The Message (MSG)

Words Kill, Words Give Life

1 Loners who care only for themselves

spit on the common good.

2 Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse;

all they do is run off at the mouth.

3 When wickedness arrives, shame’s not far behind;

contempt for life is contemptible.

4 Many words rush along like rivers in flood,

but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs.

5 It’s not right to go easy on the guilty,

or come down hard on the innocent.

6 The words of a fool start fights;

do him a favor and gag him.

7 Fools are undone by their big mouths;

their souls are crushed by their words.

8 Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy;

do you really want junk like that in your belly?

9 Slack habits and sloppy work

are as bad as vandalism.

10 God’s name is a place of protection—

good people can run there and be safe.

11 The rich think their wealth protects them;

they imagine themselves safe behind it.

12 Pride first, then the crash,

but humility is precursor to honor.

13 Answering before listening

is both stupid and rude.

14 A healthy spirit conquers adversity,

but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?

15 Wise men and women are always learning,

always listening for fresh insights.

16 A gift gets attention;

it buys the attention of eminent people.

17 The first speech in a court case is always convincing—

until the cross-examination starts!

18 You may have to draw straws

when faced with a tough decision.

19 Do a favor and win a friend forever;

nothing can untie that bond.

20 Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach;

good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest.

21 Words kill, words give life;

they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.

22 Find a good spouse, you find a good life—

and even more: the favor ofGod!

23 The poor speak in soft supplications;

the rich bark out answers.

24 Friends come and friends go,

but a true friend sticks by you like family.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/PRO/18-c63db190ef4d11f56f065e196ac047bf.mp3?version_id=97—

If You Quit Listening

1 Better to be poor and honest

than a rich person no one can trust.

2 Ignorant zeal is worthless;

haste makes waste.

3 People ruin their lives by their own stupidity,

so why doesGodalways get blamed?

4 Wealth attracts friends as honey draws flies,

but poor people are avoided like a plague.

5 Perjury won’t go unpunished.

Would you let a liar go free?

6 Lots of people flock around a generous person;

everyone’s a friend to the philanthropist.

7 When you’re down on your luck, even your family avoids you—

yes, even your best friends wish you’d get lost.

If they see you coming, they look the other way—

out of sight, out of mind.

8 Grow a wise heart—you’ll do yourself a favor;

keep a clear head—you’ll find a good life.

9 The person who tells lies gets caught;

the person who spreads rumors is ruined.

10 Blockheads shouldn’t live on easy street

any more than workers should give orders to their boss.

11 Smart people know how to hold their tongue;

their grandeur is to forgive and forget.

12 Mean-tempered leaders are like mad dogs;

the good-natured are like fresh morning dew.

13 A parent is worn to a frazzle by a stupid child;

a nagging spouse is a leaky faucet.

14 House and land are handed down from parents,

but a congenial spouse comes straight fromGod.

15 Life collapses on loafers;

lazybones go hungry.

16 Keep the rules and keep your life;

careless living kills.

17 Mercy to the needy is a loan toGod,

andGodpays back those loans in full.

18 Discipline your children while you still have the chance;

indulging them destroys them.

19 Let angry people endure the backlash of their own anger;

if you try to make it better, you’ll only make it worse.

20 Take good counsel and accept correction—

that’s the way to live wisely and well.

21 We humans keep brainstorming options and plans,

butGod’s purpose prevails.

22 It’s only human to want to make a buck,

but it’s better to be poor than a liar.

23 Fear-of-Godis life itself,

a full life, and serene—no nasty surprises.

24 Some people dig a fork into the pie

but are too lazy to raise it to their mouth.

25 Punish the insolent—make an example of them.

Who knows? Somebody might learn a good lesson.

26 Kids who lash out against their parents

are an embarrassment and disgrace.

27 If you quit listening, dear child, and strike off on your own,

you’ll soon be out of your depth.

28 An unprincipled witness desecrates justice;

the mouths of the wicked spew malice.

29 The irreverent have to learn reverence the hard way;

only a slap in the face brings fools to attention.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/PRO/19-fd1fac0675b94e7cd73ad6dd2870dfcb.mp3?version_id=97—

Deep Water in the Heart

1 Wine makes you mean, beer makes you quarrelsome—

a staggering drunk is not much fun.

