Proverbs 10:1–22:16

The Proverbs of Solomon

10^cThe proverbs of Solomon.

^dA wise son makes a glad father,

^ebut a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.

^2fTreasures gained by wickedness do not profit,

^gbut righteousness delivers from death.

^3hThe Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,

ⁱbut he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

⁴A slack hand ^jcauses poverty,

^kbut the hand of the diligent makes rich.

⁵He who ^lgathers in summer is a prudent son,

but he who sleeps in harvest is ^ma son who brings shame.

⁶Blessings are on the head of the righteous,

but ⁿthe mouth of the wicked conceals violence. ¹

^7oThe memory of the righteous is a blessing,

but ^pthe name of the wicked will rot.

^8qThe wise of heart will receive commandments,

but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

^9rWhoever walks in integrity walks securely,

but he who makes his ways crooked ^swill be found out.

¹⁰Whoever ^twinks the eye causes trouble,

and a babbling fool will come to ruin.

^11uThe mouth of the righteous is ^va fountain of life,

but the mouth of the wicked ⁿconceals violence.

¹²Hatred stirs up strife,

but ^wlove covers all offenses.

¹³On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,

but ^xa rod is for the back of him who ^ylacks sense.

¹⁴The wise ^zlay up knowledge,

but ^athe mouth of a fool brings ruin near.

^15bA rich man’s wealth is his strong city;

the poverty of the poor is their ruin.

¹⁶The wage of the righteous leads ^cto life,

the gain of the wicked to sin.

¹⁷Whoever heeds instruction is on ^dthe path to life,

but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.

¹⁸The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,

and whoever utters slander is a fool.

^19eWhen words are many, transgression is not lacking,

^fbut whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

²⁰The tongue of the righteous is ^gchoice silver;

the heart of the wicked is of little worth.

²¹The lips of the righteous feed many,

but fools die for ^hlack of sense.

²²ⁱThe blessing of the Lord makes rich,

and he adds no sorrow with it.²

²³Doing wrong is ^jlike a joke to a fool,

but ^kwisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.

^24lWhat the wicked dreads ^mwill come upon him,

but ⁿthe desire of the righteous will be granted.

²⁵When ^othe tempest passes, the wicked is no more,

but ^pthe righteous is established forever.

²⁶Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,

so is the sluggard to those who send him.

^27qThe fear of the Lord prolongs life,

^rbut the years of the wicked will be short.

^28sThe hope of the righteous brings joy,

^tbut the expectation of the wicked will perish.

^29uThe way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless,

but destruction to evildoers.

^30vThe righteous will never be removed,

but ^wthe wicked will not dwell in the land.

^31xThe mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,

but the perverse tongue will be cut off.

³²The lips of the righteous ^yknow what is acceptable,

but the mouth of the wicked, ^zwhat is perverse.

11^aA false balance is an abomination to the Lord,

^bbut a just weight is his delight.

^2cWhen pride comes, then comes disgrace,

but with ^dthe humble is wisdom.

^3eThe integrity of the upright guides them,

^fbut the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

^4gRiches do not profit in the day of wrath,

^hbut righteousness delivers from death.

⁵The righteousness of the blameless ⁱkeeps his way straight,

but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.

^6hThe righteousness of the upright delivers them,

but the treacherous ^jare taken captive by their lust.

⁷When the wicked dies, his ^khope will perish,

and ^lthe expectation of wealth¹ perishes too.

^8mThe righteous is delivered from trouble,

and the wicked walks into it instead.

⁹With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,

but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

¹⁰ⁿWhen it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,

and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.

¹¹By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,

but ^oby the mouth of the wicked ^pit is overthrown.

¹²Whoever ^qbelittles his neighbor lacks sense,

but a man of understanding remains silent.

¹³Whoever ^rgoes about slandering reveals secrets,

but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.

¹⁴Where there is ^sno guidance, a people falls,

^sbut in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

^15tWhoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm,

but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure.

^16uA gracious woman gets honor,

and ^vviolent men get riches.

^17wA man who is kind benefits himself,

but a cruel man hurts himself.

¹⁸The wicked earns deceptive wages,

but one who ^xsows righteousness gets a sure reward.

¹⁹Whoever is steadfast in righteousness ^ywill live,

but ^zhe who pursues evil will die.

²⁰Those of ^acrooked heart are ^ban abomination to the Lord,

but those of ^cblameless ways are ^dhis delight.

^21eBe assured, ^fan evil person will not go unpunished,

but ^gthe offspring of the righteous will be delivered.

²²Like ^ha gold ring in a pig’s snout

is a beautiful woman without discretion.

²³The desire of the righteous ends only in good,

ⁱthe expectation of the wicked in wrath.

