Proverbs 22:17-24:22
New Catholic Bible
The Sayings of the Wise[a]
Lend Your Ear[b]
17 These are the sayings of the wise:
Incline your ear and listen to my words,
and apply your mind to the knowledge I impart.
18 They will afford pleasure if you keep them in your heart
and have all of them ready on your lips.
19 In order that your trust may be in the Lord,
I will make them known to you today.
20 Have I not written for you thirty sayings[c]
of admonition and knowledge
21 to show you what is right and true
so that you can offer sound answers to the one who sent you?
Practical Counsels[d]
22 Do not rob the poor because they are helpless
or oppress the needy at the gate.
23 For the Lord will take up their cause[e]
and rob of life those who despoiled them.
24 Never make friends with a man prone to anger,
and do not associate with anyone who is wrathful.
25 Otherwise you may learn his ways[f]
and find yourself entangled in a snare.
26 Do not be one of those who give pledges
and become surety for another’s debts.
27 For if you have no means of paying,
your bed will be taken from under you.
28 Never remove the ancient boundary stone
that your ancestors set up.
29 If you see a man who is skilled in his work,[g]
remember that he will serve kings;
he will not stand before common people.
Chapter 23
When You Sit Down To Dine with a Ruler . . .[h]
1 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
take careful note of what is before you.
2 Control yourself[i]
if you are given to overindulgence.
3 Do not yearn for the ruler’s delicacies,
for they are deceptive food.
Wealth Passes Away[j]
4 Do not wear yourself out in the pursuit of wealth,
and cease even to think about it.
5 When you fix your gaze upon it,
it is gone before you realize it.
For it suddenly sprouts wings
and flies up to the sky like an eagle.
Do Not Dine with a Stingy Man[k]
6 Do not dine with a stingy man
or hanker for his delicacies.
7 For, like a hair,
they will stick in your throat.
“Eat and drink,” he will say to you,
but he does not mean it in his heart.
8 You will vomit up the little you have eaten
and find that your compliments have been wasted.
9 Do not waste your words on a fool
who will only despise the wisdom of your comments.[l]
God Vindicates the Defenseless[m]
10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone
or encroach on the lands of orphans.
11 For their redeemer is powerful,
and he will take up their cause against you.
Direct Your Heart along the Right Path[n]
12 Apply your heart to instruction
and your ears to words of knowledge.
13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;
if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.
14 Rather, if you beat him with a rod,
you will save him from the netherworld.[o]
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
then my heart will be glad.
16 Also my innermost being will rejoice
when your lips utter what is right.
17 Do not allow your heart to envy sinners,
but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord;[p]
18 there truly is a future for you,
and your hope will not be cut short.
19 Listen, my son, and be wise
as you direct your heart along the right path.
20 Do not consort with drunkards[q]
or be one of those who gorge themselves with meat.
21 For the drunkard and the glutton will become impoverished,
and stupor will clothe them in rags.
22 Listen to your father who begot you,
and do not despise your mother[r] when she is old.
23 Buy truth and do not sell it;
this is wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24 The father of a good man will rejoice;
he who begets a wise son will delight in him.
25 May your father and mother be glad;
may the one who bore you exult.
The Prostitute Is a Deep Well[s]
26 My son, pay attention to me
and let your eyes delight in my ways.
27 For a prostitute is a deep well,
and an adulteress is a narrow pit.
28 Such a woman lies in wait like a robber,
and many are the men she deludes.
The Joys and Dangers of Wine[t]
29 Who endures misery? Who endures remorse?
Who has strife? Who has anxiety?
Who becomes bruised without knowing the reason?
Who has blackened eyes?
30 Those who linger over their wine too long,
those who sample blended wines.
31 Do not note how red the wine is,
how it sparkles in the cup,
and how smoothly it goes down.
32 For in the end its bite is like that of a serpent
or that of a poisonous viper.
33 Then your eyes will behold strange sights,
and your heart will utter distorted words.
34 You will become like one sleeping at sea
or clinging to the top of the mast.
35 You will say, “They struck me, but I was not hurt.
They beat me, but I did not feel it.
When will I awaken,
so that I can seek another drink?”
Chapter 24
Do Not Be Envious of the Wicked[u]
1 Do not be envious of the wicked
or desire to be in their company.
2 For their hearts scheme of violence,
and their lips speak only of mischief.