2 Quick-tempered leaders are like mad dogs—

cross them and they bite your head off.

3 It’s a mark of good character to avert quarrels,

but fools love to pick fights.

4 A farmer too lazy to plant in the spring

has nothing to harvest in the fall.

5 Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart;

a wise person draws from the well within.

6 Lots of people claim to be loyal and loving,

but where on earth can you find one?

7 God-loyal people, living honest lives,

make it much easier for their children.

8-9 Leaders who know their business and care

keep a sharp eye out for the shoddy and cheap,

For who among us can be trusted

to be always diligent and honest?

10 Switching price tags and padding the expense account

are two thingsGodhates.

11 Young people eventually reveal by their actions

if their motives are on the up and up.

Drinking from the Chalice of Knowledge

12 Ears that hear and eyes that see—

we get our basic equipment fromGod!

13 Don’t be too fond of sleep; you’ll end up in the poorhouse.

Wake up and get up; then there’ll be food on the table.

14 The shopper says, “That’s junk—I’ll take it off your hands,”

then goes off boasting of the bargain.

15 Drinking from the beautiful chalice of knowledge

is better than adorning oneself with gold and rare gems.

16 Hold tight to collateral on any loan to a stranger;

beware of accepting what a transient has pawned.

17 Stolen bread tastes sweet,

but soon your mouth is full of gravel.

18 Form your purpose by asking for counsel,

then carry it out using all the help you can get.

19 Gossips can’t keep secrets,

so never confide in blabbermouths.

20 Anyone who curses father and mother

extinguishes light and exists benighted.

The Very Steps We Take

21 A bonanza at the beginning

is no guarantee of blessing at the end.

22 Don’t ever say, “I’ll get you for that!”

Wait forGod; he’ll settle the score.

23 Godhates cheating in the marketplace;

rigged scales are an outrage.

24 The very steps we take come fromGod;

otherwise how would we know where we’re going?

25 An impulsive vow is a trap;

later you’ll wish you could get out of it.

26 After careful scrutiny, a wise leader

makes a clean sweep of rebels and dolts.

27 Godis in charge of human life,

watching and examining us inside and out.

28 Love and truth form a good leader;

sound leadership is founded on loving integrity.

29 Youth may be admired for vigor,

but gray hair gives prestige to old age.

30 A good thrashing purges evil;

punishment goes deep within us.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/PRO/20-ae7d945b92cee03ab345dd3d3309ebbd.mp3?version_id=97—

God Examines Our Motives

1 Good leadership is a channel of water controlled byGod;

he directs it to whatever ends he chooses.

2 We justify our actions by appearances;

Godexamines our motives.

3 Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors

mean far more toGodthan religious performance.

4 Arrogance and pride—distinguishing marks in the wicked—

are just plain sin.

5 Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run;

hurry and scurry puts you further behind.

6 Make it to the top by lying and cheating;

get paid with smoke and a promotion—to death!

7 The wicked get buried alive by their loot

because they refuse to use it to help others.

8 Mixed motives twist life into tangles;

pure motives take you straight down the road.

Do Your Best, Prepare for the Worst

9 Better to live alone in a tumbledown shack

than share a mansion with a nagging spouse.

10 Wicked souls love to make trouble;

they feel nothing for friends and neighbors.

11 Simpletons only learn the hard way,

but the wise learn by listening.

12 A God-loyal person will see right through the wicked

and undo the evil they’ve planned.

13 If you stop your ears to the cries of the poor,

your cries will go unheard, unanswered.

14 A quietly given gift soothes an irritable person;

a heartfelt present cools a hot temper.

15 Good people celebrate when justice triumphs,

but for the workers of evil it’s a bad day.

16 Whoever wanders off the straight and narrow

ends up in a congregation of ghosts.

17 You’re addicted to thrills? What an empty life!

The pursuit of pleasure is never satisfied.

18 What a bad person plots against the good, boomerangs;

the plotter gets it in the end.

19 Better to live in a tent in the wild

than with a cross and petulant spouse.

20 Valuables are safe in a wise person’s home;

fools put it all out for yard sales.

