לְאָדָם מַעַרְכֵי־לֵב ומֵה' מַעֲנֵה לָשׁוֹן

To a person belong the heart’s arrangements, one’s thoughts and feelings. One can plan, wish for, and entertain his vision for the world, but from the Lord is the tongue’s reply. It is God’s word that determines the outcome. Alternatively, the individual contemplates how to express his own thoughts, but in fact it is God who places His words into the person’s mouth.

כָּל־דַּרְכֵי־אִישׁ זַךְ בְּעֵינָיו וְתֹכֵן רוּחוֹת ה'

All the ways of a man, his conduct, are pure in his own eyes, as he fails to perceive anything negative about himself; and the Lord is the measurer of spirits. God alone examines and exhaustively assesses one’s soul.

גֹּל אֶל־ה' מַעֲשֶׂיךָ ויִכֹּנוּ מַחְשְׁבֹתֶיךָ

Turn your actions over to the Lord with trust, and your thoughts will thereby be set right. He will ensure that everything will turn out appropriately.

כֹּל פָּעַל ה'לַמַּעֲנֵהוּ וְגַם רָשָׁע לְיוֹם רָעָה

Everything done by the Lord is for its own sake, or for His glory. There is a justification for the existence of everything in the world, even for the wicked who are destined for the evil day. The wicked are also part of the reality of the world, which was created for the glory of God, as they are God’s implement for bringing retribution to the world when necessary, or they serve as an example to others when they are punished.

תּוֹעֲבַת ה'כָּל־גְּבַהּ־לֵב יָד לְיָד לֹא יִנָּקֶה

Anyone haughty of heart is an abomination to the Lord and hated by Him; from gifts passed from hand to hand, he will not be absolved. This refers to individuals of high status who conceal each other’s infractions or who provide each other with unjustified advantages, as in the expression “One hand washes the other.” Alternatively, the phrase “from hand to hand” may be interpreted as an expression of an oath (see 11:21). Yet another interpretation is that the verse is referring to men and women extending their hands to one another in immodest ways.

בחֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת יְכֻפַּר עָוֹן וּבְיִרְאַת ה'סוּר מֵרָע

With the performance of deeds of kindness and truth, iniquity is atoned, and through fear of the Lord comes turning from acts of evil, or alternatively, one escapes harmful events.

בִּרְצוֹת ה'דַּרְכֵי־אִישׁ גַּם אוֹיְבָיו יַשְׁלִם אִתּוֹ

This verse provides a promise: When the Lord is pleased with the ways of a man, He will cause even his enemies to make peace with him. He will receive God’s support from all sides.

טוֹב מְעַט בִּצְדָקָה מֵרֹב תְּבוּאוֹת בְּלֹא מִשְׁפָּט

This proverb is somewhat related to the previous one: Better a little property that is attained through righteousness than abundant yields that have been amassed without justice.

לֵב אָדָם יְחַשֵּׁב דַּרְכּוֹ וה'יָכִין צַעֲדוֹ

The heart of a man will consider his way, as people make their calculations and decide their next steps. There is nothing wrong with such plans, but one must keep in mind that ultimately the Lord will direct his steps and determine his success.

קֶסֶם עַל־שִׂפְתֵי־מֶלֶךְ בְּמִשְׁפָּט לֹא יִמְעַל־פִּיו

Magic is found on the lips of the king. God grants unique abilities to a king, certainly if he is a just ruler. Therefore, his mouth will not err in judgment, he will not err in his decisions. Even if he does not comprehend or carefully formulate his statements, God will help him judge correctly.

פֶּלֶס וּמֹאזְנֵי מִשְׁפָּט לַה' מַעֲשֵׂהוּ כָּל־אַבְנֵי־כִיס

Balance and scales of justice, which represent law, justice, and honesty, are the Lord’s, and all the pouch’s weights should be of His actions. Some explain that just as God’s work is honest and precise, so too, all the weights in a person’s bag must be exact. This proverb applies both literally, that one must use accurate measures in his business transactions, as well as figuratively, that all one’s actions should be measured and precise.

תּוֹעֲבַת מְלָכִים עֲשׂוֹת רֶשַׁע כִּי בִצְדָקָה יִכּוֹן כִּסֵּא

Doing acts of wickedness is an abomination of kings; it is abominable when kings act wickedly, for it is with righteousness and mercy that a throne is established.

רְצוֹן מְלָכִים שִׂפְתֵי צֶדֶק וְדֹבֵר יְשָׁרִים יֶאֱהָב

The will of kings, what kings prefer, is honest lips, and he will love one who speaks with integrity, as his kingdom will thereby be preserved.

חֲמַת מֶלֶךְ מַלְאֲכֵי־מָוֶת וְאִישׁ חָכָם יְכַפְּרֶנָּה

The fury of a king is messengers of death. A king can easily and impulsively issue any ruling he wishes and even sentence a person to unusual forms of execution. And a wise man will appease it [yekhapperena], the king’s anger. Alternatively, yekhapperena means that the wise man will judiciously offer a ransom or gift to the angry king, which will cause his rage to subside.

בְּאוֹר־פְּנֵי־מֶלֶךְ חַיִּים וּרְצוֹנוֹ כְּעָב מַלְקוֹשׁ

By contrast, a life of security and prosperity is in the light of the king’s countenance, which indicates his approval, and his favor is like a cloud of the late rain, the last rainfall of the season, which brings great blessings. This type of cloud is beneficial to all, as its rains are convenient and unthreatening.

קְנֹה חָכְמָה מַה־טּוֹב מחָרוּץ וּקְנוֹת בִּינָה נִבְחָר מִכָּסֶף

How much better is the acquisition of wisdom than the acquisition of fine gold! And the acquisition of understanding is choicer than silver.

