- 1A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.
- 2The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.
- 3A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
- 4By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.
- 5Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.
- 6Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
- 7The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
- 8He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.
- 9He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.
- 10Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.
- 11He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.
- 12The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, and he overthroweth the words of the transgressor.
- 13The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.
- 14The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein.
- 15Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
- 16He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.
- 17Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.
- 18For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.
- 19That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.
- 20Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,
- 21That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?
- 22Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:
- 23For the LORD will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them.
- 24Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:
- 25Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.
- 26Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts.
- 27If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?
- 28Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.
- 29Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.
KING JAMES VERSION
PROVERBS 22
Read the chapter, follow a linked verse, and continue into related Watchman 33 teaching.
CHAPTER VISUAL
Proverbs 22 — A Good Name and a Child Trained in Wisdom.
About this illustration
The composition centers a good name and a child trained in wisdom as the chapter’s defining visual, using a unified, historically grounded scene while avoiding written text and any bodily depiction of God.
Scripture basis: Proverbs 22:1–29King James Version · Standardized 1769 text with Strong’s numbering · Public domain outside the United Kingdom
EXPLORE THE MESSAGE
Related Watchman 33 Resources
Archaeological Evidence
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
Late second to first century BC copies
4QInstruction and Second Temple Wisdom Teaching
Multiple Hebrew manuscripts preserve practical and theological instruction for a learner, combining household ethics with creation, judgment, and revealed mystery.
Proverbs 6:1–11 · Proverbs 22:1–16 · Proverbs 23:22–25
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
Composition probably late Ramesside; principal papyrus copy commonly dated to the Twenty-Second Dynasty
The Instruction of Amenemope and Proverbs
Papyrus BM 10474 preserves thirty chapters of Egyptian wisdom whose sequence and wording closely parallel Proverbs 22:17–24:22, providing the strongest material context for an international wisdom relationship.
Proverbs 22:17–29 · Proverbs 23:1–35 · Proverbs 24:1–22
Sermons
Consider the Ant
In “Consider the Ant,” Pastor Dean Odle presents a Scripture-centered message about faith, the wisdom of God, prayer. Drawing especially from Proverbs 22, Proverbs 30, Hebrews 10, the teaching emphasizes that biblical faith trusts God’s character and acts upon His promises. Odle connects that foundation with the conviction that God’s wisdom confronts human pride and teaches believers to judge life from an eternal perspective.
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In “Are You Dead Yet?” Pastor Nancy calls believers to die to self through humility, obedience, and practical service. Beginning with Galatians 2:20 and Christ’s self-emptying example in Philippians 2, she contrasts the hunger for recognition with the mind of Jesus, who lowered himself, accepted suffering, and put others first. Paul’s testimony, James’ command to humble oneself, and Jesus’ warnings against self-exaltation reinforce the central question: has the old self truly yielded to Christ?
Doctrine and DiscernmentChristian Living
View sermon Battle Ready - Making it to Supper by Pastor Nancy Odle
In “Battle Ready - Making it to Supper by Pastor Nancy Odle,” Pastor Nancy Odle presents a Scripture-centered message about marriage and covenant, family discipleship, biblical love. Drawing especially from Revelation 196, Revelation 19:6-9, Luke 14, 1 John 3:4, the teaching emphasizes that marriage is treated as a covenant requiring faithfulness, sacrifice, truth, and biblical order. Odle connects that foundation with the conviction that faithfulness in the home requires instruction, loving correction, protection, and a consistent Christian example.
Doctrine and DiscernmentMarriage and FamilySpiritual Warfare
View sermon Showing 1–3 of 6 sermons