בֵּן חָכָם מוּסַר אָב וְלֵץ לֹא־שָׁמַע גְּעָרָה

A wise son is one who learns from a father’s admonition; and a scoffer, a cynical person, who does not learn nor consider matters carefully, did not hear castigation.

מִפְּרִי פִי־אִישׁ יֹאכַל טוֹב וְנֶפֶשׁ בֹּגְדִים חָמָס

From the fruit of a man’s mouth he will partake of goodness; he is sustained by his good speech. Some interpret this proverb as a continuation of the previous verse: The wise son is one who eats from the fruit of the mouth of his father who rebukes him. And the soul of the treacherous will partake of villainy.

נֹצֵר פִּיו שֹׁמֵר נַפְשׁוֹ פֹּשֵׂק שְׂפָתָיו מְחִתָּה לוֹ

He who guards his mouth from superfluous speech thereby protects his life, and he who parts wide his lips and relates everything without discrimination, it is a habit that will bring ruin for him.

מִתְאַוָּה וָאַיִן נַפְשׁוֹ עָצֵל וְנֶפֶשׁ חָרֻצִים תְּדֻשָּׁן

The idler’s soul craves and has nothing, he is left discontented; and the soul of the diligent will luxuriate, satisfied and comfortable.

דְּבַר־שֶׁקֶר יִשְׂנָא צַדִּיק וְרָשָׁע יַבְאִישׁ וְיַחְפִּיר

The righteous hates a false word, and the wicked disgusts, by acting in a manner that repulses others, and brings disrepute.

צְדָקָה תִּצֹּר תָּם־דָּרֶךְ וְרִשְׁעָה תְּסַלֵּף חַטָּאת

Righteousness safeguards he whose way is honest, and wickedness distorts, negatively impacts, the sinner.

יֵשׁ מִתְעַשֵּׁר וְאֵין כֹּל מִתְרוֹשֵׁשׁ וְהוֹן רָב

Some act affluent, but there is nothing in his possession; and some act poor and there is great wealth.

כֹּפֶר נֶפֶשׁ־אִישׁ עָשְׁרוֹ וְרָשׁ לֹא־שָׁמַע גְּעָרָה

The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth. When necessary, one’s wealth can serve as ransom for him, and the poor does not hear castigation. Reprimanding the poor person is often ineffective. On the one hand, he is not susceptible to threats that may concern one who is wealthy, as the poor man has nothing to lose. On the other hand, a poor person who has sinned cannot afford to pay restitution.

אוֹר־צַדִּיקִים יִשְׂמָח וְנֵר רְשָׁעִים יִדְעָךְ

The light of the righteous will rejoice; it will shine. The term “rejoice” in this context is a poetic expression of affection for the light, similar to “the light is sweet.” And in contrast to the righteous, or perhaps in consequence of their righteousness, the lamp of the wicked will dim. The soul of the righteous is referred to here as “light,” whereas the soul of the wicked is dubbed a “lamp.” This is because the wicked focus on material objects, and their light is feeble and temporary.

רַק־בְּזָדוֹן יִתֵּן מַצָּה ואֶת־נוֹעָצִים חָכְמָה

One who acts by spite alone, or through crushing others without consideration for them, will generate contention, and those who seek counsel from others will find wisdom, as they will act in a reasonable, deliberate manner.

הוֹן מֵהֶבֶל יִמְעָט וקֹבֵץ עַל־יָד יַרְבֶּה

Wealth will diminish from, as a result of, futility failing to take action or acting recklessly; and he who gathers patiently by hand, little by little, will increase his property. Wealth does not necessarily come in large quantities at one time; occasionally, it is those who act properly and with restraint who gradually accumulate a fortune.

תּוֹחֶלֶת מְמֻשָּׁכָה מַחֲלָה לֵב וְעֵץ חַיִּים תַּאֲוָה בָאָה

Expectation deferred, an extended but unfulfilled anticipation, sickens the heart, and craving realized is a tree of life for the recipient. When someone’s wishes come true, he is revived. Alternatively, by connecting to the “tree of life,” the source of goodness and wisdom, one’s desire is fulfilled. With regard to this verse, the Talmud states: Anyone who prolongs his prayer and expects it to be answered, will ultimately come to heartache…And what is the remedy for one afflicted with that illness? He should engage in Torah study.

