מֹאזְנֵי מִרְמָה תּוֹעֲבַת ה'וְאֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה רְצוֹנוֹ

Scales of deceit, with which one can cheat, e.g., when one of its weights is inaccurate, are an abomination to the Lord, and a true, exact, weight is His will.

בָּא־זָדוֹן וַיָּבֹא קָלוֹן וְאֶת צְנוּעִים חָכְמָה

With the arrival of spite [zadon], disgrace has arrived; and wisdom is with the humble, who wish to listen more than voice their own opinions. The word zadon includes bad intentions, haughtiness, and deception of the kind discussed in the previous verse.

תֻּמַּת יְשָׁרִים תַּנְחֵם וְסֶלֶף בֹּגְדִים יְשָׁדֵּם

The honesty of the upright, their sincere and faithful conduct, will guide them on the proper path; and the distortion of the treacherous will not bring them the benefit they seek. Moreover, it will bring plunder and other disaster upon them.

לֹא־יוֹעִיל הוֹן בְּיוֹם עֶבְרָה וצְדָקָה תַּצִּיל מִמָּוֶת

Wealth will not avail the rich on the day of ire, when retribution arrives; but righteousness will deliver a person from death.

צִדְקַת תָּמִים תְּיַשֵּׁר דַּרְכּוֹ וּבְרִשְׁעָתוֹ יִפֹּל רָשָׁע

The righteousness of the honest will straighten his way, and the wicked will fall in his wickedness.

צִדְקַת יְשָׁרִים תַּצִּילֵם וּבְהַוַּת בֹּגְדִים יִלָּכֵדוּ

The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, and the treacherous will be trapped in devastation, their crises, or their evil desires.

בְּמוֹת אָדָם רָשָׁע תֹּאבַד תִּקְוָה וְתוֹחֶלֶת אוֹנִים אָבָדָה

With the death of a wicked person hope is lost. A wicked person does not leave behind him any anticipation of good from his works or promises. And the expectation of the iniquitous, or violent individuals, is lost. Other interpretations: As long as the wicked person is still alive he can amend his ways, but once he is dead all hope of his repentance is lost; since a wicked individual is focused on himself and his hopes mainly concern his own bodily pleasures, upon his death they are lost together with him.

צַדִּיק מִצָּרָה נֶחֱלָץ וַיָּבֹא רָשָׁע תַּחְתָּיו

The righteous is extricated from trouble, and the wicked enters into his place. There are cases where a righteous person escapes from a trap, and a wicked individual falls there in his place, despite all his stratagems to avoid punishment.

בְּפֶה חָנֵף יַשְׁחִת רֵעֵהוּ וּבְדַעַת צַדִּיקִים יֵחָלֵצוּ

With a flattering mouth he, a wicked individual, destroys his friend, who believes his words of flattery; but with their knowledge the righteous will be extricated from this danger.

בְּטוּב צַדִּיקִים תַּעֲלֹץ קִרְיָה וּבַאֲבֹד רְשָׁעִים רִנָּה

With the good of the righteous the city exults, as the righteous are beloved by the residents of the city; and with the perishing of the wicked there is singing, as they cause harm to the residents of the city and therefore their demise brings joy.

בְּבִרְכַּת יְשָׁרִים תָּרוּם קָרֶת וּבְפִי רְשָׁעִים תֵּהָרֵס

With the blessing of the upright, which they receive due to their conduct and speech, a city is exalted; and by the mouth of the wicked, who gossip, lie, curse, and insult, it, the city, is destroyed.

בָּז־לְרֵעֵהוּ חֲסַר־לֵב וְאִישׁ תְּבוּנוֹת יַחֲרִישׁ

He who scorns his friend is lacking of heart, and a man of sagacity, when he hears the insults of that foolish individual, will be silent. A sagacious individual knows when to hold back and not become involved in pointless disputes.

הוֹלֵךְ רָכִיל מְגַלֶּה־סּוֹד וְנֶאֱמַן־רוּחַ מְכַסֶּה דָבָר

He who gossips reveals secrets. Even if he does not mean to do so, his constant chatter and stories eventually cause him to reveal matters that should have remained hidden; but he who is of faithful spirit conceals a matter. He keeps such details to himself and does not publicize them.

בְּאֵין תַּחְבֻּלוֹת יִפָּל־עָם וּתְשׁוּעָה בְּרֹב יוֹעֵץ

Without strategies a people will fall, as nations require wisdom, as well as cunning and good strategizing, in order to survive. And salvation is achieved in, through, abundant counsel.

רַע־יֵרוֹעַ כִּי־עָרַב עָרֵב זָר וְשֹׂנֵא תוֹקְעִים בּוֹטֵחַ

Harm will come when one is guarantor for a stranger. As stated earlier, it is inadvisable to serve as a guarantor for one whose character and means are unknown (see 6:1–5). Sometimes it might seem that a certain person is trustworthy and that he will certainly repay his debts, yet it is eventually discovered that he is unreliable. And the hater of handshakes, who refrains from obligating himself and issuing promises, is secure.

אֵשֶׁת־חֵן תִּתְמֹךְ כָּבוֹד ועָרִיצִים יִתְמְכוּ־עֹשֶׁר

A woman of grace supports people deserving of honor, including her husband. And by contrast, the strong, powerful men [aritzim], apparently the polar opposite of a “woman of grace,” support those who have wealth. Unlike the honorable, who are supported by delicate, sensitive souls, the wealthy are supported by the powerful. It should be noted that in the Bible the word aritz does not necessarily have the negative connotation that later became associated with the term.

