Proverbs 22

²Rich people and poor people both come from God. He made them all. Every person is equal before God.

³A wise person sees danger coming and stays away from it. But a foolish person walks right into it and gets hurt.

⁴When you are humble and you respect God, He gives you what truly matters. He gives riches, honour, and real life.

⁵The path of someone who does wrong is full of traps. But the person who guards their heart stays far from all that danger.

⁶Teach a child the right way to live. When they grow old, they will not forget it.

⁷Wealthy people have power over those with less. And when you borrow money, you become like a servant to the one you borrowed from.

⁸If you plant seeds of wrong, you will grow nothing worth having. And using anger to hurt others will always fail in the end.

⁹The person with a generous heart will be blessed. They give their own food to someone who has none.

¹⁰Remove the mocker from the group and the fighting will stop. Arguments and shame leave with the mocker.

¹¹The person with a pure heart and kind words will have even great leaders as their friend.

¹²God watches over and protects truth. He tears down the lies of those who disobey Him.

¹³The lazy person says, 'There is a lion outside! I cannot go out!' He makes up excuses to avoid doing the work.

¹⁴Being tricked by the wrong kind of words is like falling into a deep hole. Those who turn away from God fall into such traps.

¹⁵Every child is born with foolishness inside. But loving correction drives the foolishness away and helps the child grow wise.

¹⁶Cheating poor people to make yourself richer will backfire. Giving gifts to the rich to get what you want will also end in loss.

¹⁷Lean in and listen to the words of the wise. Let what they say reach your heart and change you.

¹⁸It is a wonderful thing to hold wisdom inside you. When you do, wise words come out of your mouth ready and waiting.

¹⁹All these words are written so that you will trust in God. Yes — these words are for you.

²⁰God has written excellent things for you. He gives you the very best advice and knowledge.

²¹So that you will know for certain that God's words are true. And so you can share that truth with others when they ask.

²²Do not steal from the poor just because they cannot fight back. Do not hurt those who are already hurting.

²³God will stand up and fight for the poor. He will deal with those who hurt them.

²⁴Do not become friends with someone who is always angry. Do not spend time with someone who loses control with rage.

²⁵If you do, you will start to act like them. And that will trap your own soul.

²⁶Do not make a promise to pay someone else's debt. Do not put your hand to a deal that is not yours to carry.

²⁷If you have nothing to pay back, you could lose even your bed. Debt can take the last thing you have.

²⁸Do not move the old boundary markers your parents and grandparents put in place. They are there for a reason.

²⁹If you see someone who works hard and with great skill, watch out! That person will stand before kings one day. They will not stay unnoticed.