Proverbs 10–22

Solomon’s Proverbs

10These are Solomon’s proverbs: Wise children make their fathers proud of them; foolish ones bring their mothers grief.

²Wealth that you get by dishonesty will do you no good, but honesty can save your life.

³The Lord will not let good people go hungry, but he will keep the wicked from getting what they want.

⁴Being lazy will make you poor, but hard work will make you rich.

⁵A sensible person gathers the crops when they are ready; it is a disgrace to sleep through the time of harvest.

⁶Good people will receive blessings. The words of the wicked hide a violent nature.

⁷Good people will be remembered as a blessing, but the wicked will soon be forgotten.

⁸Sensible people accept good advice. People who talk foolishly will come to ruin.

⁹Honest people are safe and secure, but the dishonest will be caught.

¹⁰Someone who holds back the truth causes trouble, but one who openly criticizes works for peace.ⁱ

¹¹A good person’s words are a fountain of life, but a wicked person’s words hide a violent nature.

^12*Hate stirs up trouble, but love overlooks all offences.

¹³Intelligent people talk sense, but stupid people need to be punished.

¹⁴The wise get all the knowledge they can, but when fools speak, trouble is not far off.

¹⁵Wealth protects the rich; poverty destroys the poor.

¹⁶The reward for doing good is life, but sin leads only to more sin.

¹⁷People who listen when they are corrected will live, but those who will not admit that they are wrong are in danger.

¹⁸Anyone who hides hatred is a liar. Anyone who spreads gossip is a fool.

¹⁹The more you talk, the more likely you are to sin. If you are wise, you will keep quiet.

²⁰A good person’s words are like pure silver; a wicked person’s ideas are worthless.

²¹A good person’s words will benefit many people, but you can kill yourself with stupidity.

²²It is the Lord’s blessing that makes you wealthy. Hard work can make you no richer.^j

²³It is foolish to enjoy doing wrong. Intelligent people take pleasure in wisdom.

²⁴The righteous get what they want, but the wicked will get what they fear most.

²⁵Storms come, and the wicked are blown away, but honest people are always safe.

²⁶Never get a lazy person to do something for you; he will be as irritating as vinegar on your teeth or smoke in your eyes.

²⁷Obey the Lord, and you will live longer. The wicked die before their time.

²⁸The hopes of good people lead to joy, but wicked people can look forward to nothing.

²⁹The Lord protects honest people, but destroys those who do wrong.

³⁰Righteous people will always have security, but the wicked will not survive in the land.

³¹Righteous people speak wisdom, but the tongue that speaks evil will be stopped.

³²Righteous people know the kind thing to say, but the wicked are always saying things that hurt.

11The Lord hates people who use dishonest scales. He is happy with honest weights.

²People who are proud will soon be disgraced. It is wiser to be modest.

³If you are good, you are guided by honesty. People who can’t be trusted are destroyed by their own dishonesty.

⁴Riches will do you no good on the day you face death, but honesty can save your life.

⁵Honesty makes a good person’s life easier, but the wicked will cause their own downfall.

⁶Righteousness rescues those who are honest, but those who can’t be trusted are trapped by their own greed.

⁷When the wicked die, their hope dies with them. Confidence placed in riches comes to nothing.

⁸The righteous are protected from trouble; it comes to the wicked instead.

⁹You can be ruined by the talk of godless people, but the wisdom of the righteous can save you.

¹⁰A city is happy when honest people have good fortune, and there are joyful shouts when the wicked die.

¹¹A city becomes great when the righteous give it their blessing; but a city is brought to ruin by the words of the wicked.

¹²It is foolish to speak scornfully of others. If you are sensible, you will keep quiet.

¹³No one who gossips can be trusted with a secret, but you can put confidence in someone who is trustworthy.

¹⁴A nation will fall if it has no guidance. Many advisers mean security.

¹⁵If you promise to pay a stranger’s debt, you will regret it. You are better off if you don’t get involved.

¹⁶A gracious woman is respected, but a woman without virtue is a disgrace.

Lazy people will never have money,^k but aggressive people will get rich.

¹⁷You do yourself a favour when you are kind. If you are cruel, you only hurt yourself.

¹⁸Wicked people do not really gain anything, but if you do what is right, you are certain to be rewarded.

¹⁹Anyone who is determined to do right will live, but anyone who insists on doing wrong will die.

²⁰The Lord hates evil-minded people, but loves those who do right.

²¹You can be sure that evil people will be punished, but the righteous will escape.

²²Beauty in a woman without good judgement is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.

