Proverbs 21

21The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;

he ^yturns it wherever he will.

^2zEvery way of a man is right in his own eyes,

but the Lord ^aweighs the heart.

^3bTo do righteousness and justice

is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

^4cHaughty eyes and a proud heart,

^dthe lamp¹ of the wicked, are sin.

⁵The plans of ^ethe diligent lead surely to abundance,

but everyone who is ^fhasty comes ^gonly to poverty.

^6hThe getting of treasures by a lying tongue

is a ⁱfleeting ^jvapor and a ^ksnare of death.²

⁷The violence of the wicked will ^lsweep them away,

because they refuse to do what is just.

⁸The way of the guilty ^mis crooked,

but the conduct of the pure is upright.

⁹It is ⁿbetter to live in a corner of the housetop

than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.

¹⁰The soul of the wicked desires evil;

his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.

¹¹When ^oa scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise;

when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.

¹²The Righteous One ^pobserves the house of the wicked;

he throws the wicked down to ruin.

^13qWhoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor

will himself call out and not be answered.

^14rA gift in secret averts anger,

and a concealed bribe,³ strong wrath.

¹⁵When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous

^sbut terror to evildoers.

¹⁶One who wanders from the way of good sense

^twill rest in the assembly of the dead.

¹⁷Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man;

he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

^18uThe wicked is a ^vransom for the righteous,

and the traitor for the upright.

¹⁹It is ^wbetter to live in a desert land

than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.

^20xPrecious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling,

but a foolish man ^ydevours it.

²¹Whoever ^zpursues righteousness and kindness

will find ^alife, righteousness, and honor.

^22bA wise man scales the city of the mighty

and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.

^23cWhoever keeps his mouth and his tongue

^dkeeps himself out of ^etrouble.

^24f“Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man

who acts with arrogant pride.

²⁵The desire of ^gthe sluggard kills him,

for his hands refuse to labor.

²⁶All day long he craves and craves,

but the righteous ^hgives and does not hold back.

²⁷ⁱThe sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;

how much more ^jwhen he brings it with evil intent.

^28kA false witness will perish,

but the word of a man who hears will endure.

²⁹A wicked man puts on a bold face,

but the upright ^lgives thought to⁴ his ways.

^30mNo wisdom, no understanding, no counsel

can avail against the Lord.

³¹ⁿThe horse is made ready for the day of battle,

but ^othe victory belongs to the Lord.