חַכְמוֹת נָשִׁים בָּנְתָה בֵיתָהּ וְאִוֶּלֶת בְּיָדֶיהָ תֶהֶרְסֶנּוּ

The wise among women builds her house. The home, in both the material and the spiritual sense, is to a large extent built by the woman; and the foolish woman will destroy it with her hands, even if she does not intend to do so.

הוֹלֵךְ בְּיָשְׁרוֹ יְרֵא ה'וּנְלוֹז דְּרָכָיו בּוֹזֵהוּ

He who fears the Lord walks in his uprightness, meaning that one who follows the straight, proper path fears God, or that one who fears God will act honestly, and he whose ways are crooked scorns Him. Although people do not always keep this in mind, the actions of a crooked swindler do not only break the law and get him into trouble with the authorities, they also desecrate the name of God.

בְּפִי־אֱוִיל חֹטֶר גַּאֲוָה וְשִׂפְתֵי חֲכָמִים תִּשְׁמוּרֵם

In the mouth of the fool is a staff of pride. The fool imagines that he is wise and tries to express his supposed greatness in his speech. However, not only is his pride unfounded, his very self-exposure serves to belittle him. And the lips of the wise will protect them from imprudent comments.

בְּאֵין אֲלָפִים אֵבוּס בָּר וְרָב תְּבוּאוֹת בְּכֹחַ שׁוֹר

Without oxen there is no trough, a vessel for storing produce; alternatively: The trough is clean and empty. Oxen provided the main source of labor in agriculture, including in plowing, reaping, and transportation. And abundant yield is gained through the strength of the ox. One cannot extract something from nothing. Great success requires serious investment in a workforce and other resources.

עֵד אֱמוּנִים לֹא יְכַזֵּב וְיָפִיחַ כְּזָבִים עֵד שָׁקֶר

A trustworthy witness will not lie. One can rely on such a witness. Not only will he not speak falsehoods, he also will not waste his words. And a false witness utters and spreads lies. One who is generally accustomed to speaking deceitfully is not reliable as a witness.

בִּקֶּשׁ לֵץ חָכְמָה וָאָיִן וְדַעַת לְנָבוֹן נָקָל

A scoffer seeks wisdom, and there is none. Such lightheaded individuals are unwilling to make the requisite effort, and therefore wisdom will elude them. But knowledge is easy to acquire for the discerning.

לֵךְ מִנֶּגֶד לְאִישׁ כְּסִיל ובַל־יָדַעְתָּ שִׂפְתֵי־דָעַת

Go far away from a foolish man. When you see a fool, cross over to the other side of the street, as you will gain nothing from meeting him. And keep your distance from those whom you do not know to have knowledgeable lips, as it is not worth your while to converse with those who do not speak intelligently.

חָכְמַת עָרוּם הָבִין דַּרְכּוֹ ואִוֶּלֶת כְּסִילִים מִרְמָה

The wisdom of the clever is understanding his own way, discerning for himself the proper path to follow; and deceit is the folly of fools. Their foolishness causes them to stray from the path of honesty, and they are constantly making mistakes and causing others to err as well.

אֱוִלִים יָלִיץ אָשָׁם וּבֵין יְשָׁרִים רָצוֹן

Guilt causes fools to talk. Their conversation revolves around their sins, guilt, or the amends they must make. Some explain the verse to mean that fools distort the concept of sin. And in contrast, there is good will among the upright. The conversation of the upright is motivated by good deeds, kindness, and blessings. Consequently, one who keeps the company of fools will find guilt in various forms, whereas among sincere and upstanding people feelings of good will, closeness, and love will be cultivated.

לֵב יוֹדֵעַ מָרַּת נַפְשׁוֹ ובְשִׂמְחָתוֹ לֹא־יִתְעָרַב זָר

The heart knows the bitterness of itself, and no stranger can share in its joy. A person experiences his own pain and joy directly; no one else can experience these feelings with the same force.

בֵּית רְשָׁעִים יִשָּׁמֵד וְאֹהֶל יְשָׁרִים יַפְרִיחַ

The house of the wicked will be destroyed, and the tent of the upright will flourish. Honest individuals have good hope for the future.

