Proverbs — Chapter 22
Repute is preferable to great wealth,Grace is better than silver and gold.
The rich and the poor meet;ameet Occasionally, as members of society. GOD made them both.
One who was shrewd saw trouble and took cover;The simple kept going and paid the penalty.
The effect of humility is fear of GOD,Wealth, honor, and life.
Thorns and snares are in the path of the crooked;Those who value their life will keep far from them.
Train children in the way they each ought to go;They will not swerve from it even in old age.
A rich person rules the poor,And the borrower is a slave to the man who lends.
One who sows injustice shall reap misfortune;The rod of wrath shall fail.
One who is generous is blessed,While giving bread to the poor.
Expel the scoffer and contention departs,Quarrel and contumely cease.
A pure-hearted comrade—His speech is gracious;He has the king for his companion.
The eyes of GOD watch the person who is wise;bthe person who is wise Or “knowledge,” i.e., words of knowledge; cf. v. 17. [God] subverts the words of the treacherous.
The sluggard says, “There’s a lion in the street;I shall be killed if I step outside.”cif I step outside Lit. “in the square.”
The mouth of a forbiddendforbidden Lit. “strange.” woman is a deep pit;He who is doomed by GOD falls into it.
If folly settles in the heart of a youth,The rod of discipline will remove it.
To profit by withholding what is due to the poorIs like making gifts to the rich—pure loss.
Incline your ear and listen to the words of the sages;Pay attention to my wisdom.
It is good that you store them inside you,And that all of them be constantly on your lips,
That you may put your trust in GOD.I let you know today—yes, you—
Indeed, I wrote down for you a threefold lore,ea threefold lore Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Wise counsel,
To let you know truly reliable words,That you may give a faithful reply to those who sent you.
Do not rob the wretched because they are wretched;Do not crush the poor in the gate;
For GOD will take up their causeAnd despoil those who despoil them of life.
Do not associate with a hothead,Or go about with a hot-tempered man,
Lest you learn their waysAnd find yourself ensnared.
Do not be one of those who give their hand,Who stand surety for debts,
Lest your bed be taken from under youWhen you have no money to pay.
Do not remove the ancient boundary stoneThat your ancestors set up.
See a man skilled at his work—He shall attend upon kings;He shall not attend upon the lowly.fthe lowly Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
✦ Connected Across Traditions
Divine Compassion & Mercy
Quran 1:1
“In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”
Luke 6:36
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
Snp 1.8
“As a mother would risk her life to protect her child, her only child, even so should one cultivate a limitless heart with regard to all beings.”
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 1
“One Universal Creator God. The Name Is Truth. Creative Being Personified. No Fear. No Hatred.”
The Path to Wisdom
Dhammapada 20:282
“Wisdom springs from meditation; without meditation wisdom wanes.”
Analects 2:11
“If you study the past and use it to understand the present, you are worthy of being a teacher.”
Tao Te Ching 33
“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.”
Quran 39:9
“Are those who know equal to those who do not know?”
Good vs Evil / Light vs Darkness
Yasna 30:3
“Now the two primal Spirits, who reveal themselves as Twins, are the Better and the Bad, in thought and word and action.”
John 1:5
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Dhammapada 1:1-2
“Mind is the forerunner of all actions. If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness follows like a shadow.”
Bhagavad Gita 16:21
“There are three gates to self-destructive hell: lust, anger, and greed. Therefore, one must learn to give these up.”