3 By wisdom a house is built;
by understanding it is made secure.
4 By knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and desirable riches of all kinds.
5 A wise man is mightier than a strong man,
and a man of knowledge prevails over one who has strength.
6 For you wage war by wise guidance,
and victory depends on a host of counselors.
7 Wisdom is too lofty for a fool;
at the city gate he does not open his mouth.[v]
8 Anyone who plans to do evil
earns a reputation for intrigue.
9 The intrigues of fools are sinful,[w]
and men find the scoffer abhorrent.
10 If you lose heart in time of adversity,
your strength will indeed be limited.
11 [x]Rescue those who are being led away to death
and save those who are on their way to execution.
12 If you say, “I do not know this man,”
will he who tests the heart not perceive it?
He who is the guardian of your soul knows it,
and he will repay you as your deeds deserve.
13 Eat honey,[y] my son, for it is good,
and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to the taste.
14 In much the same manner
will wisdom be sweet to your soul.
If you find it, you will have a future,
and your hope[z] will not be cut off.
15 Do not lie in wait at the home of a righteous man;
do not raid his dwelling.
16 For a righteous man falls seven times[aa] and rises again,
but the wicked stumble into calamity.
17 Do not be glad when your enemy falls;
when he stumbles, do not let your heart exult,
18 for fear that the Lord will be displeased at the sight
and withdraw his wrath from your enemy.
19 Do not become outraged about evildoers
or be envious of the wicked.[ab]
20 For they will have no tomorrow;
the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
21 My son, fear the Lord and fear the king;[ac]
avoid those who rebel against them.
22 For disaster will strike them suddenly,
and who knows what ruin will afflict them and their friends?[ad]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:17 This collection of sayings may have been intended for the training and reflection of persons in positions of responsibility. Critics find in it some analogies with an Egyptian book containing the wisdom of a certain Amenemope (tenth century B.C.). But unlike the latter, which could only have served as a model, our collection teaches trust in God, under whose gaze the actions of human beings, especially of the mighty, are done. This collection sought to group its proverbs into some kind of order, although it never really reached that goal. It readily dispenses its counsels and loves warning formulas: Do not rob the poor. . . . Never make friends . . . (Prov 22:22, 24).
- Proverbs 22:17 This warm invitation greatly resembles the preface to chapter 1. The sage is a happy person who places trust in God.
- Proverbs 22:20 Thirty sayings: there are thirty units in this section, most of them two or three verses long. The Wisdom of Amenemope also contains thirty sections.
- Proverbs 22:22 These are practical counsels inspired by respect for the poor, by prudence, and by the sense of justice. These virtues are essential for a responsible society. The ending remains obscure: one notes that the capable person quickly reaches the level of success, a simple fact about which no judgment is made.
- Proverbs 22:23 Will take up their cause: i.e., the cause of the poor (see Prov 23:11; Pss 12:6; 140:13; Isa 3:14-16; Mal 3:5).
- Proverbs 22:25 May learn his ways: i.e., the ways of the wicked, a theme repeated by Paul: “Bad company corrupts good morals” (1 Cor 15:33).
- Proverbs 22:29 Who is skilled in his work: see note on Prov 8:30.
- Proverbs 23:1 When people are in society, they must know how to conduct themselves. Proverbs claims to impart an art of how to live.
- Proverbs 23:2 Control yourself: literally, “put a knife to your throat”—a proverbial metaphor for restraining one’s appetites.
- Proverbs 23:4 This is an excellent warning: power exposes one to the temptation to amass a fortune with ill-gotten goods: “The love of money is the root of all evils” (1 Tim 6:10; see Prov 15:27; 28:20; Heb 13:5). We must place our trust in God not money (see Jer 17:11; Lk 12:21; 1 Tim 6:17).
- Proverbs 23:6 What good is accepting an invitation that is given out of envy rather than friendship!
- Proverbs 23:9 Despise the wisdom of your comments: fools despise wisdom (Prov 1:7), hate knowledge and correction (Prov 1:22; 12:11), and hurl abuse on those who correct them (Prov 9:7).
- Proverbs 23:10 God comes to the aid of those who do not have anyone to defend them, especially orphans and widows, for he is “the Father of orphans and the defender of widows” (Ps 68:6; see also Jer 50:34). Will take up their cause: see Pss 12:6; 140:13; Isa 3:14-16; Mal 3:5.
