טוֹב רָשׁ הוֹלֵךְ בְּתֻמּוֹ מֵעִקֵּשׁ שְׂפָתָיו וְהוּא כְסִיל

Better a poor man walking honestly than one of crooked lips who is a fool. One who speaks in a perverse manner is essentially a fool.

גַּם בְּלֹא־דַעַת נֶפֶשׁ לֹא־טוֹב וְאָץ בְּרַגְלַיִם חוֹטֵא

Without knowledge, even the soul is no good. One who lacks knowledge is bereft of a good soul as well, whereas someone who guides his conduct through wisdom has a worthy soul. Alternatively, actions performed without knowledge are not beneficial for the soul, or the verse is saying that it is not good to be unfamiliar with the nature of one’s soul. And he who hastens with his feet, without knowing where and why he is running, in effect sins, as one should act only after careful consideration of all relevant factors.

אִוֶּלֶת אָדָם תְּסַלֵּף דַּרְכּוֹ ועַל־ה' יִזְעַף לִבּוֹ

The folly of man will distort his way, and eventually when he stumbles, his heart will rage against the Lord. Sometimes people err or sin intentionally and thereby cause their own downfall, or they are simply unsuccessful, but instead of accepting the blame themselves, they cast aspersions upon God.

הוֹן יֹסִיף רֵעִים רַבִּים וְדָל מֵרֵעֵהוּ יִפָּרֵד

Wealth will add many friends, as many people seek a close relationship with a wealthy individual, but the impoverished is separated from his friend, as he finds himself abandoned by all his acquaintances.

עֵד שְׁקָרִים לֹא יִנָּקֶה וְיָפִיחַ כְּזָבִים לֹא יִמָּלֵט

A false witness will ultimately not be absolved, and even he who utters and spreads lies will not escape.

רַבִּים יְחַלּוּ פְנֵי נָדִיב וְכָל־הָרֵעַ לְאִישׁ מַתָּן

It was stated above that many people seek to become friends with the wealthy (verse 4). This verse speaks of one who is not only wealthy but is also known to be generous: Many will endeavor to have a face-to-face meeting so that they can court the presence of the generous one, and all are friendly to a man of gifts, who is known to give gifts to others.

כָּל אֲחֵי־רָשׁ שְׂנֵאֻהוּ אַף כִּי מְרֵעֵהוּ רָחֲקוּ מִמֶּנּוּ מְרַדֵּף אֲמָרִים לוֹ־הֵמָּה

In contrast, all the brethren of the poor man, who actually requires assistance, hate him; certainly his friends disengage from him. He pursues assurances that are for him. He seeks promises and assurances from others, and sometimes invents assurances that he has supposedly received. Alternatively, the latter clause means that people fabricate negative comments, which they attribute to the poor in order to justify keeping their distance from them. This interpretation is based on the word lo as it is written, lamed-alef, which means “no.” There is a Masoretic note indicating that although the word should be written this way, it should be read as though it was written lamed-vav, in which case it means “him” and refers to the poor man, in accordance with the previously mentioned interpretations.

קֹנֶה־לֵּב אֹהֵב נַפְשׁוֹ; שֹׁמֵר תְּבוּנָה לִמְצֹא־טוֹב

He who acquires a heart, wisdom, is someone who loves himself and pursues what is good for himself. He who awaits and desires sagacity will cause himself to find good.

עֵד שְׁקָרִים לֹא יִנָּקֶה וְיָפִיחַ כְּזָבִים יֹאבֵד

A false witness will not be absolved. This was already stated above (verse 5), but the continuation here is even more severe: And he who utters lies will not only fail to escape punishment, as stated there, but he will actually perish.

לֹא־נָאוֶה לִכְסִיל תַּעֲנוּג אַף כִּי לְעֶבֶד מְשֹׁל בְּשָׂרִים

Pleasure is unbecoming for a fool. A fool who lives a life of opulence feels like he is a supreme ruler, which is an undesirable state of affairs. It is certainly not appropriate or recommended for a servant to be elevated to a status where he will rule over princes and other dignitaries.

שֵׂכֶל אָדָם הארִיךְ אַפּוֹ וְתִפְאַרְתּוֹ עֲבֹר עַל־פָּשַׁע

A man’s sense slows his anger. One’s intellect teaches him to be slow to anger, control his temper, and refrain from erupting in rage. And his glory is in his overlooking transgression. It is unwise to be particular with others, to get involved in frequent quarrels, or regularly become angry.

נַהַם כַּכְּפִיר זַעַף מֶלֶךְ וּכְטַל עַל־עֵשֶׂב רְצוֹנוֹ

A king’s wrath is like a threatening lion’s roar, and by contrast, his favor is like dew on grass, which causes it to sprout. Whereas the anger of a king is often dangerous, his favor can be most beneficial.

הַוֹּת לְאָבִיו בֵּן כְּסִיל וְדֶלֶף טֹרֵד מִדְיְנֵי אִשָּׁה

A foolish son is a calamity to his father, and the contentions of a wife are an annoying drip. Although spousal quarrels and a wife’s criticisms and complaints may not be the worst calamity, they can still cause a husband to go out of his mind.

בַּיִת וָהוֹן נַחֲלַת אָבוֹת וּמֵה' אִשָּׁה מַשְׂכָּלֶת

House and wealth are received by a person as the inheritance of his fathers, but a capable and wise wife is a gift from the Lord, and cannot be bequeathed by one’s father. The husband must therefore recognize and appreciate that he has received his wife from God, and he should express his gratitude to Him.

