Sweet-Tooth Sentiments
- Don't desire the sort of things wicked people want and have, says Proverbs. (Goodfellas is a good movie and all, but not a selection of choice role models.)
- Also, in case you haven't realized it yet, wisdom is really great. It can help you build up a nice household and win wars.
- The author praises courage and a willingness to rescue people who are being sent to the slaughter, saying that God will repay you if you fail to live up to these responsibilities.
- Wisdom is like honey—they're both really good and sweet and you should eat them (a little pro-sweet-tooth sentiment from Proverbs here).
- No matter how many times they run into obstacles and fall down, the righteous get back up. But the wicked will eventually be struck down in one fell swoop.
- You shouldn't rejoice when your enemies fall, because then God will take it easy on them (so, don't rejoice and God will, you know, totally punish them).
- So, keep obeying God—oh, and the king too—and everything will work out in the end.
A Fixer-Upper Vineyard
- A new section begins: "Further Sayings of the Wise."
- You should judge impartially and always give honest answers. Don't be a witness against your neighbors for no good reason, and don't vengefully try to repay people for wrongs they've done to you.
- The chapter ends with the author stating that he was walking by a vineyard owned by a lazy, stupid person. He sees that it is all broken down and overgrown, and he realizes that this is what a little laziness leads to: poverty and ruin.