Proverbs 22
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A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.
2 The rich and poor meet together: the Lord is the maker of them all.
3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
4 By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
8 He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.
9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.
10 Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.
11 He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.
12 The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge, and he overthroweth the words of the transgressor.
13 The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.
14 The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein.
15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
16 He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.
17 Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.
18 For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.
19 That thy trust may be in the Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.
20 Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,
21 That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?
22 Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:
23 For the Lord will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them.
24 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:
25 Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.
26 Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts.
27 If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?
28 Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.
29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
Proverbs 22:1-29
1A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
and favor is better than silver or gold.
2The rich and the poor meet together;
the Lord is the Maker of them all.
3The prudent sees danger and hides himself,
but the simple go on and suffer for it.
4The reward for humility and fear of the Lord
is riches and honor and life.
5Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked;
whoever guards his soul will keep far from them.
6Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.
7The rich rules over the poor,
and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
8Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,
and the rod of his fury will fail.
9Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed,
for he shares his bread with the poor.
10Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out,
and quarreling and abuse will cease.
11He who loves purity of heart,
and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.
12The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,
but he overthrows the words of the traitor.
13The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!
I shall be killed in the streets!”
14The mouth of forbidden women is a deep pit;
he with whom the Lord is angry will fall into it.
15Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
16Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth,
or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
Words of the Wise
17Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise,
and apply your heart to my knowledge,
18for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,
if all of them are ready on your lips.
19That your trust may be in the Lord,
I have made them known to you today, even to you.
20Have I not written for you thirty sayings
of counsel and knowledge,
21to make you know what is right and true,
that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?
22Do not rob the poor, because he is poor,
or crush the afflicted at the gate,
23for the Lord will plead their cause
and rob of life those who rob them.
24Make no friendship with a man given to anger,
nor go with a wrathful man,
25lest you learn his ways
and entangle yourself in a snare.
26Be not one of those who give pledges,
who put up security for debts.
27If you have nothing with which to pay,
why should your bed be taken from under you?
28Do not move the ancient landmark
that your fathers have set.
29Do you see a man skillful in his work?
He will stand before kings;
he will not stand before obscure men.
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Prov. 22:1-29
1A good name is more desirable than great riches;
to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
2Rich and poor have this in common:
The Lord is the Maker of them all.
3The prudent see danger and take refuge,
but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.
4Humility is the fear of the Lord;
its wages are riches and honor and life.
5In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls,
but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.
6Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
7The rich rule over the poor,
and the borrower is slave to the lender.
8Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity,
and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.
9The generous will themselves be blessed,
for they share their food with the poor.
10Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife;
quarrels and insults are ended.
11One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace
will have the king for a friend.
12The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,
but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.
13The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside!
I’ll be killed in the public square!”
14The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit;
a man who is under the Lord’s wrath falls into it.
15Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.
16One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth
and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.
Thirty Sayings of the Wise
Saying 1
17Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise;
apply your heart to what I teach,
18for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
and have all of them ready on your lips.
19So that your trust may be in the Lord,
I teach you today, even you.
20Have I not written thirty sayings for you,
sayings of counsel and knowledge,
21teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth,
so that you bring back truthful reports
to those you serve?
Saying 2
22Do not exploit the poor because they are poor
and do not crush the needy in court,
23for the Lord will take up their case
and will exact life for life.
Saying 3
24Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person,
do not associate with one easily angered,
25or you may learn their ways
and get yourself ensnared.
Saying 4
26Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge
or puts up security for debts;
27if you lack the means to pay,
your very bed will be snatched from under you.
Saying 5
28Do not move an ancient boundary stone
set up by your ancestors.
Saying 6
29Do you see someone skilled in their work?
They will serve before kings;
they will not serve before officials of low rank.
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (KJV).
This Scripture is a precious promise to many a parent: Force the fear of God into your kids, and they’ll eventually be faithful, true believers.
Is that how it works? Is that even what it means? Does God promise better success than He had in His own family in heaven, with one-third of the angels who rebelled?
As I have come to understand, the Hebrew word that is translated into the English “train” can refer to the work of a midwife—clearing out the mouth and airways of a newborn baby so it can breathe. That “training” provides an environment for life.
From that perspective, then, our verse might well be direction to parents to “Provide an environment for life for your child, in harmony with their God-given aptitudes and personality, and it will make a difference to that child in each stage of growth, to the end of their life.”
To do that, a parent needs to know their child, and provide opportunities fordeveloping their interests and growing skills. That kind of involvement will also give the relationship credibility to pass along Truth, in the context of Love. And that kind of parenting has a chance at the best success!
Virginia Davidson, Artist—designing and building stained glass windows
Spokane Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church, Washington State, USA (as of this writing)
