מִשְׁלֵי שְׁלֹמֹה בֵּן חָכָם יְשַׂמַּח־אָב וּבֵן כְּסִיל תּוּגַת אִמּוֹ

The proverbs of Solomon; short, didactic sayings that express Solomon’s wisdom about life and his advice: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son is his mother’s sorrow. The wise son engages in productive activity, is active in society, and participates in public events, and his father rejoices in his accomplishments and success. By contrast, the foolish son presumably sits at home, doing nothing productive. Consequently, it is his mother, generally the parental figure in the house most of the time, who is brought to tears at his imprudent behavior.

לֹא־יוֹעִילוּ אוֹצרוֹת רֶשַׁע וּצְדָקָה תַּצִּיל מִמָּוֶת

Treasures of wickedness, collected through evil means, will not avail, but in contrast, righteousness delivers from death. If there is money that is truly useful, it is not the funds one has accumulated for himself, but funds that he has distributed to charity.

לֹא־יַרְעִיב ה'נֶפֶשׁ צַדִּיק וְהַוַּת רְשָׁעִים יֶהְדֹּף

The Lord will not starve the soul of the righteous, as He fulfills his requests; and He averts the devastation of the wicked, the disaster that the wicked seek to bring upon the virtuous. Although the wicked may have more power and options available to them than the righteous, God does not allow their plots to come to fruition. Alternatively, the latter phrase of this verse can be interpreted to mean that God brings devastation upon the wicked. This interpretation suits better the contrast between the two hemistiches of the verse.

רָאשׁ עֹשֶׂה כַף־רְמִיָּה וְיַד חָרוּצִים תַּעֲשִׁיר

A poor person is made by a negligent hand, meaning that if one is lazy he will become poor; alternatively, this means that one who deals dishonestly will become poor; but the hand of the diligent enriches its owner.

אֹגֵר בַּקַּיִץ בֵּן מַשְׂכִּיל נִרְדָּם בּקצִיר בֵּן מֵבִישׁ

He who stores during the summer, the season of the ripening and harvesting of produce, is a successful son. He is industrious and works not only to reap the crop but also to gather and store the produce. And he who sleeps during the harvest, when the staple foods are gathered in, is a shameful son, a disappointment. This unsuccessful son lets time pass until he is compelled to rush and grab what is left. He will suffer from the pangs of hunger when winter arrives.

בְּרָכוֹת לְרֹאשׁ צַדִּיק ופִי רְשָׁעִים יְכַסֶּה חָמָס

Blessings are bestowed upon the head of the righteous. All bless the righteous man, who himself is constantly showering others with blessings; and villainy will cover the mouth of the wicked. Wicked men are cursed by their own speech, as their wickedness envelops them and causes them harm.

זֵכֶר צַדִּיק לִבְרָכָה וְשֵׁם רְשָׁעִים יִרְקָב

The memory of the righteous, when people recall righteous individuals, it is for a blessing; and the name of the wicked will rot, as their names will not be remembered.

חֲכַם־לֵב יִקַּח מִצְוֹת וֶאֱוִיל שְׂפָתַיִם יִלָּבֵט

The wisehearted will accept commandments, as the wise person prefers to perform good deeds rather than talk extensively; and he who is of foolish lips, who constantly prattles nonsense, will be bewildered, he will lose his way and get into trouble.

הוֹלֵךְ בַּתֹּם יֵלֶךְ בֶּטַח וּמְעַקֵּשׁ דְּרָכָיו יִוָּדֵעַ

He who walks honestly will walk securely; he does not stumble nor is he afraid, as he is not trying to hide anything; but in contrast, he who distorts his ways will suffer pain, or will be found out.

קֹרֵץ עַיִן יִתֵּן עַצָּבֶת ואֱוִיל שְׂפָתַיִם יִלָּבֵט

He who winks his eye, to signal that he does not mean what he says, or to deprecate others, causes sadness. The winker thinks that most people do not notice his subtle hints, or that his insinuations are accepted in good spirits, but in fact he causes trouble and angers people. And likewise, he who is of foolish lips, who does not know how to guard his tongue, will be bewildered, as he will soon acquire the reputation of a fool.