²³What good people want always results in good; when the wicked get what they want, everyone is angry.^l

²⁴Some people spend their money freely and still grow richer. Others are cautious, and yet grow poorer.

²⁵Be generous, and you will be prosperous. Help others, and you will be helped.

²⁶People curse someone who hoards grain, waiting for a higher price, but they praise the one who puts it up for sale.

²⁷If your goals are good, you will be respected, but if you are looking for trouble, that is what you will get.

²⁸Those who depend on their wealth will fall like the leaves of autumn, but the righteous will prosper like the leaves of summer.

²⁹Those who bring trouble on their families will have nothing at the end.

Foolish people will always be servants to the wise.

³⁰Righteousness^m gives life, but violenceⁿ takes it away.

^31*Those who are good are rewarded here on earth, so you can be sure that wicked and sinful people will be punished.

12Those who love knowledge want to be told when they are wrong. It is stupid to hate being corrected.

²The Lord is pleased with good people, but condemns those who plan evil.

³Wickedness does not give security, but righteous people stand firm.

⁴A good wife is her husband’s pride and joy; but a wife who brings shame on her husband is like a cancer in his bones.

⁵Honest people will treat you fairly; the wicked only want to deceive you.

⁶The words of the wicked are murderous, but the words of the righteous rescue those who are threatened.

⁷The wicked meet their downfall and leave no descendants, but the families of the righteous live on.

⁸If you are intelligent, you will be praised; if you are stupid, people will look down on you.

⁹It is better to be an ordinary person working for a living than to play the part of someone great but go hungry.

¹⁰Good people take care of their animals, but wicked people are cruel to theirs.

¹¹A hard-working farmer has plenty to eat, but it is stupid to waste time on useless projects.

¹²All that wicked people want is to find evil things to do, but the righteous stand firm.^o

¹³The wicked are trapped by their own words, but honest people get themselves out of trouble.

¹⁴Your reward depends on what you say and what you do; you will get what you deserve.

¹⁵Stupid people always think they are right. Wise people listen to advice.

¹⁶When a fool is annoyed, he quickly lets it be known. Sensible people will ignore an insult.

¹⁷When you tell the truth, justice is done, but lies lead to injustice.

¹⁸Thoughtless words can wound as deeply as any sword, but wisely spoken words can heal.

¹⁹A lie has a short life, but truth lives on for ever.

²⁰Those who plan evil are in for a rude surprise, but those who work for good will find happiness.

²¹Nothing bad happens to righteous people, but the wicked have nothing but trouble.

²²The Lord hates liars, but is pleased with those who keep their word.

²³Sensible people keep quiet about what they know, but stupid people advertise their ignorance.

²⁴Hard work will give you power; being lazy will make you a slave.

²⁵Worry can rob you of happiness, but kind words will cheer you up.

²⁶The righteous person is a guide to his friend, but the path of the wicked leads them astray.

²⁷If you are lazy, you will never get what you are after, but if you work hard, you will get a fortune.^p

²⁸Righteousness is the road to life; wickedness^q is the road to death.

13A wise son pays attention when his father corrects him, but an arrogant person never admits he is wrong.

²Good people will be rewarded for what they say, but those who are deceitful are hungry for violence.

³Be careful what you say and protect your life. A careless talker destroys himself.

⁴No matter how much a lazy person may want something, he will never get it. A hard worker will get everything he wants.

⁵Honest people hate lies, but the words of wicked people are shameful and disgraceful.

⁶Righteousness protects the innocent; wickedness is the downfall of sinners.

⁷Some people pretend to be rich, but have nothing. Others pretend to be poor, but own a fortune.

⁸The rich have to use their money to save their lives, but no one threatens the poor.

⁹The righteous are like a light shining brightly; the wicked are like a lamp flickering out.

¹⁰Arrogance causes nothing but trouble. It is wiser to ask for advice.

¹¹The more easily you get your wealth, the sooner you will lose it. The harder it is to earn, the more you will have.

¹²When hope is crushed, the heart is crushed, but a wish come true fills you with joy.

¹³If you refuse good advice, you are asking for trouble; follow it and you are safe.

¹⁴The teachings of the wise are a fountain of life; they will help you escape when your life is in danger.

¹⁵Intelligence wins respect, but those who can’t be trusted are on the road to ruin.^r

¹⁶Sensible people always think before they act, but stupid people advertise their ignorance.

¹⁷Unreliable messengers cause trouble, but those who can be trusted bring peace.

¹⁸Someone who will not learn will be…