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UST PRO Chapter 22

◄ PRO 22 ► ║ ©

22 Being someone whom people respect is more important than being very wealthy.

Indeed, being someone whom others approve of is better than having silver and gold.

2 Rich people and poor people have at least one thing in common:

Yahweh made both of them.

3 Sensible people observe something dangerous happening and avoid it,

but naive people ignorantly do not avoid it and suffer for doing so.

4 People who are humble, who reverently fear Yahweh,

will become rich, people will respect them, and they will live for a long time.

5 Deceptive people live dangerously, as if they were walking down a road covered with thorns and traps;

but people who want to stay alive avoid living that way.

6 Teach children how to behave properly,

so that when they become old, they will still continue to do so.

7 Rich people reign over poor people,

and people who borrow money from others are slaves to the people who loaned them money.

8 People who act unjustly will suffer for doing so,

and they will no longer be able to furiously oppress other people.

9 Yahweh will bless generous people

because they give their own food to poor people.

10 If you banish people who ridicule others, then people will stop arguing with each other,

quarreling with each other, and shaming each other.

11 People who love thinking purely

speak graciously and are companions of kings.

12 Yahweh preserves what people should know,

but he makes what treacherous people say fail.

13 Lazy people do nothing because they claim that there is a lion outside that will kill them in the street if they go outside.

14 What adulterous women say is as dangerous as a deep hole;

those whom Yahweh is angry with will fall into it.

15 Children inherently think foolishly,

but physically disciplining them will teach them to stop being foolish.

16 People who oppress poor people in order to make more money for themselves,

or who gives things to rich people in order to become rich, will only become poor.

17 Listen carefully to what wise people have said;

consider carefully what I am teaching you!

18 Do this because if you remember these sayings

and are always ready to repeat them to others, then you will be glad.

19 I am teaching these sayings to you—yes, you—right now

so that you will trust Yahweh.

20 I am indeed writing these 30 sayings

to advise and teach you.

21 I am writing them in order to teach you what is true in trustworthy sayings,

and in order to answer those who sent you with trustworthy sayings.

22 Do not steal from poor people just because they are poor;

and do not oppress suffering people in court.

23 Do not do these things because Yahweh will defend those poor people when you dispute with them,

and he will kill the people who stole from them.

24 Do not become friends with angry people.

Indeed, do not associate with people who easily become angry.

25 If you do so, then you will act like them,

and you will endanger yourself like an animal caught in a trap.

26 Stay away from those people who agree to pay loans for others.

Indeed, stay away from those people who guarantee to pay the loans of others.

27 For if you cannot pay back the loan,

then the person to whom you owe money will surely take away even your own bed in order to pay back the loan.

28 Do not cheat people by moving the stones that their ancestors placed long ago

to mark the boundaries of their land.

29 Consider this: people who work skillfully will serve kings

rather than serving unknown people.

◄ PRO 22 ► ║ ©

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