Poetry

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1 Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler;
whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

You are sitting yourself up for mocking and a brawl,
If you are hooked on wine and beer as the end all.
If these are your choices at the end of the day,
You will end up a fool being by them led astray.

2 A king's wrath is like the roar of a lion;
he who angers him forfeits his life.

If you anger the king you will open the door,
To more trouble than you've ever had before.
His wrath is like a lions roar and it will lead to strife,
For the man who makes him angry forfeits his life.

3 It is to a man's honor to avoid strife,
but every fool is quick to quarrel.

It is to a man's honor to avoid strife,
With the king, his neighbor, or his wife.
It is enough to make a man feel sick
To see how a fool turns to quarrels so quick.

4 A sluggard does not plow in season;
so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.

A lazy farmer does not plow in season,
And wonders why he is poor for no reason.
At harvest time he goes out to his field,
And is so disappointed that there is no yield.

5 The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters,
but a man of understanding draws them out.

There are motives so deep in a man's heart,
That most men with words just cannot impart.
But a man of understanding will figure it out,
And be able to explain what his depths are about.

6 Many a man claims to have unfailing love,
but a faithful man who can find?

Many to an unfailing love will make claim,
But saying and being are just not the same.
The real man to his claim will be bound,
But where can such a faithful man be found?

7 The righteous man leads a blameless life;
blessed are his children after him.

The righteous man who lives a blameless life,
Is also a blessing to his children and wife,
And his children will see the way to go,
And blessing will follow what they do and know.

8 When a king sits on his throne to judge,
he winnows out all evil with his eyes.

When a king judges from his throne,
He is aware that men to evil are prone,
And so he works to remove every disguise,
And winnow out all evil with his eyes.

9 Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure;
I am clean and without sin"?

Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure;
No one I know, that is for sure.
He who would ever dare make the claim
To be free of sin, must be Jesus by name.


10 Differing weights and differing measures—
the LORD detests them both.

Differing measures and differing weights
Meet in God's mind with similar fates,
For both of them he equally hates,
For dishonesty on his holiness grates.

11 Even a child is known by his actions,
by whether his conduct is pure and right.

Even a child is known by what they do,
For it tells us if their heart is true,
For if they say one thing, but start a fight,
We know their heart is not pure and right.

12 Ears that hear and eyes that see—
the LORD has made them both.

The Lord has made us in every part,
From the top of our head to the depths of our heart,
And with our ears that hear and our eyes that see,
We live this life with a God ordained eternal destiny.

13 Do not love sleep or you will grow poor;
stay awake and you will have food to spare.

If you love sleep, you will grow poor,
For you refuse to get your rear out the door,
But if you stay awake you will have food to spare,
And be able with those less fortunate, to share.

14 "It's no good, it's no good!" says the buyer;
then off he goes and boasts about his purchase.

"It's no good, it's no good!" says the buyer;
But in his heart he knows he's a liar,
For when he boasts to his friends he cries,
“This is one of my very best buys.”

15 Gold there is, and rubies in abundance,
but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.

There are a great many rubies and plenty of gold,
But rare are the lips that with knowledge unfold,
For such lips are truly a rare jewel,
Never to be found on the typical fool.


16 Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;
hold it in pledge if he does it for a wayward woman.

If a man gets involved with those not to be trusted,
You need to beware lest you also get busted.
Demand he give a pledge for your own security,
Especially if he is involved with a woman of impurity.

17 Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man,
but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel.

Food gained by cheating others is at first sweet,
But it ends up tasting like the gravel under his feet.
It is not how things start, but how they end up,
That determines the final taste in the cup.

18 Make plans by seeking advice;
if you wage war, obtain guidance.

Seek guidance when making plans for war;
Stumbling into battle will lose more than score.
Just guessing how to do it will not suffice,
So use your head, and seek for wise advice.

19 A gossip betrays a confidence;
so avoid a man who talks too much.

A gossip will your confidence betray,
So avoid him, and just stay away,
For the ability to keep quiet, he falls shy,
So just fall shy yourself from this kind of guy.


20 If a man curses his father or mother,
his lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.

If a man curses his father or mother,
He is the person you would want to smother,
For he is worse than any robber or tramp,
And in pitch darkness God will snuff out his lamp.

21 An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning
will not be blessed at the end.

When money comes easy to a man without work,
It can end up making that man just a jerk,
For money that comes to him so quick,
Can lead to him becoming proud-fully sick.

22 Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!"
Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.

Don't says to an offender, “I'll pay you back,
For that is a very unwise foolish attack.
Just wait for the Lord to deliver you,
For that is always the wise thing to do.

23 The LORD detests differing weights,
and dishonest scales do not please him.

The merchant who uses dishonest weights,
Has a God in heaven who his practice just hates.
The man is a crook, a thief and a sleaze,
And nothing he does will God ever please.


24 A man's steps are directed by the LORD.
How then can anyone understand his own way?

God directs in ways we can't understand,
And we just don't grasp what is his plan.
We are often mystified what it is all about,
And by thinking we just can't figure it out.

25 It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly
and only later to consider his vows.

You put yourself in a bind when you quickly decide,
You will dedicate something in a moment of pride,
For later when you come down from your high horse,
You realize making that vow was not a wise course.

26 A wise king winnows out the wicked;
he drives the threshing wheel over them.

A wise king is like a threshing machine,
Harvesting the good, and discarding the mean.
The wicked servants and staff in his castle,
He will drive out and crush rather than hassle.


27 The lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man;
it searches out his inmost being.

The lamp of the Lord searches the inner man,
And it is more powerful than a modern brain scan,
For it reveals what no device of man ever can,
For from his birth to the present it will span.

28 Love and faithfulness keep a king safe;
through love his throne is made secure.

If you want to be a king with a reign that will endure,
You need love and faithfulness to make sure it is secure.
Let these key virtues in your reign fail,
And a long reign in peace will never prevail.

29 The glory of young men is their strength,
gray hair the splendor of the old.

The glory of youth is being strong,
And on the road of life they bounce along.
When you get old there is a lot less bounce,
But the gray hair, like gold, worth a fortune per ounce.

30 Blows and wounds cleanse away evil,
and beatings purge the inmost being.

Evil sometimes calls for strong measures,
For it stains and corrupts all of our treasures.
We need to beat it and pound it to purge it away,
For if we treat it kindly, it will be here to stay.

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