Proverbs 11–12

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.