21 Whoever goes hunting for what is right and kind

finds life itself—gloriouslife!

22 One sage entered a whole city of armed soldiers—

their trusted defenses fell to pieces!

23 Watch your words and hold your tongue;

you’ll save yourself a lot of grief.

24 You know their names—Brash, Impudent, Blasphemer—

intemperate hotheads, every one.

25 Lazy people finally die of hunger

because they won’t get up and go to work.

26 Sinners are always wanting what they don’t have;

the God-loyal are always giving what they do have.

27 Religious performance by the wicked stinks;

it’s even worse when they use it to get ahead.

28 A lying witness is unconvincing;

a person who speaks truth is respected.

29 Unscrupulous people fake it a lot;

honest people are sure of their steps.

30 Nothing clever, nothing conceived, nothing contrived,

can get the better ofGod.

31 Do your best, prepare for the worst—

then trustGodto bring victory.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/PRO/21-05b4af1a13c002eae124b8146d63696e.mp3?version_id=97—

The Cure Comes Through Discipline

1 A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich;

a gracious spirit is better than money in the bank.

2 The rich and the poor shake hands as equals—

Godmade them both!

3 A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks;

a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered.

4 The payoff for meekness and Fear-of-God

is plenty and honor and a satisfying life.

5 The perverse travel a dangerous road, potholed and mud-slick;

if you know what’s good for you, stay clear of it.

6 Point your kids in the right direction—

when they’re old they won’t be lost.

7 The poor are always ruled over by the rich,

so don’t borrow and put yourself under their power.

8 Whoever sows sin reaps weeds,

and bullying anger sputters into nothing.

9 Generous hands are blessed hands

because they give bread to the poor.

10 Kick out the troublemakers and things will quiet down;

you need a break from bickering and griping!

11 Godloves the pure-hearted and well-spoken;

good leaders also delight in their friendship.

12 Godguards knowledge with a passion,

but he’ll have nothing to do with deception.

13 The loafer says, “There’s a lion on the loose!

If I go out I’ll be eaten alive!”

14 The mouth of a whore is a bottomless pit;

you’ll fall in that pit if you’re on the outs withGod.

15 Young people are prone to foolishness and fads;

the cure comes through tough-minded discipline.

16 Exploit the poor or glad-hand the rich—whichever,

you’ll end up the poorer for it.

Don’t Move Back the Boundary Lines

17-21 Listen carefully to my wisdom;

take to heart what I can teach you.

You’ll treasure its sweetness deep within;

you’ll give it bold expression in your speech.

To make sure your foundation is trust inGod,

I’m laying it all out right now just for you.

I’m giving you thirty sterling principles—

tested guidelines to live by.

Believe me—these are truths that work,

and will keep you accountable

to those who sent you.

1

22-23 Don’t walk on the poor just because they’re poor,

and don’t use your position to crush the weak,

BecauseGodwill come to their defense;

the life you took, he’ll take from you and give back to them.

2

24-25 Don’t hang out with angry people;

don’t keep company with hotheads.

Bad temper is contagious—

don’t get infected.

3

26-27 Don’t gamble on the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,

hocking your house against a lucky chance.

The time will come when you have to pay up;

you’ll be left with nothing but the shirt on your back.

4

28 Don’t stealthily move back the boundary lines

staked out long ago by your ancestors.

5

29 Observe people who are good at their work—

skilled workers are always in demand and admired;

they don’t take a backseat to anyone.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/PRO/22-c45081335e7db176656b8676b8bc8b4b.mp3?version_id=97—

Restrain Yourself

6

1-3 When you go out to dinner with an influential person,

mind your manners:

Don’t gobble your food,

don’t talk with your mouth full.

And don’t stuff yourself;

bridle your appetite.

7

4-5 Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich;

restrain yourself!

Riches disappear in the blink of an eye;

wealth sprouts wings

and flies off into the wild blue yonder.

8

6-8 Don’t accept a meal from a tightwad;

don’t expect anything special.

He’ll be as stingy with you as he is with himself;

he’ll say, “Eat! Drink!” but won’t mean a word of it.

His miserly serving will turn your stomach

when you realize the meal’s a sham.

