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21:1  My child, have you sinned? Do not sin anymore, and ask forgiveness for your past sins.
21:2  Flee from sin as from a snake, for it will bite you if you approach it. Its teeth are like a lion’s teeth and can take away human lives.
21:3  All law-breaking is like a two-edged sword; the wound it inflicts cannot be healed.
21:4  Panic and violence will wipe out riches; similarly the house of the proud man will be laid waste.
21:5  The prayer of the poor man goes from his lips straight to the ear of God, and justice is speedily granted him.
21:6  One who hates reproof walks in the sinner’s path, but the man who fears the Lord repents in his heart.
21:7  A skillful speaker is widely known, but the wise man is well aware of his own faults.
21:8  To build a house with other people’s money is like gathering stones for one’s own tomb.
21:9  A band of the wicked is like a bundle of fibers; it will end in a blazing fire.
21:10  The path of sinners is smoothly paved, but it ends in the depths of the netherworld.
21:11  He who keeps the law controls his thoughts; the fear of the Lord results in wisdom.
21:12  The one who is not clever cannot be taught, but there is a cleverness that is a source of bitterness.
21:13  The knowledge of a wise man increases like a flood, and his counsel is like a life-giving spring.
21:14  The mind of a fool is like a broken jar; it cannot retain any knowledge.
21:15  When an intelligent man hears words of wisdom, he praises them and adds to them. When a fool hears them, he is scornful and casts them aside behind his back.
21:16  The chatter of a fool is like traveling with a heavy load, but delight is to be found upon the lips of a wise man.
21:17  The views of a wise man are sought in the assembly, and his words are pondered carefully.
21:18  Like a house in ruins is wisdom to a fool; the ignorant man regards knowledge only as incoherent talk.
21:19  Instruction is like fetters on the feet to the fool, and like a manacle on his right hand.
21:20  A fool laughs at the top of his voice, but a prudent man smiles quietly.
21:21  Like an ornament of gold is instruction to a sensible man, like a bracelet on his right arm.
21:22  A fool steps boldly into a house, whereas the well-bred person waits outside respectfully.
21:23  A boor peers into a house through the doorway, but a cultured man remains outside.
21:24  It is bad manners for someone to listen at a door; a cultured man would regard this as disgraceful, things that are not his business.
21:25  The lips of gossipers repeat the words of others, but the prudent carefully weigh their words.
21:26  The heart of fools is in their mouth, but the mouth of the wise is in their heart.
21:27  When a godless man curses an adversary, he is cursing himself.
21:28  A scandal-monger degrades himself and earns the hatred of his neighbors.