^24jOne gives ^kfreely, yet grows all the richer;

another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.

^25lWhoever brings blessing ^mwill be enriched,

and ⁿone who waters will himself be watered.

^26oThe people curse him who holds back grain,

but ^pa blessing is on the head of him who ^qsells it.

²⁷Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,²

but evil comes to ^rhim who searches for it.

²⁸Whoever ^strusts in his riches will fall,

but the righteous will ^tflourish like a green leaf.

²⁹Whoever ^utroubles his own household will ^vinherit the wind,

and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

³⁰The fruit of the righteous is ^wa tree of life,

and whoever ^xcaptures souls is wise.

³¹If ^ythe righteous is repaid on earth,

how much more the wicked and the sinner!

12Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

but he who ^zhates reproof is ^astupid.

²A good man ^bobtains favor from the Lord,

but a man of evil devices he condemns.

³No one is established by wickedness,

but the root of ^cthe righteous will never be moved.

^4dAn excellent wife is ^ethe crown of her husband,

but she who ^fbrings shame is like ^grottenness in his bones.

^5hThe thoughts of the righteous are just;

the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.

⁶The words of the wicked ⁱlie in wait for blood,

but ^jthe mouth of the upright delivers them.

^7kThe wicked are ^loverthrown and are no more,

^mbut the house of the righteous will stand.

⁸A man is commended according to his good sense,

but one of twisted mind is ⁿdespised.

⁹Better to be lowly and have a servant

than to play the great man and lack bread.

^10oWhoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,

but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.

^11pWhoever works his land ^qwill have plenty of bread,

^rbut he who follows ^sworthless pursuits lacks sense.

¹²Whoever is wicked covets ^tthe spoil of evildoers,

but the root of the righteous bears fruit.

¹³An evil man is ensnared ^uby the transgression of his lips, ¹

^vbut the righteous escapes from trouble.

¹⁴From the fruit of his mouth ^wa man is satisfied with good,

^xand the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.

^15yThe way of a fool is right in his own eyes,

but a wise man listens to advice.

^16zThe vexation of a fool is known at once,

but the prudent ignores an insult.

^17aWhoever speaks² the truth gives honest evidence,

but ^ba false witness utters deceit.

^18cThere is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,

but the tongue of the wise brings ^dhealing.

¹⁹Truthful lips endure forever,

but ^ea lying tongue is but for a moment.

²⁰Deceit is in the heart of ^fthose who devise evil,

but those who plan peace have joy.

^21gNo ill befalls the righteous,

but the wicked are filled with trouble.

^22hLying lips are ⁱan abomination to the Lord,

^jbut those who act faithfully are his delight.

^23kA prudent man conceals knowledge,

^kbut the heart of fools proclaims folly.

^24lThe hand of the diligent will rule,

while the slothful will be ^mput to forced labor.

²⁵ⁿAnxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down,

but a good word makes him glad.

²⁶One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor,³

but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

^27oWhoever is slothful will not roast his game,

but the diligent man will get precious wealth.⁴

^28pIn the path of righteousness is life,

and in its pathway there is no death.

13A wise son hears his father’s instruction,

but ^qa scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

²From the fruit of his mouth a man ^reats what is good,

but the desire of the treacherous ^sis for violence.

^3tWhoever guards his mouth preserves his life;

^uhe who opens wide his lips ^vcomes to ruin.

^4wThe soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,

while the soul of the diligent ^xis richly supplied.

⁵The righteous hates falsehood,

but the wicked brings shame¹ and disgrace.

^6yRighteousness guards him whose ^zway is blameless,

but sin overthrows the wicked.

^7aOne pretends to be rich,² yet has nothing;

^banother pretends to be poor,³ yet has great wealth.

⁸The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,

but a poor man ^chears no threat.

^9dThe light of the righteous rejoices,

but ^ethe lamp of the wicked will be put out.

^10fBy insolence comes nothing but strife,

but with those who take advice is wisdom.

^11gWealth gained hastily⁴ will dwindle,

but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

¹²Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

^hbut a desire fulfilled is ⁱa tree of life.

¹³Whoever ^jdespises ^kthe word⁵ brings destruction on himself,

but he who reveres the commandment⁶ will be ^lrewarded.

¹⁴The teaching of the wise is ^ma fountain of life,

that one may ⁿturn away from the snares of death.

^15oGood sense wins ^pfavor,

but the way of the treacherous is their ruin.⁷

^16qEvery prudent man acts with knowledge,

^rbut a fool flaunts his folly.

¹⁷A wicked messenger falls into trouble,

but ^sa faithful envoy brings healing.

¹⁸Poverty and disgrace come to him who ^tignores instruction,

^ubut whoever ^vheeds reproof…