9

9 Don’t bother talking sense to fools;

they’ll only poke fun at your words.

10

10-11 Don’t stealthily move back the boundary lines

or cheat orphans out of their property,

For they have a powerful Advocate

who will go to bat for them.

11

12 Give yourselves to disciplined instruction;

open your ears to tested knowledge.

12

13-14 Don’t be afraid to correct your young ones;

a spanking won’t kill them.

A good spanking, in fact, might save them

from something worse than death.

13

15-16 Dear child, if you become wise,

I’ll be one happy parent.

My heart will dance and sing

to the tuneful truth you’ll speak.

14

17-18 Don’t for a minute envy careless rebels;

soak yourself in the Fear-of-God—

That’swhere your future lies.

Thenyou won’t be left with an armload of nothing.

15

19-21 Oh listen, dear child—become wise;

point your life in the right direction.

Don’t drink too much wine and get drunk;

don’t eat too much food and get fat.

Drunks and gluttons will end up on skid row,

in a stupor and dressed in rags.

Buy Wisdom, Education, Insight

16

22-25 Listen with respect to the father who raised you,

and when your mother grows old, don’t neglect her.

Buy truth—don’t sell it for love or money;

buy wisdom, buy education, buy insight.

Parents rejoice when their children turn out well;

wise children become proud parents.

So make your father happy!

Make your mother proud!

17

26 Dear child, I want your full attention;

please do what I show you.

27-28 A whore is a bottomless pit;

a loose woman can get you in deep trouble fast.

She’ll take you for all you’ve got;

she’s worse than a pack of thieves.

18

29-35 Who are the people who are always crying the blues?

Who do you know who reeks of self-pity?

Who keeps getting beat up for no reason at all?

Whose eyes are bleary and bloodshot?

It’s those who spend the night with a bottle,

for whom drinking is serious business.

Don’t judge wine by its label,

or its bouquet, or its full-bodied flavor.

Judge it rather by the hangover it leaves you with—

the splitting headache, the queasy stomach.

Do you really prefer seeing double,

with your speech all slurred,

Reeling and seasick,

drunk as a sailor?

“They hit me,” you’ll say, “but it didn’t hurt;

they beat on me, but I didn’t feel a thing.

When I’m sober enough to manage it,

bring me another drink!”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/PRO/23-536ef5ec079b5ffbf08d3d36cc14db81.mp3?version_id=97—

Intelligence Outranks Muscle

19

1-2 Don’t envy bad people;

don’t even want to be around them.

All they think about is causing a disturbance;

all they talk about is making trouble.

20

3-4 It takes wisdom to build a house,

and understanding to set it on a firm foundation;

It takes knowledge to furnish its rooms

with fine furniture and beautiful draperies.

21

5-6 It’s better to be wise than strong;

intelligence outranks muscle any day.

Strategic planning is the key to warfare;

to win, you need a lot of good counsel.

22

7 Wise conversation is way over the head of fools;

in a serious discussion they haven’t a clue.

23

8-9 The person who’s always cooking up some evil

soon gets a reputation as prince of rogues.

Fools incubate sin;

cynics desecrate beauty.

Rescue the Perishing

24

10 If you fall to pieces in a crisis,

there wasn’t much to you in the first place.

25

11-12 Rescue the perishing;

don’t hesitate to step in and help.

If you say, “Hey, that’s none of my business,”

will that get you off the hook?

Someone is watching you closely, you know—

Someone not impressed with weak excuses.

26

13-14 Eat honey, dear child—it’s good for you—

and delicacies that melt in your mouth.

Likewise knowledge,

and wisdom for your soul—

Get that and your future’s secured,

your hope is on solid rock.

27

15-16 Don’t interfere with good people’s lives;

don’t try to get the best of them.

No matter how many times you trip them up,

God-loyal people don’t stay down long;

Soon they’re up on their feet,

while the wicked end up flat on their faces.

28

17-18 Don’t laugh when your enemy falls;

don’t crow over his collapse.

Godmight see, and become very provoked,

and then take pity on his plight.

29

19-20 Don’t bother your head with braggarts

or wish you could succeed like the wicked.

Those people have no future at all;

they’re headed down a dead-end street.

