- 16:1The plans of the heart belong to man, / But the answer of the tongue is from Jehovah.
- 16:2All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes, / But Jehovah weighs the spirits.
- 16:3Commit your works to Jehovah, / And your purposes will be established.
- 16:4Jehovah has made everything for its own purpose, / Yes, even the wicked for the day of evil.
- 16:5Every one who is proud in heart is an abomination to Jehovah; / Be assured: He will not be unpunished.
- 16:6By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is expiated, / And by the fear of Jehovah men depart from evil.
- 16:7When a man's ways please Jehovah, / He causes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
- 16:8Better is a little with righteousness, / Than great income with injustice.
- 16:9A man's heart devises his way, / But Jehovah directs his steps.
- 16:10A divine decision is on the lips of the king; / His mouth will not transgress in judgment.
- 16:11A just balance and just scales are Jehovah's; / All the weights of the bag are His work.
- 16:12It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness, / For the throne is established by righteousness.
- 16:13Righteous lips are the delight of kings, / And they love one who speaks right.
- 16:14The wrath of a king is as messengers of death, / But a wise man will appease it.
- 16:15In the light of the king's countenance is life, / And his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain.
- 16:16How much better it is to acquire wisdom than gold, / And to acquire understanding is to be chosen above silver.
- 16:17The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; / He who keeps his way preserves his soul.
- 16:18Pride goes before destruction, / And a haughty spirit before a fall.
- 16:19It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor, / Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
- 16:20He who gives heed to the word will find good, / And blessed is he who trusts in Jehovah.
- 16:21The wise in heart will be called discerning, / And the sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
- 16:22Insight is a fountain of life to him who has it, / But the correction of fools is folly.
- 16:23The heart of the wise man instructs his mouth / And adds persuasiveness to his lips.
- 16:24Pleasant words are a honeycomb, / Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
- 16:25There is a way which seems right to a man, / But the end of it is the ways of death.
- 16:26The appetite of the laboring man labors for him; / For his mouth urges him on.
- 16:27A worthless man digs up evil, / And on his lips there is a scorching fire.
- 16:28A perverse man spreads strife, / And a whisperer separates close friends.
- 16:29A man of violence entices his neighbor / And leads him in a way that is not good.
- 16:30He who shuts his eyes does so to devise perverse things; / He who compresses his lips brings evil to pass.
- 16:31The gray head is a crown of glory; / It will be found in the way of righteousness.
- 16:32He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; / And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.
- 16:33The lot is cast into the lap, / But everything it decides is from Jehovah.
- 17:1Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it / Than a house full of feasting with strife.
- 17:2A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who causes shame, / And will share in the inheritance among brothers.
- 17:3The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, / But Jehovah tries the hearts.
- 17:4An evildoer gives heed to wicked lips, / And a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.
- 17:5Whoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; / He who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.
- 17:6Grandchildren are the crown of old men, / And the glory of children is their fathers.
- 17:7Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool; / Much less are lying lips for a noble man.
- 17:8A bribe is like a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor: / Wherever he turns, he prospers.
- 17:9He who covers a transgression seeks love, / But he who repeats a matter separates close friends.
- 17:10A rebuke strikes deeper into him who has understanding / Than a hundred stripes into a fool.
- 17:11An evil man seeks only rebellion; / Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
- 17:12Let a bear robbed of her cubs meet a man / Rather than a fool in his folly.
- 17:13Whoever rewards evil for good, / Evil will not depart from his house.
- 17:14The beginning of contention is like letting out water; / Therefore abandon strife before it breaks out.
- 17:15He who justifies the wicked man, and he who condemns the righteous man, / Both of them are an abomination to Jehovah.
- 17:16Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, / When he has no sense?
- 17:17A friend loves at all times, / And a brother is born for adversity.
- 17:18A man lacking sense gives his hand as a pledge / And becomes surety in the presence of his neighbor.
- 17:19He who loves transgression loves strife; / He who raises high his entrance seeks destruction.
- 17:20He who has a crooked heart finds no good, / And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil.
- 17:21He who begets a fool does so to his sorrow, / And the father of a fool has no joy.
- 17:22A joyful heart is good medicine, / But a broken spirit dries up the bones.
- 17:23A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom, / To pervert the ways of justice.
- 17:24Wisdom is before the face of him who has understanding, / But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
- 17:25A foolish son is a grief to his father, / And bitterness to her who bore him.
- 17:26To also punish the righteous man is not good, / Nor to strike nobles for their uprightness.
- 17:27He who restrains his words has knowledge, / And he who is cool in spirit is one who has understanding.
- 17:28Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is counted wise; / When he shuts his lips, he is counted prudent.