¹The wicked flee when there is no pursuer,

But the righteous have confidence like a lion.

²For the misrule of a country,

It has many rulers,

But with a man who understands and is knowledgeable,

Its basis will last long.

³An impoverished man who oppresses the poor

Is like sweeping rain

And no food.

⁴Those who forsake the law

Praise the wicked man,

But those who keep the law

Are offended by them.

⁵Evil men do not understand justice,

But those who seek the Lord

Will understand everything.

⁶An impoverished man who walks in his integrity

Is better than one who perverts his ways

And who is rich.

⁷He who keeps the law

Is an understanding son,

But he who associates with the debauched

Puts his father to shame.

⁸He who increases his wealth by charging interest,

And by exacting a financial return,

Accumulates it

For him who will be gracious to the poor.

⁹As for him who turns a deaf ear to the law,

His prayer is an abomination in addition.

¹⁰He who leads the upright astray into a bad way

Will fall into his own pit,

Whereas those with integrity

Will inherit what is good.

¹¹A rich man is wise in his own eyes,

But a poor man who has understanding

Will examine him.

¹²When the righteous rejoice,

There is great glory,

But when the wicked rise,

A man will be in hiding.

¹³He who covers up his transgressions

Will not be successful,

But he who confesses them and renounces them

Will be shown mercy.

¹⁴Happy is the man who always fears,

But he who hardens his heart

Will land in trouble.

¹⁵An evil ruler over a powerless people

Is a growling lion and a prowling bear.

¹⁶A leader who lacks understanding

And a great oppressor

– What of him?

But he who hates plunder

Will prolong his days.

¹⁷A man under pressure by having shed the blood of a person

Will flee until he goes to the grave.

May he not be given support.

¹⁸He who walks with integrity

Will be saved,

But he who is perverse in his ways

Will fall on one of them.

¹⁹He who cultivates his land

Will have plenty of food,

But he who pursues vain things

Will have plenty of scarcity.

²⁰A faithful man will have many blessings,

But he who hastens to enrich himself

Will not be held guiltless.

²¹It is not good to show partiality,

Yet for a piece of bread

A man will transgress.

²²A man with a covetous eye hastens to riches,

But he does not know

That scarcity will come upon him.

²³He who reproves a man

Will find more goodwill afterwards

Than he who flatters with his tongue.

²⁴As for him who robs his father and his mother,

Saying that it isn't wrong,

He is an accomplice

To a ruinous man.

²⁵He of an overbearing manner

Arouses strife,

But he who trusts in the Lord

Will be richly satisfied.

²⁶He who trusts his own heart

Is a fool,

But he who walks in wisdom

Will be delivered.

²⁷He who gives to the poor

Does not suffer lack,

But he who turns his eyes away

Incurs an abundance of curses.

²⁸When the wicked rise up,

A man will go into hiding,

But when they perish

The righteous will be numerous.