30

21-22 FearGod, dear child—respect your leaders;

don’t be defiant or mutinous.

Without warning your life can turn upside down,

and who knows how or when it might happen?

An Honest Answer

23 It’s wrong, very wrong,

to go along with injustice.

24-25 Whoever whitewashes the wicked

gets a black mark in the history books,

But whoever exposes the wicked

will be thanked and rewarded.

26 An honest answer

is like a warm hug.

27 First plant your fields;

thenbuild your barn.

28-29 Don’t talk about your neighbors behind their backs—

no slander or gossip, please.

Don’t say to anyone, “I’ll get back at you for what you did to me.

I’ll make you pay for what you did!”

30-34 One day I walked by the field of an old lazybones,

and then passed the vineyard of a lout;

They were overgrown with weeds,

thick with thistles, all the fences broken down.

I took a long look and pondered what I saw;

the fields preached me a sermon and I listened:

“A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there,

sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next?

Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life,

with poverty as your permanent houseguest!”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/PRO/24-21d4b80f84d09d5dcc5f06cba3556062.mp3?version_id=97—

The Right Word at the Right Time

1 There are also these proverbs of Solomon,

collected by scribes of Hezekiah, king of Judah.

2 God delights in concealing things;

scientists delight in discovering things.

3 Like the horizons for breadth and the ocean for depth,

the understanding of a good leader is broad and deep.

4-5 Remove impurities from the silver

and the silversmith can craft a fine chalice;

Remove the wicked from leadership

and authority will be credible and God-honoring.

6-7 Don’t work yourself into the spotlight;

don’t push your way into the place of prominence.

It’s better to be promoted to a place of honor

than face humiliation by being demoted.

8 Don’t jump to conclusions—there may be

a perfectly good explanation for what you just saw.

9-10 In the heat of an argument,

don’t betray confidences;

Word is sure to get around,

and no one will trust you.

11-12 The right word at the right time

is like a custom-made piece of jewelry,

And a wise friend’s timely reprimand

is like a gold ring slipped on your finger.

13 Reliable friends who do what they say

are like cool drinks in sweltering heat—refreshing!

14 Like billowing clouds that bring no rain

is the person who talks big but never produces.

15 Patient persistence pierces through indifference;

gentle speech breaks down rigid defenses.

A Person Without Self-Control

16-17 When you’re given a box of candy, don’t gulp it all down;

eat too much chocolate and you’ll make yourself sick;

And when you find a friend, don’t outwear your welcome;

show up at all hours and he’ll soon get fed up.

18 Anyone who tells lies against the neighbors

in court or on the street is a loose cannon.

19 Trusting a double-crosser when you’re in trouble

is like biting down on an abscessed tooth.

20 Singing light songs to the heavyhearted

is like pouring salt in their wounds.

21-22 If you see your enemy hungry, go buy him lunch;

if he’s thirsty, bring him a drink.

Your generosity will surprise him with goodness,

andGodwill look after you.

23 A north wind brings stormy weather,

and a gossipy tongue stormy looks.

24 Better to live alone in a tumbledown shack

than share a mansion with a nagging spouse.

25 Like a cool drink of water when you’re worn out and weary

is a letter from a long-lost friend.

26 A good person who gives in to a bad person

is a muddied spring, a polluted well.

27 It’s not smart to stuff yourself with sweets,

nor is glory piled on glory good for you.

28 A person without self-control

is like a house with its doors and windows knocked out.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/PRO/25-54ea2631ad4dab9802e1a41828f47264.mp3?version_id=97—

Fools Recycle Silliness

1 We no more give honors to fools

than pray for snow in summer or rain during harvest.

2 You have as little to fear from an undeserved curse

as from the dart of a wren or the swoop of a swallow.

3 A whip for the racehorse, a tiller for the sailboat—

and a stick for the back of fools!

4 Don’t respond to the stupidity of a fool;

you’ll only look foolish yourself.

5 Answer a fool in simple terms

so he doesn’t get a swelled head.

6 You’re only asking for trouble

when you send a message by a fool.

7 A proverb quoted by fools

is limp as a wet noodle.

8 Putting a fool in a place of honor

is like setting a mud brick on a marble column.