יֵשׁ דֶּרֶךְ יָשָׁר לִפְנֵי־אִישׁ וְאַחֲרִיתָהּ דַּרְכֵי־מָוֶת

There is sometimes a path that appears to be the right way before a man, and yet its end is like the ways of death, the paths that lead to desolation. Therefore, one must exercise caution and be constantly vigilant on his path, while hoping for divine assistance.

גַּם־בִּשְׂחֹק יִכְאַב־לֵב ואַחֲרִיתָהּ שִׂמְחָה תוּגָה

Even in laughter the heart aches. If people are suffering from depression or are in a state of sorrow, their pain endures even while they laugh, and often grief is the end of joy. The sadness resurfaces again immediately after the joy has passed.

מִדְּרָכָיו יִשְׂבַּע סוּג לֵב וּמֵעָלָיו אִישׁ טוֹב

A wayward heart will be sated from its ways. A person whose heart turns from the proper path will be full of the bitterness with which he feeds himself. And a good man will remove himself from him, the individual with a wayward heart, and will not follow his path and stumble.

פֶּתִי יַאֲמִין לְכָל־דָּבָר וְעָרוּם יָבִין לַאֲשֻׁרוֹ

The naïf, who can be easily duped and does not examine matters thoroughly or reflect upon them, believes everything he hears to be factually correct; and the clever individual will understand it correctly, and in the appropriate manner.

חָכָם יָרֵא וְסָר מֵרָע וכְסִיל מִתְעַבֵּר וּבוֹטֵחַ

A wise man fears and is cautious, and therefore he turns from evil, but the arrogant fool becomes enraged and confident in himself, his greatness, and his power.

קְצַר־אַפַּיִם יַעֲשֶׂה אִוֶּלֶת ואִישׁ מְזִמּוֹת יִשָּׂנֵא

The quick to anger will commit folly, as he will err due to his lack of patience; and at the same time, a man of schemes, who overanalyzes and formulates numerous detailed plans, will be hated by people. One should follow the moderate path, not to always react instantly and rashly, but also to refrain from devising endless schemes.

נָחֲלוּ פְתָאיִם אִוֶּלֶת ועֲרוּמִים יַכְתִּרוּ דָעַת

Naïfs, who are incapable of discerning between diverse issues, will eventually have inherited folly, and the clever, who examine matters until they fully understand them, will ultimately be crowned with knowledge. Alternatively, the latter phrase may be translated to mean: The clever glorify knowledge.

שַׁחוּ רָעִים לִפְנֵי טוֹבִים וּרְשָׁעִים עַל־שַׁעֲרֵי צַדִּיק

The evil will ultimately bow before the good, and the wicked will come and prostrate themselves at the gates of the righteous individual to seek his forgiveness.

גַּם לְרֵעֵהוּ יִשָּׂנֵא רָשׁ וְאֹהֲבֵי עָשִׁיר רַבִּים

The text now turns to topics that pertain to the nature of society: The poor is hated even by his friend. A pauper is despised by all; even his friends are estranged from him. But the lovers of the rich are many.

בָּז־לְרֵעֵהוּ חוֹטֵא וּמְחוֹנֵן עֲנָוִים אַשְׁרָיו

He who scorns his friend is thereby a sinner, and happy and blessed is he who is kind to the humble and has mercy upon them.

הֲלוֹא־יִתְעוּ חֹרְשֵׁי רָע וְחֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת חֹרְשֵׁי טוֹב

Truly, those who devise evil will become confused, lose their way, and wander; and those who devise good will have kindness and truth.

בְּכָל־עֶצֶב יִהְיֶה מוֹתָר וּדְבַר־שְׂפָתַיִם אַךְ־לְמַחְסוֹר

In all toil [etzev] there is advantage; hard work brings positive results. Some explain: Even from sadness [etzev] some advantage can accrue. But lips’ talk is only for detriment. Nothing useful will come of mere speech.