בָּז לְדָבָר יֵחָבֶל לוֹ וִירֵא מִצְוָה הוּא יְשֻׁלָּם

He who scorns something will be injured by it. In all realms of life, one should be careful not to scorn anything. Eventually, he will encounter that very same object in a different context, and will be injured by it. And he who fears a commandment, who not only refrains from mocking but treats God’s commandments with respect and observes them, he will be rewarded.

תּוֹרַת חָכָם מְקוֹר חַיִּים לָסוּר מִמֹּקְשֵׁי מָוֶת

The Torah of the wise is a fount of life, which helps him to turn away from the snares of death. The training and studies of the wise prevent them from falling into evil ways.

שֵׂכֶל־טוֹב יִתֶּן־חֵן וְדֶרֶךְ בֹּגְדִים אֵיתָן

Good sense grants favor. One’s insight is among the various features and reasons why one gains the appreciation of others. But the way of the treacherous is hard, tough and inflexible in its stance, as they are unwilling to learn from anyone else. Consequently, they do not find favor in people’s eyes.

כָּל־עָרוּם יַעֲשֶׂה בְדָעַת וכְסִיל יִפְרֹשׂ אִוֶּלֶת

Everyone clever will act with knowledge, and a fool will spread folly through his actions. He surrounds himself with stupidity on all sides.

מַלְאָךְ רָשָׁע יִפֹּל בְּרָע וְצִיר אֱמוּנִים מַרְפֵּא

A wicked agent, who does not fulfill his mission properly, will fall into harm, which he brings upon himself; and a faithful emissary is able to provide a cure. The question of whether or not a messenger is faithful to those who sent him can be a matter of life or death.

רֵישׁ וְקָלוֹן פּוֹרֵעַ מוּסָר ושֹׁמֵר תּוֹכַחַת יְכֻבָּד

Poverty and disgrace is for one who avoids admonition, a reckless individual who does not listen to criticism; but in contrast, the keeper of rebuke will be honored.

תַּאֲוָה נִהְיָה תֶּעֱרַב לְנָפֶשׁ וְתוֹעֲבַת כְּסִילִים סוּר מֵרָע

Craving realized is pleasant for the soul, and turning from evil is the abomination of fools. Fools follow a path that does not enable their desires to be fulfilled at any point, and they thereby draw closer to evil. Indeed, the converse is the case: The fools consider it an abomination to turn away from something evil that they desire.

הוֹלֵךְ אֶת חֲכָמִים יֶחְכָּם וְרֹעֶה כְסִילִים יֵרוֹעַ

He who constantly walks with the wise will become wise, as he will grow wiser merely by keeping their company; and he who shepherds or leads fools will be broken.

חַטָּאִים תְּרַדֵּף רָעָה וְאֶת־צַדִּיקִים יְשַׁלֶּם־טוֹב

Evil itself pursues and harms sinners, and the righteous will be rewarded with goodness. Alternatively, goodness itself will reward the righteous.

טוֹב יַנְחִיל בְּנֵי־בָנִים וְצָפוּן לַצַּדִּיק חֵיל חוֹטֵא

The good will merit to bequeath an inheritance to his grandchildren; and the wealth of the sinner is stored, reserved, for the righteous, while nothing will remain for the sinner himself.

רָב־אֹכֶל נִיר רָאשִׁים ויֵשׁ נִסְפֶּה בְּלֹא מִשְׁפָּט

Much food is in the plowing of the poor. A poor person, who has no option but to invest great effort in his undertakings, will eventually enjoy the fruits of his labor. Alternatively, the yield from the poor man’s plowing will be the sustenance of the wealthy. If so, the principle stated in the second part of the verse expands upon the first part rather than standing in contrast to it. And some are swept away without justice. Some people invest great effort but are unsuccessful and are lost.

חוֹשֵׂךְ שִׁבְטוֹ שׂוֹנֵא בְנוֹ וְאֹהֲבוֹ שִׁחֲרוֹ מוּסָר

He who spares his rod, and thereby refrains from disciplining his son, in effect hates his son, as the child will not learn anything, which means that his father has caused him harm. And he who loves him, his son, seeks for him admonition. He takes care to chastise him, which includes the occasional use of the rod. A life of complete freedom, without any fear or discipline, is dangerous.

צַדִּיק אֹכֵל לְשֹׂבַע נַפְשׁוֹ וּבֶטֶן רְשָׁעִים תֶּחְסָר

The righteous eats to his own satisfaction; he consumes only that which he requires, and if there is more than he needs he will leave some over. And the stomach of the wicked will lack. The wicked is never satisfied, and is always craving for more; he feels a constant lack in his stomach.