מְסִלַּת יְשָׁרִים סוּר מֵרָע שֹׁמֵר נַפְשׁוֹ נֹצֵר דַּרְכּוֹ

The way of the upright, the essence of their path, is turning from evil; the protector of his soul safeguards his way.

לִפְנֵי שֶׁבֶר גָּאוֹן וְלִפְנֵי כִשָּׁלוֹן גֹּבַהּ רוּחַ

Pride goes before and causes destruction, and likewise a haughty spirit comes before a fall. Even if it appears that someone is safely following the proper path, pride and haughtiness can lead him to disaster in one form or another.

טוֹב שְׁפַל־רוּחַ אֶת עֲנָוִים מֵחַלֵּק שָׁלָל אֶת גֵּאִים

Better to be lowly of spirit together with the humble than to divide spoils with the proud.

מַשְׂכִּיל עַל־דָּבָר יִמְצָא טוֹב ובוֹטֵחַ בַּה' אַשְׁרָיו

He who contemplates a matter will find goodness in it, in the form of wisdom, understanding, innovation, or truth, and he who trusts in the Lord, happy is he.

לַחֲכַם־לֵב יִקָּרֵא נָבוֹן וּמֶתֶק שְׂפָתַיִם יֹסִיף לֶקַח

The wisehearted, one who is endowed with the ability to learn and comprehend, is called discerning, and someone who is gifted with sweetness of lips, who knows how to express himself precisely and how to please an audience, will increase learning for himself and others.

מְקוֹר חַיִּים שֵׂכֶל בְּעָלָיו וּמוּסַר אֱוִלִים אִוֶּלֶת

Intelligence is a fount of life, which produces fruit for its possessor, and the admonition of fools is folly. Anything stated by fools, including their rebukes and attempts to teach others proper conduct, is simply foolishness.

לֵב חָכָם יַשְׂכִּיל פִּיהוּ וְעַל־שְׂפָתָיו יֹסִיף לֶקַח

The heart of the wise will make his mouth accomplished. The wise are unevenly blessed in their oratorical talents, but their statements always emanate from the wisdom of their hearts, which give them knowledge and is the key to the success of their speeches. And the inner wisdom of the heart of the wise person increases the learning on his lips.

צוּף־דְּבַשׁ אִמְרֵי־נֹעַם מָתוֹק לַנֶּפֶשׁ וּמַרְפֵּא לָעָצֶם

Pleasant sayings are date honey: Sweet to the soul and a cure for the bone.

יֵשׁ דֶּרֶךְ יָשָׁר לִפְנֵי־אִישׁ וְאַחֲרִיתָהּ דַּרְכֵי־מָוֶת

Sometimes there is a way that seems right before a man, but he later discovers that its end is the ways of death, as it can lead to his demise.

נֶפֶשׁ עָמֵל עָמְלָה לּוֹ כִּי־אָכַף עָלָיו פִּיהוּ

The toiling soul toils against him, for his mouth has compelled him. Some explain the verse as follows: One who is suffering has only himself to blame, as the statements of his own mouth have led to this outcome. If a person issues statements that are better left unsaid, he will become embroiled in others’ problems and will eventually have to work hard in order to extricate himself from them. Others interpret this verse in a positive manner: The spirit that toils to advance in his studies will acquire knowledge to such an extent that the material he has learned will become part of him.

אִישׁ בְּלִיַּעַל כֹּרֶה רָעָה וְעַל־שְׂפָתוֹ כְּאֵשׁ צָרָבֶת

A wicked man, an uninhibited individual who accepts no responsibilities, digs up evil. Whenever he speaks or acts, he attempts to dig traps in which he can ensnare others. And on his lips is like a searing fire. His words are painful and harmful.

אִישׁ תַּהְפֻּכוֹת יְשַׁלַּח מָדוֹן וְנִרְגָּן מַפְרִיד אַלּוּף

A fickle man incites strife. His instability, as he continuously transfers his allegiance from one person to the next and constantly alters his opinion from one extreme to the other, leads to quarrels, even when he is not personally involved. And a grumbler, who constantly complains and is critical of everything, alienates friends.

אִישׁ חָמָס יְפַתֶּה רֵעֵהוּ וְהוֹלִיכוֹ בְּדֶרֶךְ לֹא־טוֹב

A man of villainy seduces his friend and leads him on a way that is not good, even when he appears to provide him with sound advice.

עֹצֶה עֵינָיו לַחְשֹׁב תַּהְפֻּכוֹת קֹרֵץ שְׂפָתָיו כִּלָּה רָעָה

He who shuts his eyes, exerting himself to consider duplicity, and hints with his lips, acting with cunning and trickery, will not stop with mere thoughts and hints, as eventually he will be found completing the evil acts that he has contemplated.

עֲטֶרֶת תִּפְאֶרֶת שֵׂיבָה בְּדֶרֶךְ צְדָקָה תִּמָּצֵא

Gray hair is a crown of glory for the elderly; it will be found in the way of righteousness, one who follows a righteous path. A person who lives a worthy life will merit this mark of distinction. People will observe him, learn from his actions, and speak his praises.

טוֹב אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם מִגִּבּוֹר וּמֹשֵׁל בְּרוּחוֹ מִלֹּכֵד עִיר

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and the ruler of his spirit, one who refrains from erupting in rage, is better than the capturer of a city. The conquest of a city is a single victory, whereas one who seeks to control his spirit engages in a never-ending struggle.

בַּחֵיק יוּטַל אֶת־הַגּוֹרָל וּמֵה' כָּל־מִשְׁפָּטוֹ

The lot is cast in the bosom, individuals cast lots in private to determine their destiny, and yet in actuality, one’s fate is not in human hands; rather, all of one’s judgment is from the Lord. A person’s destiny and future are determined by God alone.