עֲטֶרֶת חֲכָמִים עָשְׁרָם אִוֶּלֶת כְּסִילִים אִוֶּלֶת

The crown upon the head of the wise is their wealth, as wealth is suitable for the wise; and the folly of fools is no more than folly, even if they are rich.

מַצִּיל נְפָשׁוֹת עֵד אֱמֶת וְיָפִחַ כְּזָבִים מִרְמָה

A true witness saves souls, as his testimony ensures that the guilty will be condemned and the innocent vindicated; and he who utters lies is all deceit. By spreading his falsehoods, the liar will only disappoint.

בְּיִרְאַת ה'מִבְטַח־עֹז וּלְבָנָיו יִהְיֶה מַחְסֶה

In the fear of the Lord is a stalwart stronghold; this type of fear serves as a powerful stronghold that protects a person; and for his children there will be shelter. Even if his children do not attain their father’s level, they will at least be able to take refuge in the fortress he constructed.

יִרְאַת ה'מְקוֹר חַיִּים לָסוּר מִמֹּקְשֵׁי מָוֶת

The fear of the Lord is a fount of life, and it helps a person to turn from the snares of death.

בְּרָב־עָם הַדְרַת־מֶלֶךְ וּבְאֶפֶס לְאֹם מְחִתַּת רָזוֹן

In the multitude of people is the glory of a king, in that he rules over them; and in the lack of a nation, when the number of the people dwindle, is the ruin of a prince.

אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם רַב־תְּבוּנָה וּקְצַר־רוּחַ מֵרִים אִוֶּלֶת

The one who is slow to anger is of great understanding, as a perceptive person realizes it is proper to have patience; and the impatient person exalts folly.

חַיֵּי בְשָׂרִים לֵב מַרְפֵּא וּרְקַב עֲצָמוֹת קִנְאָה

A healing heart is the life of the flesh. A good and calm heart provides healthy life for one’s entire body. And envy is the rot of bones. Envy does not build anything; it causes the body to disintegrate. When envy takes hold of a person, it erodes him and reduces his power.

עֹשֵׁק דָּל חֵרֵף עֹשֵׂהוּ וּמְכַבְּדוֹ חֹנֵן אֶבְיוֹן

He who oppresses, takes advantage of and shortchanges, the poor not only harms that pauper, he also reviles his Maker, he disparages God Himself; and he who is gracious to the needy and has mercy upon them thereby honors Him, who created the needy. The act of compassion toward the poor is itself a manner of honoring God. Since God Himself does not require gifts, whereas the destitute are in need of them, the way to honor God is by giving to the poor.

בְּרָעָתוֹ יִדָּחֶה רָשָׁע וְחֹסֶה בְמוֹתוֹ צַדִּיק

In his evil the wicked is rejected, and he fails to accomplish anything of value; and the righteous finds refuge in his own death. The righteous remains steadfast in his trust in God even as he dies.

בְּלֵב נָבוֹן תָּנוּחַ חָכְמָה וּבְקֶרֶב כְּסִילִים תִּוָּדֵעַ

In the heart of the discerning will naturally rest a quiet, internal wisdom, and within fools it will be made known. The fool proclaims to all the little wisdom he does possess, or alternatively, the fact that he lacks wisdom entirely. Some explain the verse to mean that the wisdom of the discerning individual reaches everywhere and becomes known even to fools, who come to realize the extent of their lack of wisdom.

צְדָקָה תְּרוֹמֵם־גּוֹי וְחֶסֶד לְאֻמִּים חַטָּאת

Righteousness will exalt a nation, as an entire nation can be raised up by the performance of righteousness; and kindness of nations is sin. The kindness performed by various nations is actually sin, not true kindness, as nations often support each other not out of a desire to do good, but merely due to political considerations.

רְצוֹן מֶלֶךְ לְעֶבֶד מַשְׂכִּיל וְעֶבְרָתוֹ תִּהְיֶה מֵבִישׁ

The king’s favor is to a successful servant, as he is gratified by such a servant and gives him his support; and his anger will be to the shameful, the negligent, substandard servant from whom he derives no benefit.