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21:1  Have you sinned, my child? Do so no more, but ask forgiveness for your past sins.
21:2  Flee from sin as from a snake; for if you approach sin, it will bite you. Its teeth are lion’s teeth, and can destroy human lives.
21:3  All lawlessness is like a two-edged sword; there is no healing for the wound it inflicts.
21:4  Panic and insolence will waste away riches; thus the house of the proud will be laid waste.
21:5  The prayer of the poor goes from their lips to the ears of God, and his judgement comes speedily.
21:6  Those who hate reproof walk in the sinner’s steps, but those who fear the Lord repent in their heart.
21:7  The mighty in speech are widely known; when they slip, the sensible person knows it.
21:8  Whoever builds his house with other people’s money is like one who gathers stones for his burial mound.
21:9  An assembly of the wicked is like a bundle of tow, and their end is a blazing fire.
21:10  The way of sinners is paved with smooth stones, but at its end is the pit of Hades.
21:11  Whoever keeps the law controls his thoughts, and the fulfilment of the fear of the Lord is wisdom.
21:12  One who is not clever cannot be taught, but there is a cleverness that increases bitterness.
21:13  The knowledge of the wise will increase like a flood, and their counsel like a life-giving spring.
21:14  The mind of a fool is like a broken jar; it can hold no knowledge.
21:15  When an intelligent person hears a wise saying, he praises it and adds to it; when a fool hears it, he laughs at it and throws it behind his back.
21:16  A fool’s chatter is like a burden on a journey, but delight is found in the speech of the intelligent.
21:17  The utterance of a sensible person is sought in the assembly, and they ponder his words in their minds.
21:18  Like a house in ruins is wisdom to a fool, and to the ignorant, knowledge is talk that has no meaning.
21:19  To a senseless person education is fetters on his feet, and like manacles on his right hand.
21:20  A fool raises his voice when he laughs, but the wise smile quietly.
21:21  To the sensible person education is like a golden ornament, and like a bracelet on the right arm.
21:22  The foot of a fool rushes into a house, but an experienced person waits respectfully outside.
21:23  A boor peers into the house from the door, but a cultivated person remains outside.
21:24  It is ill-mannered for a person to listen at a door; the discreet would be grieved by the disgrace.
21:25  The lips of babblers speak of what is not their concern, but the words of the prudent are weighed in the balance.
21:26  The mind of fools is in their mouth, but the mouth of the wise is in their mind.
21:27  When an ungodly person curses an adversary, he curses himself.
21:28  A whisperer degrades himself and is hated in his neighbourhood.