עַצְלָה תַּפִּיל תַּרְדֵּמָה וְנֶפֶשׁ רְמִיָּה תִרְעָב

Sloth casts a deep sleep. One who is lazy will ultimately grow tired and fall asleep, and the deceitful soul, someone who spends his time scheming instead of working, will hunger.

שֹׁמֵר מִצְוָה שֹׁמֵר נַפְשׁוֹ בּוֹזֵה דְרָכָיו יָמוּת

He who keeps a commandment thereby protects his soul, and he who scorns His ways and follows the desires of his own heart will die for his sin.

מַלְוֵה ה'חוֹנֵן דָּל וגְמֻלוֹ יְשַׁלֶּם־לוֹ

He who cares for the poor, by giving him gifts, is considered as though he lends to the Lord, as he has thereby fulfilled God’s responsibility, as it were. And therefore He will pay his reward. God will repay the loan by giving him reward.

יַסֵּר בִּנְךָ כִּי־יֵשׁ תִּקְוָה וְאֶל־הֲמִיתוֹ אַל־תִּשָּׂא נַפְשֶׁךָ

Admonish your son, as there is hope. Rebuking and disciplining one’s son, even by striking him, can help improve his behavior, and you should do so very cautiously, and do not set yourself to causing his death. You must refrain from overly severe punishments that might kill him or squelch his spirit.

גְּדָל־חֵמָה נֹשֵׂא עֹנֶשׁ כִּי אִם תַּצִּיל וְעוֹד תּוֹסִף

On the contrary, a person of great wrath is subject to punishment. Outbursts of anger do not resolve a problem but simply have negative consequences for the one who becomes angry. Rather, instead of becoming furious over what has been lost, deliver, save what may still be salvaged, and add more assistance for those who truly require it. Alternatively, if you save your enemy in his time of trouble, you will merit an increase of days and goodness.

שְׁמַע עֵצָה וְקַבֵּל מוּסָר לְמַעַן תֶּחְכַּם בְּאַחֲרִיתֶךָ

Hear counsel and accept admonishment, so that you will become wise by your end. Even if you fail to internalize the advice immediately, it will eventually make you wiser. Therefore, it is appropriate to view in a positive light those who critique or admonish you.

רַבּוֹת מַחֲשָׁבוֹת בְּלֶב־אִישׁ ועֲצַת ה'הִיא תָקוּם

Many are the thoughts and plans in the heart of a man, but ultimately it is the counsel of the Lord that will stand. Some explain that one should seek out and attempt to identify the counsel of God, which is actually present within one’s heart among his many other thoughts.

תַּאֲוַת אָדָם חַסְדּוֹ וְטוֹב־רָשׁ מֵאִישׁ כָּזָב

A person’s craving should be his kindness. One should crave to perform acts of kindness, as one should desire to help others. Alternatively, the kindnesses one performs attract the admiration of others and cause them to desire his company. And better to be a poor man, despite one’s miserable fate, than a man of deceit.

יִרְאַת ה'לְחַיִּים וְשָׂבֵעַ יָלִין בַּל־יִפָּקֶד רָע

The fear of the Lord leads to life, and he will lodge in satisfaction; he will not be visited by evil.

טָמַן עָצֵל יָדוֹ בַּצַּלָּחַת גַּם אֶל־פִּיהוּ לֹא יְשִׁיבֶנָּה

The idler inserts his hand into the dish [tzalah·at] and will not even return it to his mouth. He is so lazy that he cannot even muster sufficient strength to bring his hand to his mouth. An indolent person begins a task but fails to complete it, even in order to provide for his own needs, and consequently he will remain hungry and needy. Other commentaries interpret tzalaḥat as a type of pocket. If so, the verse means that one who is slothful effectively buries his hand in his pocket and therefore will not have any food to put in his mouth.

לֵץ תַּכֶּה וּפֶתִי יַעְרִם וְהוֹכִיחַ לְנָבוֹן יָבִין דָּעַת

Strike the scoffer, who is arrogant and acts inappropriately, and the naïf will become clever and wise. The scoffer himself is always confident that he is in the right, and therefore he will learn nothing from being struck. However, the naïf, who does not understand much and therefore does not arouse enmity and so is not beaten like the scoffer, will learn something when he observes the scoffer being struck. If you rebuke the discerning, he will achieve knowledge and benefit from the rebuke and criticism he has received.

מְשַׁדֶּד אָב יַבְרִיחַ אֵם בֵּן מֵבִישׁ וּמַחְפִּיר

He who robs, or tramples upon, his father will also drive away his mother from the house, even if the son does nothing to her directly. Such is a shameful, disreputable son. A child must honor his parents even when they are not perfect and he has reason to answer back, as this preserves the stability of the home.

חֲדַל בְּנִי לִשְׁמֹעַ מוּסָר לִשְׁגּוֹת מֵאִמְרֵי־דָעַת

Cease, my son, from hearing admonition in order to, if you wish to, deviate from sayings of knowledge. If one fails to listen to good advice or hear rebuke, he will ultimately stray from a balanced path. Alternatively, there is no benefit to hearing instruction if one does not intend to act accordingly.

עֵד בְּלִיַּעַל יָלִיץ מִשְׁפָּט וּפִי רְשָׁעִים יְבַלַּע אָוֶן

A wicked witness will scoff at justice, which he portrays as evil, and the mouth of the wicked will swallow, or conceal, iniquity.

נָכוֹנוּ לַלֵּצִים שְׁפָטִים וּמַהֲלֻמוֹת לְגֵו כְּסִילִים

Punishments are prepared for scoffers, who live in a carefree, self-confident manner, and blows are prepared for the back of fools.