21:1 The king’s heart ¹  is in the hand ²  of the Lord like channels of water; ³ 

he turns it wherever he wants.

21:2 All of a person’s ways seem right in his own opinion, ⁴ 

but the Lord evaluates ⁵  the motives. ⁶ 

21:3 To do righteousness and justice

is more acceptable ⁷  to the Lord than sacrifice. ⁸ 

21:4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart –

the agricultural product ⁹  of the wicked is sin.

21:5 The plans of the diligent ¹⁰  lead ¹¹  only to plenty, ¹² 

but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. ¹³ 

21:6 Making a fortune ¹⁴  by a lying tongue is like ¹⁵  a vapor driven back and forth; ¹⁶ 

they seek death. ¹⁷ 

21:7 The violence ¹⁸  done by the wicked ¹⁹  will drag them away

because ²⁰  they refuse to do what is right. ²¹ 

21:8 The way of the guilty person ²²  is devious, ²³ 

but as for the pure, ²⁴  his way is upright.

21:9 It is better to live on a corner of the housetop ²⁵ 

than in a house in company ²⁶  with a quarrelsome wife. ²⁷ 

21:10 The appetite ²⁸  of the wicked desires ²⁹  evil;

his neighbor is shown no favor ³⁰  in his eyes.

21:11 When a scorner is punished, the naive ³¹  becomes wise;

when a wise person is instructed, ³²  he gains knowledge.

21:12 The Righteous One ³³  considers ³⁴  the house ³⁵  of the wicked;

he overthrows the wicked to their ruin. ³⁶ 

21:13 The one who shuts his ears ³⁷  to the cry ³⁸  of the poor,

he too will cry out and will not be answered. ³⁹ 

21:14 A gift given ⁴⁰  in secret subdues ⁴¹  anger,

and a bribe given secretly ⁴²  subdues ⁴³  strong wrath. ⁴⁴ 

21:15 Doing ⁴⁵  justice brings ⁴⁶  joy to the righteous

and terror ⁴⁷  to those who do evil.

21:16 The one who wanders ⁴⁸  from the way of wisdom ⁴⁹ 

will end up ⁵⁰  in the company of the departed. ⁵¹ 

21:17 The one who loves ⁵²  pleasure ⁵³  will be ⁵⁴  a poor person; ⁵⁵ 

whoever loves wine and anointing oil ⁵⁶  will not be rich.

21:18 The wicked become ⁵⁷  a ransom ⁵⁸  for the righteous,

and the faithless ⁵⁹  are taken ⁶⁰  in the place of the upright.

21:19 It is better to live ⁶¹  in a desert land ⁶² 

than with a quarrelsome and easily-provoked ⁶³  woman.

21:20 There is desirable treasure and olive oil ⁶⁴  in the dwelling of the wise,

but a foolish person ⁶⁵  devours all he has. ⁶⁶ 

21:21 The one who pursues righteousness and love ⁶⁷ 

finds life, bounty, ⁶⁸  and honor.

21:22 The wise person ⁶⁹  can scale ⁷⁰  the city of the mighty

and bring down the stronghold ⁷¹  in which they trust. ⁷² 

21:23 The one who guards his mouth and his tongue ⁷³ 

keeps his life ⁷⁴  from troubles. ⁷⁵ 

21:24 A proud ⁷⁶  and arrogant ⁷⁷  person, whose name is “Scoffer,” ⁷⁸ 

acts ⁷⁹  with overbearing pride. ⁸⁰ 

21:25 What the sluggard desires ⁸¹  will kill him, ⁸² 

for his hands ⁸³  refuse to work.

21:26 All day long he craves greedily, ⁸⁴ 

but the righteous gives and does not hold back. ⁸⁵ 

21:27 The wicked person’s sacrifice ⁸⁶  is an abomination;

how much more ⁸⁷  when he brings it with evil intent! ⁸⁸ 

21:28 A lying witness ⁸⁹  will perish, ⁹⁰ 

but the one who reports accurately speaks forever. ⁹¹ 

21:29 A wicked person ⁹²  shows boldness with his face, ⁹³ 

but as for the upright, ⁹⁴  he discerns ⁹⁵  his ways.

21:30 There is no wisdom and there is no understanding,

and there is no counsel against ⁹⁶  the Lord. ⁹⁷ 

21:31 A horse is prepared for the day of battle,

but the victory is from the Lord. ⁹⁸ 

2:1 The heavens and the earth ¹  were completed with everything that was in them. ²  2:2 By ³  the seventh day God finished the work that he had been doing, ⁴  and he ceased ⁵  on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing. 2:3 God blessed the seventh day and made it holy ⁶  because on it he ceased all the work that he ⁷  had been doing in creation. ⁸ 

2:4 This is the account ⁹  of the heavens and the earth ¹⁰  when they were created – when the Lord God ¹¹  made the earth and heavens. ¹² 

2:5 Now ¹³  no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant of the field ¹⁴  had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. ¹⁵  2:6 Springs ¹⁶  would well up ¹⁷  from the earth and water ¹⁸  the whole surface of the ground. ¹⁹  2:7 The Lord God formed ²⁰  the man from the soil of the ground ²¹  and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, ²²  and the man became a living being. ²³ 

2:8 The Lord God planted an orchard ²⁴  in the east, ²⁵  in Eden; ²⁶  and there he placed the man he had formed. ²⁷  2:9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, ²⁸  every tree that was pleasing to look at ²⁹  and good for food. (Now ³⁰  the tree of life ³¹  and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ³²  were in the middle of the orchard.)

2:10 Now ³³  a river flows ³⁴  from Eden ³⁵  to water the orchard, and from there it divides ³⁶  into four headstreams. ³⁷  2:11 The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through ³⁸  the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 2:12 (The gold of that land is pure; ³⁹  pearls ⁴⁰  and lapis lazuli ⁴¹  are also there). 2:13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it runs through ⁴²  the entire land of Cush. ⁴³  2:14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. ⁴⁴  The fourth river is the Euphrates.

2:15 The Lord God took the man and placed ⁴⁵  him in the orchard in ⁴⁶  Eden to care for it and to maintain it. ⁴⁷  2:16 Then the Lord God commanded ⁴⁸  the man, “You may freely eat ⁴⁹  fruit ⁵⁰  from every tree of the orchard, 2:17 but ⁵¹  you must not eat ⁵²  from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when ⁵³  you eat from it you will surely die.” ⁵⁴ 

2:18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. ⁵⁵  I will make a companion ⁵⁶  for him who corresponds to him.” ⁵⁷  2:19 The Lord God formed ⁵⁸  out of the ground every living animal of the field and every bird of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would ⁵⁹  name them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 2:20 So the man named all the animals, the birds of the air, and the living creatures of the field, but for Adam ⁶⁰  no companion who corresponded to him was found. ⁶¹  2:21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, ⁶²  and while he was asleep, ⁶³  he took part of the man’s side ⁶⁴  and closed up the place with flesh. ⁶⁵  2:22 Then the Lord God made ⁶⁶  a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 2:23 Then the man said,

“This one at last ⁶⁷  is bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;

this one will be called ⁶⁸  ‘woman,’

for she was taken out of ⁶⁹  man.” ⁷⁰ 

2:24 That is why ⁷¹  a man leaves ⁷²  his father and mother and unites with ⁷³  his wife, and they become a new family. ⁷⁴  2:25 The man and his wife were both naked, ⁷⁵  but they were not ashamed. ⁷⁶