12:1 Those who love discipline love knowledge, but fools hate any kind of correction.
12:2 The Eternal prefers those who do good, but He condemns those who plot evil.
12:3 Doing what is wrong keeps everyone off balance and insecure, but those who do right will never be uprooted.
12:4 A dignified wife brings honor to her husband, but a shameful wife is like decay eating away at his bones.
12:5 The thoughts of the right-living tend toward justice, but the guidance of the wicked is trickery and treachery.
12:6 The words of the wicked ambush from the shadows, seeking blood, but the speech of the honest keeps them free.
12:7 The wrongdoers are overthrown—no one is left! But the house of the right-living remains strong.
12:8 A person is commended for expressing insight, but a perverted heart is despised.
12:9 It is better to be overlooked and have a servant than to be pretentious and have nothing to eat.
12:10 Those who are righteous treat their animals humanely, but the compassion of the wicked is really inhumane.
12:11 Whoever works the land will have more than enough food, but whoever follows empty pursuits lacks sense.
12:12 The wicked envy what the evil plunder, but the root of the right-living produces fruit for all.
12:13 A wrongdoer is soon boxed in by his deceitful talk, but the one who does right escapes from trouble unharmed.
12:14 Words spoken wisely result in much good, and working with your hands pays a large reward.
12:15 Fools follow their own directions and think they are right, but wise people listen intently to advice.
12:16 A fool’s anger is quickly evident, but a clever person knows how to hide his flaws.
12:17 A faithful witness speaks the truth, but a false witness utters lies.
12:18 Thoughtless words cut deeply like a thrusting sword, but the speech of the wise is a healing balm.
12:19 Truth spoken will stand forever, but lies survive only briefly.
12:20 Deceit darkens the hearts of those who plot evil, but advocates of peace have joy.
12:21 The right-living are not overcome with calamity, but wrongdoers have their fill of it.
12:22 Lying lips disgust the Eternal, but those who act faithfully delight Him.
12:23 A clever man is careful in revealing what he knows, but a fool betrays his incompetence.
12:24 The hand of the hard workers will one day rule, and slackers will be forced to labor.
12:25 The weight of worry drags us down, but a good word lightens our day.
12:26 Those who live right are good guides to those who follow, but wrongdoers will steer their friends down the wrong path.
12:27 Slackers don’t take time to cook their food, but hard workers prize everything they have.
12:28 Life springs up along the path of integrity, and death has no place along its course.
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