גֹּמֵל נַפְשׁוֹ אִישׁ חָסֶד וְעֹכֵר שְׁאֵרוֹ אַכְזָרִי

He who cares for himself is a man of kindness, generous and sensitive, as he is aware of his own needs and takes them into consideration, and will also notice and care for the needs of others; and he who abuses his own flesh, by engaging in harsh ascetic practices, is often cruel to others, alienated and inconsiderate.

רָשָׁע עֹשֶׂה פְעֻלַּת־שָׁקֶר וְזֹרֵעַ צְדָקָה שֶׂכֶר אֱמֶת

The wicked performs acts of falsity, as his deeds do not rest on a stable foundation; and the sower of righteousness has a true reward, unlike others who sow seeds, who do not necessarily benefit from their investment.

כֵּן צְדָקָה לְחַיִּים וּמְרַדֵּף רָעָה לְמוֹתוֹ

Righteousness is the base of a life, or it is a proper attribute for life. The basis of life is righteousness. And by contrast, one who pursues evil leads himself to his death.

תּוֹעֲבַת ה'עִקְּשֵׁי לֵב וּרְצוֹנוֹ תְּמִימֵי דָרֶךְ

The crooked of heart are an abomination to the Lord, as God pushes away those who lack both internal and external integrity; and His will is fulfilled by those of honest way.

יָד לְיָד לֹא־יִנָּקֶה רָּע וְזֶרַע צַדִּיקִים נִמְלָט

Those of one hand to another [yad leyad] will not be absolved. One who frequently shakes hands, signifying agreements or guarantees he makes to others, will not go unpunished. This does not mean that one should avoid all commitments; rather, he must take into account his ability to fulfill his obligations, and understand the seriousness of a handshake. And the descendant of the righteous will escape from this source of trouble. An alternative interpretation: One who performs good deeds in order to receive immediate [miyad] reward is not meritorious enough to escape punishment, whereas the righteous, who act with pure motivations, preserve their goodness for their descendants.

נֶזֶם זָהָב בְּאַף חֲזִיר אִשָּׁה יָפָה וְסָרַת טָעַם

A beautiful woman without sense, who lacks understanding, is a ring of gold hanging in the snout of a pig, with which the animal is always rummaging around in garbage. Not only does such a ring fail to adorn the pig, it is clearly out of place and gets filthy. Similarly, the beauty of a woman who does not possess intelligence or personality is a waste and a disappointment.

תַּאֲוַת צַדִּיקִים אַךְ טוֹב תִּקְוַת רְשָׁעִים עֶבְרָה

The craving of the righteous, who are generous, is only for good; the hope of the wicked, who are selfish, is ire. The hopes of the wicked are directed toward matters that unavoidably lead to anger and retribution.

יֵשׁ מְפַזֵּר ונוֹסָף עוֹד וחֹשֵׂךְ מִיֹּשֶׁר אַךְ־לְמַחְסוֹר

Some distribute money to charity, or invest in business, and gain more profits as a result; but regarding he who spares integrity, who saves and is miserly, it will be only for loss. As stated above, one must be cautious, but miserliness can consume a person and lead to his downfall. In some instances, only one who is willing to spend money will be able to gain.

נֶפֶשׁ בְּרָכָה תְדֻשָּׁן וּמַרְוֶה גַּם־הוּא יוֹרֶא יִ

A beneficent soul, the generous person who provides for others and wishes them well, will be fortified and content; and one who satisfies others, he too will be satisfied. His life will be full and tranquil.

מֹנֵעַ בָּר יִקְּבֻהוּ לְאוֹם וּבְרָכָה לְרֹאשׁ מַשְׁבִּיר

The withholder of grain from others will find that the nation, his fellow citizens, will curse him. Some commentaries interpret this verse in reference to one who causes the price of basic commodities to rise. In times of famine or shortage, not only does this person refrain from donating some of his produce to others, he does not even sell it, as he keeps it for himself in order to raise prices. But blessing will be on the head of the provider of food, who does not preserve it all for himself.

שֹׁחֵר טוֹב יְבַקֵּשׁ רָצוֹן וְדֹרֵשׁ רָעָה תְבוֹאֶנּוּ

He who quests for the good of others will always seek conciliation, as he looks for peaceful relations; additionally, he himself will be at peace with others. And as for he who seeks evil, it will come to him.

בּוֹטֵחַ בְּעָשְׁרוֹ הוּא יִפֹּל וְכֶעָלֶה צַדִּיקִים יִפְרָחוּ

He who trusts his wealth will fall, despite all this wealth; but the righteous will sprout like a leaf, which perhaps does not appear to be especially grand, and on occasion withers temporarily, but will always grow again.

עֹכֵר בֵיתוֹ יִנְחַל־רוּחַ וְעֶבֶד אֱוִיל לַחֲכַם־לֵב

The abuser of his house, by being overly demanding, miserly, or apathetic, will inherit wind, emptiness or anger. The assumption that such behavior will bring any kind of benefit is incorrect and foolish. And the fool will inevitably become servant to the wisehearted. It is therefore proper to cultivate wisdom and sensitivity, rather than run one’s household with a stingy, short-tempered attitude.

פְּרִי צַדִּיק עֵץ חַיִּים וְלֹקֵחַ נְפָשׁוֹת חָכָם

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who gathers souls, educating and taking care of them, is wise. The wise invest in what is truly important, which is people.

הֵן צַדִּיק בָּאָרֶץ יְשֻׁלָּם אַף כִּי רָשָׁע וְחוֹטֵא

Behold, restitution will be made to the righteous on the earth, meaning that even the righteous shall be punished for his occasional misdeeds; all the more so the wicked and the sinner will certainly be punished.