Proverbs 22:5-25

5 A devious person has thorns and traps ahead of him. Whoever guards himself will stay far away from them.

6 Train a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not turn away from it.

7 A rich person rules poor people, and a borrower is a slave to a lender.

8 Whoever plants injustice will harvest trouble, and this weapon of his own fury will be destroyed.

9 Whoever is generous will be blessed because he has shared his food with the poor.

10 Drive out a mocker, and conflict will leave. Quarreling and abuse will stop.

11 Whoever loves a pure heart and whoever speaks graciously has a king as his friend.

12 The LORD's eyes watch over knowledge, but he overturns the words of a treacherous person.

13 A lazy person says, "There's a lion outside! I'll be murdered in the streets!"

14 The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit. The one who is cursed by the LORD will fall into it.

15 Foolishness is firmly attached to a child's heart. Spanking will remove it far from him.

16 Oppressing the poor for profit [or] giving to the rich certainly leads to poverty.

17 Open your ears, and hear the words of wise people, and set your mind on the knowledge I give you.

18 It is pleasant if you keep them in mind [so that] they will be on the tip of your tongue,

19 so that your trust may be in the LORD. Today I have made them known to you, especially to you.

20 Didn't I write to you previously with advice and knowledge

21 in order to teach you the words of truth so that you can give an accurate report to those who send you?

22 Do not rob the poor because they are poor or trample on the rights of an oppressed person at the city gate,

23 because the LORD will plead their case and will take the lives of those who rob them.

24 Do not be a friend of one who has a bad temper, and never keep company with a hothead,

25 or you will learn his ways and set a trap for yourself.

Proverbs 22:5-25 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 10

This chapter contains an account of the queen of Sheba's visit to King Solomon to her great satisfaction, 1Ki 10:1-13, of Solomon's merchandise and riches, and the magnificence of his court, 1Ki 10:14-23, of the rich presents sent to him, and of the purchase of chariots and horses, and other things, he made, 1Ki 10:24-29.