Proverbs 16–18

16The plans of the heart belong to man,

but ^lthe answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

^2mAll the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,

but the Lord ⁿweighs the spirit. ¹

^3oCommit your work to the Lord,

and your plans will be established.

^4pThe Lord has made everything for its purpose,

even ^qthe wicked for the day of trouble.

⁵Everyone who is arrogant in heart is ^ran abomination to the Lord;

^sbe assured, he will not go unpunished.

⁶By ^tsteadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,

and by ^uthe fear of the Lord one ^vturns away from evil.

⁷When a man’s ways please the Lord,

^whe makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

^8xBetter is a little with righteousness

than great revenues with injustice.

^9yThe heart of man plans his way,

but ^zthe Lord establishes his steps.

^10aAn oracle is on the lips of a king;

his mouth does not sin in judgment.

^11bA just balance and scales are the Lord’s;

all the weights in the bag are his work.

¹²It is an abomination to kings to do evil,

for ^cthe throne is established by righteousness.

^13dRighteous lips are the delight of a king,

and he loves him who speaks what is right.

^14eA king’s wrath is a messenger of death,

and a wise man will ^fappease it.

^15gIn the light of a king’s face there is life,

and his ^dfavor is like ^hthe clouds that bring the spring rain.

¹⁶ⁱHow much better to get wisdom than ^jgold!

To get understanding is to be chosen rather than ^ksilver.

¹⁷The highway of the upright ^lturns aside from evil;

whoever guards his way preserves his life.

^18mPride goes before destruction,

and a haughty spirit before a fall.

¹⁹ⁿIt is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor

than to ^odivide the spoil with the proud.

²⁰Whoever gives thought to the word^{2 p}will discover good,

and blessed is he ^qwho trusts in the Lord.

²¹The wise of heart is called discerning,

and sweetness of speech ^rincreases persuasiveness.

²²Good sense is ^sa fountain of life to him who has it,

but the instruction of fools is folly.

^23tThe heart of the wise makes his speech judicious

and adds persuasiveness to his lips.

^24uGracious words are like ^va honeycomb,

sweetness to the soul and ^whealth to the body.

²⁵There is a way that seems right to a man,

but its end is the way to death.³

²⁶A worker’s appetite works for him;

his ^xmouth urges him on.

^27yA worthless man plots evil,

and his speech⁴ is like ^za scorching fire.

^28aA dishonest man spreads strife,

and ^ba whisperer ^cseparates close friends.

²⁹A man of violence ^dentices his neighbor

and leads him in a way that is not good.

³⁰Whoever winks his eyes plans^{5 e}dishonest things;

he who ^fpurses his lips brings evil to pass.

^31gGray hair is ^ha crown of glory;

it ⁱis gained in a righteous life.

^32jWhoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,

and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

^33kThe lot is cast into the lap,

but its every decision is ^lfrom the Lord.

17^mBetter is a dry morsel with quiet

than a house full of feasting¹ with strife.

²A servant who deals wisely will rule over ⁿa son who acts shamefully

and ^owill share the inheritance as one of the brothers.

^3pThe crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,

^qand the Lord tests hearts.

⁴An evildoer listens to wicked lips,

and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.

⁵Whoever mocks the poor ^rinsults his Maker;

he who is ^sglad at calamity will not go ^tunpunished.

^6uGrandchildren are ^vthe crown of the aged,

and the glory of children is their fathers.

⁷Fine speech is not ^wbecoming to a fool;

still less is ^xfalse speech to a prince.

^8yA bribe is like a magic² stone in the eyes of the one who gives it;

wherever he turns he prospers.

⁹Whoever ^zcovers an offense seeks love,

but he who repeats a matter ^aseparates close friends.

¹⁰A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding

than a hundred blows into a fool.

¹¹An evil man seeks only rebellion,

and ^ba cruel messenger will be sent against him.

¹²Let a man meet ^ca she-bear robbed of her cubs

^drather than a fool in his folly.

¹³If anyone ^ereturns evil for good,

^fevil will not depart from his house.

¹⁴The beginning of strife is like letting out water,

so ^gquit before the quarrel breaks out.

¹⁵He who ^hjustifies the wicked and he who ⁱcondemns the righteous

are both alike an abomination to the Lord.

¹⁶Why should a fool have money in his hand ^jto buy wisdom

when he has no sense?

^17kA friend loves at all times,

and a brother is born for adversity.

¹⁸One who lacks sense gives a pledge

and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.

¹⁹Whoever loves transgression loves strife;

he who ^lmakes his door high seeks destruction.

^20mA man of crooked heart does not discover good,

and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.

²¹He who ⁿsires a fool gets himself sorrow,

and the father of a fool has no joy.

^22oA joyful heart is good medicine,

but a crushed spirit ^pdries up the bones.

²³The wicked accepts ^qa bribe in secret³

to ^rpervert the ways of justice.

^24sThe discerning sets his face toward wisdom,

but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

²⁵ⁿA foolish son is a grief to his father

^tand bitterness to ^uher who bore him.

^26vTo impose a fine on a righteous man is not good,

nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.

²⁷Whoever ^wrestrains his words has knowledge,

and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

²⁸Even a fool ^xwho keeps silent is considered wise;

when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

18Whoever ^yisolates himself seeks his own desire;

he breaks out against all sound judgment.

²A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,

but only ^zin expressing his opinion.

³When wickedness comes, contempt comes also,

and with dishonor comes disgrace.

⁴The words of a man’s mouth are ^adeep waters;

the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

⁵It is not good to ^bbe partial to¹ the wicked

or to ^cdeprive the righteous of justice.

⁶A fool’s lips walk into a fight,

and his mouth invites ^da beating.

^7eA fool’s mouth is his ruin,

and his lips are a snare to his soul.

^8fThe words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;

they go down into ^gthe inner parts of the body.

⁹Whoever is slack in his work

is a ^hbrother to him who destroys.

¹⁰ⁱThe name of the Lord is ^ja strong tower;

the righteous man runs into it and ^kis safe.

^11lA rich man’s wealth is his strong city,

and like a high wall in his imagination.

^12mBefore destruction a man’s heart is haughty,

but ⁿhumility comes before honor.

¹³If one gives an answer ^obefore he hears,

it is his folly and shame.

¹⁴A man’s spirit will endure sickness,

but ^pa crushed spirit who can bear?

¹⁵An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,

and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

¹⁶A man’s ^qgift makes room for him

and brings him before the great.

¹⁷The one who states his case first seems right,

until the other comes and examines him.

^18rThe lot puts an end to quarrels

and decides between powerful contenders.

¹⁹A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city,

and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.

^20sFrom the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied;

he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.

^21tDeath and life are in the power of the tongue,

and those who love it will eat its fruits.

²²He who finds ^ua wife finds ^va good thing

and ^wobtains favor ^xfrom the Lord.

²³The poor use entreaties,

but ^ythe rich answer roughly.

²⁴A man of many companions may come to ruin,

but ^zthere is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.