9 To ask a moron to quote a proverb

is like putting a scalpel in the hands of a drunk.

10 Hire a fool or a drunk

and you shoot yourself in the foot.

11 As a dog eats its own vomit,

so fools recycle silliness.

12 See that man who thinks he’s so smart?

You can expect far more from a fool than from him.

13 Loafers say, “It’s dangerous out there!

Tigers are prowling the streets!”

and then pull the covers back over their heads.

14 Just as a door turns on its hinges,

so a lazybones turns back over in bed.

15 A shiftless sluggard puts his fork in the pie,

but is too lazy to lift it to his mouth.

Like Glaze on Cracked Pottery

16 Dreamers fantasize their self-importance;

they think they are smarter

than a whole college faculty.

17 You grab a mad dog by the ears

when you butt into a quarrel that’s none of your business.

18-19 People who shrug off deliberate deceptions,

saying, “I didn’t mean it, I was only joking,”

Are worse than careless campers

who walk away from smoldering campfires.

20 When you run out of wood, the fire goes out;

when the gossip ends, the quarrel dies down.

21 A quarrelsome person in a dispute

is like kerosene thrown on a fire.

22 Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy;

do you want junk like that in your belly?

23 Smooth talk from an evil heart

is like glaze on cracked pottery.

24-26 Your enemy shakes hands and greets you like an old friend,

all the while conniving against you.

When he speaks warmly to you, don’t believe him for a minute;

he’s just waiting for the chance to rip you off.

No matter how cunningly he conceals his malice,

eventually his evil will be exposed in public.

27 Malice backfires;

spite boomerangs.

28 Liars hate their victims;

flatterers sabotage trust.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/PRO/26-8e2896612ad0a7d269fb79e06a143c8d.mp3?version_id=97—

You Don’t Know Tomorrow

1 Don’t brashly announce what you’re going to do tomorrow;

you don’t know the first thing about tomorrow.

2 Don’t call attention to yourself;

let others do that for you.

3 Carrying a log across your shoulders

while you’re hefting a boulder with your arms

Is nothing compared to the burden

of putting up with a fool.

4 We’re blasted by anger and swamped by rage,

but who can survive jealousy?

5 A spoken reprimand is better

than approval that’s never expressed.

6 The wounds from a lover are worth it;

kisses from an enemy do you in.

7 When you’ve stuffed yourself, you refuse dessert;

when you’re starved, you could eat a horse.

8 People who won’t settle down, wandering hither and yon,

are like restless birds, flitting to and fro.

9 Just as lotions and fragrance give sensual delight,

a sweet friendship refreshes the soul.

10 Don’t leave your friends or your parents’ friends

and run home to your family when things get rough;

Better a nearby friend

than a distant family.

11 Become wise, dear child, and make me happy;

then nothing the world throws my way will upset me.

12 A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks;

a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered.

13 Hold tight to collateral on any loan to a stranger;

be wary of accepting what a transient has pawned.

14 If you wake your friend in the early morning

by shouting “Rise and shine!”

It will sound to him

more like a curse than a blessing.

15-16 A nagging spouse is like

the drip, drip, drip of a leaky faucet;

You can’t turn it off,

and you can’t get away from it.

Your Face Mirrors Your Heart

17 You use steel to sharpen steel,

and one friend sharpens another.

18 If you care for your orchard, you’ll enjoy its fruit;

if you honor your boss, you’ll be honored.

19 Just as water mirrors your face,

so your face mirrors your heart.

20 Hell has a voracious appetite,

and lust just never quits.

21 The purity of silver and gold is tested

by putting them in the fire;

The purity of human hearts is tested

by giving them a little fame.

22 Pound on a fool all you like—

you can’t pound out foolishness.

23-27 Know your sheep by name;

carefully attend to your flocks;

(Don’t take them for granted;

possessions don’t last forever, you know.)

And then, when the crops are in

and the harvest is stored in the barns,

You can knit sweaters from lambs’ wool,

and sell your goats for a profit;

There will be plenty of milk and meat

to last your family through the winter.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/PRO/27-35e5314620f26fc735087b1afd6ff955.mp3?version_id=97—