- Proverbs 23:12 A father here speaks to his son in order to counsel him, for wisdom is tradition, an apprenticeship in how to behave, the acceptance of an ideal that has shown its value. The conceptions of education set forth undoubtedly deserve to be reviewed and adapted in accordance with the evolution of cultures. But doesn’t the joy of parents consist in knowing that they are understood when they bear witness from the best of themselves!
- Proverbs 23:14 The ancients thought that in order to give instruction one has to be severe (see Prov 19:18). In this ancient conception, a good education was the guarantee of good behavior. Hence, it was a buffer against the punishment of God reserved for the wicked and against the punishment of the netherworld, i.e., death.
- Proverbs 23:17 Fear of the Lord: see note on Prov 1:7. Future . . . hope: see Prov 24:14; Pss 9:19; 37:37; 73:24; Jer 29:11.
- Proverbs 23:20 Do not consort with drunkards: see notes on verses 29-35; 20:1. Drunkenness is also condemned in Deut 21:20; Mt 24:49; Lk 21:34; Rom 13:13; 1 Cor 6:10; Gal 5:21; Eph 5:18; 1 Tim 3:3; 1 Pet 4:3.
- Proverbs 23:22 Do not despise your mother: see Prov 15:20; 30:17.
- Proverbs 23:26 The danger of letting oneself be led astray by a woman who prostitutes herself is described more at length in Prov 5:2; see also note on Prov 2:16.
- Proverbs 23:29 This portrait of a drunkard is lacking in no detail. The last verse indicates the most damaging effect of drunkenness on the drunkard: the desire to drink again and total unconcern for bodily or spiritual harm.
- Proverbs 24:1 Evildoers make others envious; every moral teacher must show that, in one way or another, evil does not pay, that it is a pathway to death. Faced with the lure of desires that are easily available but dishonest, they must show the human and spiritual value of good behavior—it is the sole way of approach. The teacher of wisdom devotes himself to this difficult task.
- Proverbs 24:7 Public business was conducted at the gate of the city.
- Proverbs 24:9 The intrigues of fools are sinful: see Prov 1:11-16; 9:13-18. Men find the scoffer abhorrent: because he is arrogant and abusive (Prov 9:7), and a fomenter of strife (Prov 22:10). See also note on Prov 1:22.
- Proverbs 24:11 One who can prove that a condemned man is innocent must try to save him (see Prov 17:15; Isa 58:6-7). [God] knows it: God knows us through and through (see Prov 16:2; 21:2; Ps 94:9-11).
- Proverbs 24:13 Honey: i.e., wisdom, which is the honey of the soul.
- Proverbs 24:14 Wisdom is sweet to the soul by bringing nourishment and healing to it (see Prov 16:24). Future . . . hope: see Prov 23:18; Pss 9:19; 37:37; 73:24; Jer 29:11.
- Proverbs 24:16 Seven times: i.e., many times (see Prov 6:16; Job 5:19 and note). Rises again: the Lord has promised to come to the aid of the righteous (see Pss 34:20; 37:24; Mic 7:8). The wicked stumble into calamity: see Prov 24:22; 4:19; 6:15; 11:3, 5; Pss 1:6; 37:13, 20; 119:155; 146:9.
- Proverbs 24:19 This verse is very close to Ps 37:1; see Prov 23:17; 24:1.
- Proverbs 24:21 Fear the Lord and fear the king: the faithful are to render obedience to the Lord and to civil authority (see Eccl 8:2-5; Mt 18:21-22; Lk 17:4; Rom 13:1ff; 1 Pet 2:13-17). Scripture regards the king as the punisher of the wicked (see Prov 20:8, 26).
- Proverbs 24:22
After this verse, the Greek text adds five verses as follows:
22aA son who keeps the commandment will escape destruction,
for he embraced it willingly.
22bLet no falsehood be spoken by the tongue of the king,
yes, let no falsehood proceed from his tongue.
22cThe king’s tongue is a sword, not some fleshly thing,
and whoever is handed up to him will be crushed.
22dFor if his wrath is provoked,
he destroys men with all their sinews.
22eHe devours men’s bones
and like a flame burns them up,
so that they are not even fit to be eaten by young eagles.
The Greek text then appends here chapter 30:1-14.