מְקוֹר חַיִּים פִּי צַדִּיק וּפִי רְשָׁעִים יְכַסֶּה חָמָס

The mouth of the righteous is a source of life, as it brings life to the world, but the mouth of the wicked will cover the world with villainy, as his speech leads to violent robbery.

שִׂנְאָה תְּעֹרֵר מְדָנִים וְעַל כָּל־פְּשָׁעִים תְּכַסֶּה אַהֲבָה

Hatred in the heart arouses strife, and it causes a person to find reason to quarrel over even trivial matters. And love covers all transgressions, as the lover does not see the faults of the one he loves, or he perceives them in an entirely different light.

בְּשִׂפְתֵי נָבוֹן תִּמָּצֵא חָכְמָה וְשֵׁבֶט לְגֵו חֲסַר־לֵב

In the lips of the discerning will be found wisdom, as he knows how to talk and which matters are worthy of a response; but a whipping rod is found for the back of one without heart. One who is not wise and fails to grasp what he is told requires drastic measures to ensure comprehension.

חֲכָמִים יִצְפְּנוּ־דָעַת וּפִי־אֱוִיל מְחִתָּה קְרֹבָה

Wise men store knowledge in their hearts, without speaking much; and the mouth of the fool is imminent ruin, as he causes his own destruction.

הוֹן עָשִׁיר קִרְיַת עֻזּוֹ מְחִתַּת דַּלִּים רֵישָׁם

The wealth of the rich is, at least in his own mind, his fortified city; by contrast, the cause of the ruin of the impoverished is their poverty, which causes their troubles. This verse is more of an observation than a piece of advice.

פְּעֻלַּת צַדִּיק לְחַיִּים תְבוּאַת רָשָׁע לְחַטָּאת

The act of the righteous is for life; the righteous brings life into the world, directly or indirectly; but the yield of the wicked is for sin, as he produces more transgressions or punishments.

אֹרַח לְחַיִּים שׁוֹמֵר מוּסָר וְעֹזֵב תּוֹכַחַת מַתְעֶה

Heeding admonition is a path for life, the path which leads to life, health, success, and blessings; but forsaking rebuke, a refusal to listen to criticism, either due to foolishness or wickedness, leads one astray and brings troubles upon himself and others.

מְכַסֶּה שִׂנְאָה שִׂפְתֵי־שָׁקֶר וּמוֹצִא דִבָּה הוּא כְסִיל

On the one hand, the concealer of hatred in his heart has lying lips, and on the other hand, the spreader of slander, who says everything he thinks, is a fool.

בְּרֹב דְּבָרִים לֹא יֶחְדַּל־פָּשַׁע וְחוֹשֵׂךְ שְׂפָתָיו מַשְׂכִּיל

Similarly, in using abundant words, transgression will be unceasing, as excessive talk leads to sin, but he who restrains his lips from speaking too much is sensible. Not only does he not sin, but this is generally a wiser practice as well.

כֶּסֶף נִבְחָר לְשׁוֹן צַדִּיק לֵב רְשָׁעִים כִּמְעָט

The tongue of the righteous, who speaks only fine, correct matters, is choice silver, acceptable to all, whereas the heart of the wicked is negligible, like a small, insignificant item. Unlike the righteous, the wicked have nothing of substance to give to others.

שִׂפְתֵי צַדִּיק יִרְעוּ רַבִּים וֶאֱוִילִים בַּחֲסַר־לֵב יָמוּתוּ

The lips of the righteous lead many, as he instructs and sustains multitudes; and fools, who feature in Proverbs as the opposite of the righteous on numerous occasions (see, e.g., 1:7, 10:8, 10:14, 12:15, 14:3), will die from lack of heart, knowledge and correct thinking.

בִּרְכַּת ה' הִיא תַעֲשִׁיר וְלֹא־יוֹסִף עֶצֶב עִמָּהּ

The blessing of the Lord, it will enrich, without adding toil [etzev] with it. Alternatively, the word etzev refers to sorrow and suffering. Certain blessings are delivered as a gift from Heaven, unaccompanied by any suffering, or not requiring toil. By contrast, achievements that are not a blessing from God, and which are sometimes the result of drudgery or improper actions, will always increase one’s sorrow.

