good reputation/Being honored by people► is better than having a lot of money; being well respected is better than having plenty of gold or silver DOU.

²There is one thing that is true about both rich people and poor people: Yahweh is the one who created all of them.

³Those who have good sense realize that there is something dangerous ahead, and they avoid it; those who do not have good sense just keep going and later they will suffer because of doing that.

⁴The reward that Yahweh gives to those who are humble and who revere him is that he causes them to be rich and honored and to live for a long time.

⁵Because of the things that wicked people do, they have difficulties/troubles that will be like thorns and traps on the roads that they walk on MET; people who are careful/cautious will be able to stay away from those difficulties.

⁶If you train/teach children to do what is right, all during their life they will act/behave in that manner.

⁷Rich people rule over poor people harshly, and those who borrow money become like slaves MET of the people who lend money to them.

⁸If you plant corn or rice, corn or rice will grow; similarly, if you act unjustly, you will have disasters MET; and if you try to harm/oppress people because you are angry with them, you will not be able to harm them.

⁹God will bless those who are generous IDM, those who give some of their food to poor people.

¹⁰If you get rid of those who make fun of everything that is good, there will no more arguing or quarreling or insulting other people.

¹¹If you always act sincerely IDM and always speak kindly, the king will be your friend.

¹²Yahweh SYN ◄watches over/takes care of► those who have good understanding/sense, but he ruins the plans/affairs of those who always try to deceive others.

¹³Lazy people remain in their houses; they say, “A lion might attack me if I go out into the street to go to work!”

¹⁴What ◄wives who commit adultery/immoral women► say to men MTY is like a deep pit MET into which those men fall; those with whom Yahweh is angry will fall into that pit.

¹⁵Children SYN naturally do things that are foolish, but if you punish/spank them PRS, they will ◄stop doing foolish things/learn to behave as they should►.

¹⁶Those who oppress poor people in order to become rich, and those who give a bribe to rich people in order that the rich people will do a favor for them, will just lose their money.

¹⁷Now listen MTY to what wise people have said; think carefully about what I am teaching you.

¹⁸It will be good to ◄keep these things in your minds/always remember them►, because if you do that, you will be able to quote/recite them to others.

¹⁹I want you to trust in Yahweh, and that is the reason that I am telling them to you, now.

²⁰I have written RHQ thirty ◄sayings/things that wise people have said► from which you will receive good advice and you will be able you to know many good/useful things.

²¹From them, you will learn what is right and what is true, in order that you will be able to bring back a good report to those who sent you to school (OR, give a good answer to those who ask you questions).

²²It is easy to rob poor people who are helpless and cannot defend themselves, but never do that; and do not oppress in court those who are needy/afflicted,

²³because Yahweh will speak to defend them, and he will punish those who steal things from others—by causing them to die.

²⁴Do not become friends with those who often become angry, and do not associate with those who cannot control their temper/anger,

²⁵because you might start to act like they do and not be able to stop doing that.

²⁶If someone borrows money, do not be one of those who promises to pay what that person owes he cannot pay it back,

²⁷because if you cannot pay it back, people will surely RHQ come and take away everything you own, even your bed.

²⁸Do not steal some of your neighbors' land by removing the boundary lines/markers that your ancestors placed/set.

²⁹Know/Learn RHQ this about those who do their work very skillfully: They will quit working for ordinary people and will start working for kings because the kings will want people like that to work for them.