15 A soft answer turns away wrath,But a harsh word stirs up anger.² The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.

³ The eyes of the Lord are in every place,Keeping watch on the evil and the good.

⁴ A wholesome tongue is a tree of life,But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

⁵ A fool despises his father’s instruction,But he who receives correction is prudent.

⁶ In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.

⁷ The lips of the wise disperse knowledge,But the heart of the fool does not do so.

⁸ The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,But the prayer of the upright is His delight.⁹ The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,But He loves him who follows righteousness.

¹⁰ Harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way,And he who hates correction will die.

¹¹ Hell^[a] and Destruction^[a] are before the Lord;So how much more the hearts of the sons of men.

¹² A scoffer does not love one who corrects him,Nor will he go to the wise.

¹³ A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance,But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

¹⁴ The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.

¹⁵ All the days of the afflicted are evil,But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.

¹⁶ Better is a little with the fear of the Lord,Than great treasure with trouble.¹⁷ Better is a dinner of herbs^[c] where love is,Than a fatted calf with hatred.

¹⁸ A wrathful man stirs up strife,But he who is slow to anger allays contention.

¹⁹ The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns,But the way of the upright is a highway.

²⁰ A wise son makes a father glad,But a foolish man despises his mother.

²¹ Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment,But a man of understanding walks uprightly.

²² Without counsel, plans go awry,But in the multitude of counselors they are established.

²³ A man has joy by the answer of his mouth,And a word spoken in due season, how good it is!

²⁴ The way of life winds upward for the wise,That he may turn away from hell^[d] below.

²⁵ The Lord will destroy the house of the proud,But He will establish the boundary of the widow.

²⁶ The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,But the words of the pure are pleasant.

²⁷ He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house,But he who hates bribes will live.

²⁸ The heart of the righteous studies how to answer,But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.

²⁹ The Lord is far from the wicked,But He hears the prayer of the righteous.

³⁰ The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,And a good report makes the bones healthy.^[e]

³¹ The ear that hears the rebukes of lifeWill abide among the wise.³² He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.³³ The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,And before honor is humility.