כִּשְׂחוֹק לִכְסִיל עֲשׂוֹת זִמָּה וְחָכְמָה לְאִישׁ תְּבוּנָה

The performance of lechery is like a game for a fool. For such an individual, immorality and other evil schemes are easy and routine. And wisdom is likewise easy and pleasant for a man of sagacity. The natural occupation of a discerning individual is wisdom.

מְגוֹרַת רָשָׁע הִיא תְבוֹאֶנּוּ וְתַאֲוַת צַדִּיקִים יִתֵּן

This verse again compares the fate of the wicked to the righteous: The dread of the wicked, it will come upon him; a wicked person will eventually receive that which he fears. And He will grant the craving of the righteous. The righteous will be granted all their desires by God. This principle does not always appear to be actualized in practice; sometimes one must wait to witness its fulfillment.

כַּעֲבוֹר סוּפָה וְאֵין רָשָׁע וְצַדִּיק יְסוֹד עוֹלָם

When the storm passes, when destructive events occur in the world, there are no wicked, as the wicked are uprooted and vanish; but the righteous individual is not swept away, and what is more, he is the foundation of the world.

כַּחֹמֶץ לַשִּׁנַּיִם וְכֶעָשָׁן לָעֵינָיִם כֵּן הֶעָצֵל לְשֹׁלְחָיו

Like vinegar, which is painful to the teeth, and like smoke, which is hurtful to the eyes, so is the idler to those who send him. When a lazy person is sent on a mission, he will not perform the task properly and certainly not punctually, thereby disappointing his senders. The phrase: “Like vinegar to the teeth and like smoke to the eyes,” is sometimes used by the Sages to refer to unpleasant experiences or to express that a different Sage’s halakhic argument defies logic.

יִרְאַת ה'תּוֹסִיף יָמִים וּשְׁנוֹת רְשָׁעִים תִּקְצֹרְנָה

The chapter continues with more aphorisms that deal with the reward of the righteous in contrast to those who stray from the proper path. Unlike other types of fear, which lead to detrimental anxieties, the fear of the Lord will add days, but the years of the wicked will be shortened. This may be because the wicked are often involved in dangerous pursuits. On a deeper level, the reason is that all the days of a God-fearing individual are meaningful, whereas the wicked shorten their years by wasting most of them in the pursuit of unrealized lusts and greed.

תּוֹחֶלֶת צַדִּיקִים שִׂמְחָה וְתִקְוַת רְשָׁעִים תֹּאבֵד

The expectation of the righteous is a source of joy, as it will eventually be fulfilled; but the hope of the wicked will perish.

מָעוֹז לַתֹּם דֶּרֶךְ ה'ומְחִתָּה לְפֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן

The way of the Lord is a stronghold, a haven, to the honest, but the very same path of the Lord brings ruin to the performers of iniquity. The Sages similarly state that the Torah is an “elixir of life” to those who are occupied with it with good intentions and who have fine character traits, but an “elixir of death” to others.

צַדִּיק לְעוֹלָם בַּל־יִמּוֹט וּרְשָׁעִים לֹא יִשְׁכְּנוּ אָרֶץ

The righteous will never collapse, and the wicked will not dwell in the land in tranquility for an extended period of time.

פִּי־צַדִּיק יָנוּב חָכְמָה וּלְשׁוֹן תַּהְפֻּכוֹת תִּכָּרֵת

The mouth of the righteous produces, or expresses, wisdom, and the duplicitous tongue will be excised. It does not deserve to survive and will not last.

שִׂפְתֵי צַדִּיק יֵדְעוּן רָצוֹן וּפִי רְשָׁעִים תַּהְפֻּכוֹת

The lips of the righteous know conciliation. The righteous, who speaks helpful and pleasing words, knows how to placate and satisfy people; and the mouth of the wicked is duplicity, which brings no satisfaction to anyone.