God decides what is right
1People can make plans
about what they want to do, but
it is God who says what will happen.
2Some people think that
everything they do is good and right,
but the Lord knows
why they are doing it.
3You must trust in the Lord
and put your plans in his hands,
and then you will succeed
with what you want to do.
4The Lord has a plan for everything
that He has made.
He also has a plan for people
who do wrong before the day
that He will punish them.
5The Lord hates people who are proud,
and He will punish them, that is sure.
6If you want God to forgive your sins,
you have to keep on believing
and do what you have promised.
If you respect the Lord and serve Him,
He will protect you and
nothing bad will happen to you.
You will stay away from sin.
7If the Lord is pleased
with the way that you are living,
He will even make your enemies
live in peace with you.
8It is better to be poor and honest
than to be rich and sinful.
9People can make plans
about what they want to do, but
it is the Lord who decides what will happen.
Kings love honest people
10It is the Lord
who tells the king what to say,
and when the king judges,
he doesn't make mistakes.
11The Lord wants people to be honest
when they use balance-scales.
They must use the right weights
as He has decided.
12Kings hate people who do wrong
because the kings know that they will rule
for a long time if their people do what is right.
13Kings love people who are honest,
and they want people to speak the truth.
14If the king becomes
angry with you, your life could end.
If you are wise,
you will try to keep the king happy.
15If the king is friendly to you,
your life is safe, and if he likes you,
it is like clouds that bring rain in spring.
Wisdom is better than gold
16It is better to get wisdom than to get gold,
and it is better to be wise than to have silver.
17Honest people don't do things
that sinful people do.
They live in the right way and that is
how God protects their lives.
18Someone who is proud
will be destroyed,
and a person who thinks that he
is better than other people
will fall and be humiliated.
19It is better to be humble
with people who can not protect themselves
than to be with proud people
and get some of the things
that they have stolen.
20If you listen to what people teach you,
you will succeed,
and if you trust and believe in the Lord,
you will always be happy.
21If someone has wisdom,
people will know that he understands.
His words are like honey,
and other people want to learn from him.
22A wise person is like a fountain
that gives life to people
who want to drink from it,
but fools will be punished
because of the stupid things they do.
23Wise people are careful in what they say,
and other people can learn from them.
24Friendly words are like a lot of honey
that is sweet and makes people healthy.
25There is a way of life
that seems to be right, but it is not.
That way leads to death.
26When a worker is hungry, he works harder.
His hunger chases him
so that he can eat sooner.
27A sinful person thinks and talks
only about things that are wrong,
and everything that he says is like a burning fire.
28Someone who cheats
makes people argue with each other.
Someone who gossips
makes friends angry with each other.
29Someone who is cruel
deceives his friends and
leads them on a wrong path.
30When someone tells you
something with his eyes,
he wants to deceive someone,
and when he makes signs with his face,
he wants to do something bad.
31Grey hair is like a beautiful crown
if you live in the right way,
and you will have a long and happy life.
32Someone who is patient
is worth more than a soldier
who can go to war,
and someone who doesn't become angry
is worth more than someone
who can defeat a city.
33People try hard to find out
what the right thing is to do,
but it is the Lord who decides
what will happen.
