21 The king’s heart is like a channel of water directed by the Eternal:
    He chooses which way He bends it.
² Everyone may think his own way of living is right,
    but the Eternal examines our hearts.
³ To do what is right and to seek justice—
    these please Him more than sacrifice.
⁴ The lamp of the wicked lights his way;
    a proud look, an arrogant heart—all sin.
⁵ A well-thought-out plan will work to your advantage,
    but hasty actions will cost you dearly.
⁶ The fortune made by a swindler
    is a fast-burning fog and a recipe for death.
⁷ Wicked people will be swept up in their own violence
    because they refuse to seek justice.
⁸ Dishonest people walk along the crooked path they have made,
    but the innocent travel the straight course they have laid.
⁹ It is better to dwell outside on the corner of your roof
    than to live inside your house with a badgering wife.
¹⁰ Wicked people delight in doing bad things;
    their neighbors never see even a hint of compassion.
¹¹ A naive person wises up when he sees a mocker punished.
    A wise person becomes even wiser just by being instructed.
¹² The right-living understands how evildoers operate;
    he subverts them and ruins their plans.
¹³ If you ignore the groans of the poor,
    one day your own cries for help will go unanswered.
¹⁴ A gift given in secret soothes anger,
    and a present offered privately calms fierce rage.
¹⁵ When justice is done, those who are in the right celebrate,
    but those who make trouble are terrified.
¹⁶ People who wander from the way of wise living
    will lie down in the company of corpses.
¹⁷ Those who live to party, who pursue pleasure, will end up penniless;
    those who enjoy lots of wine and rich food will never have money.
¹⁸ The wicked become a ransom for those who live right,
    and the faithless pay the penalty for their treachery against the upright.
¹⁹ You would be better off living in the middle of the desert
    than with an angry and argumentative wife.
²⁰ The wise have a generous supply of fine food and oil in their homes,
    but fools are wasteful, consuming every last drop.
²¹ Whoever pursues justice and treats others with kindness
    discovers true life marked by integrity and respect.
²² One wise person can rise against a city of mighty men
    and cause the citadel they trust to collapse.
²³ Guard your words, mind what you say,
    and you will keep yourself out of trouble.
²⁴ The name “mocker” applies to one who is proud and pompous
    because he is defiantly arrogant.
²⁵ What slackers crave will surely kill them
    because they refuse to work.
²⁶ All day, every day the greedy want more,
    while those who live right give generously.
²⁷ The offerings of wrongdoers are despicable to God;
    it’s even worse when they bring them with evil motives.
²⁸ The testimony of a false witness is eventually impeached,
    but the person who truly listens will have the last word.
²⁹ The wicked wears a defiant face,
    but the right-living plans his path.
³⁰ No one is wise enough or smart enough,
    and no plan is good enough to stand up to the Eternal.
³¹ No matter how well you arm for battle,
    victory is determined by Him.