Proverbs 10–22

CHAPTER 10

Contrast of the Righteous and the Wicked

¹The ^aproverbs of Solomon.

^bA wise son makes a father glad,

But ^ca foolish son is a grief to his mother.

^2aTreasures gained by wickedness do not profit,

But righteousness delivers from death.

³Yahweh ^awill not allow the soul of the righteous to hunger,

But He ^bwill push away the craving of the wicked.

⁴Poor is he who works with a slack ¹hand,

But the ^ahand of the diligent makes rich.

⁵He who gathers in summer is a son who acts insightfully,

But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully.

^6aBlessings are on the head of the righteous,

But ^bthe mouth of the wicked covers up violence.

⁷The ^aremembrance of the righteous is blessed,

But ^bthe name of the wicked will rot.

⁸The ^awise of heart will receive commandments,

But an ignorant fool of loose lips will be ¹ruined.

⁹He ^awho walks in integrity walks securely,

But ^bhe who makes his ways crooked will be found out.

¹⁰He ^awho winks the eye causes pain,

And ^ban ignorant fool of loose lips will be ¹ruined.

¹¹The ^amouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,

But ^bthe mouth of the wicked covers up violence.

¹²Hatred stirs up strife,

But ^alove covers all transgressions.

¹³On ^athe lips of the one who has understanding, wisdom is found,

But ^ba rod is for the back of him who lacks a heart of wisdom.

¹⁴Wise men ^astore up knowledge,

But ^bthe mouth of the ignorant fool draws ruin near.

¹⁵The ^arich man’s wealth is his strong city,

The ^bruin of the poor is their poverty.

¹⁶The ^1awages of the righteous is life,

The income of the wicked, punishment.

¹⁷He ^ais on the path of life who keeps discipline,

But he who forsakes reproof makes ¹himself wander about.

¹⁸He ^awho covers up hatred has lying lips,

And he who spreads a bad report is a fool.

¹⁹When there are ^amany words, transgression is unavoidable,

But ^bhe who holds back his lips has insight.

²⁰The tongue of the righteous is as ^achoice silver,

The heart of the wicked is worth little.

²¹The ^alips of the righteous feed many,

But ignorant fools ^bdie for lack of a heart of wisdom.

²²It is the ^ablessing of Yahweh that makes rich,

And He adds no pain with it.

²³Doing wickedness is like ^alaughing to a fool,

And so is wisdom to a man of discernment.

²⁴What ^athe wicked dreads will come upon him,

But the ^bdesire of the righteous will be granted.

²⁵When the ^awhirlwind passes, the wicked is no more,

But the ^brighteous has an everlasting foundation.

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

So is the ^asluggard to those who send him.

²⁷The ^afear of Yahweh prolongs ¹life,

But the ^byears of the wicked will be shortened.

²⁸The ^aexpectation of the righteous is gladness,

But the ^bhope of the wicked will perish.

²⁹The ^away of Yahweh is a stronghold to the one with integrity,

But ^bruin to the workers of iniquity.

³⁰The ^arighteous will never be shaken,

But ^bthe wicked will not dwell in the land.

³¹The ^amouth of the righteous bears wisdom,

But the tongue of ^bperversions will be cut out.

³²The lips of the righteous know ^awhat is acceptable,

But the ^bmouth of the wicked ¹what is perverse.

CHAPTER 11

¹A ^adeceptive balance is an abomination to Yahweh,

But a ^bjust weight is His delight.

²When ^aarrogance comes, then comes disgrace,

But with the meek is wisdom.

³The ^aintegrity of the upright will lead them,

But the ^bcrookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.

^4aWealth will not profit in the day of wrath,

But ^brighteousness will deliver from death.

⁵The ^arighteousness of the blameless will make his way straight,

But ^bthe wicked will fall by his own wickedness.

⁶The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,

But the treacherous will ^abe captured by their own desire.

⁷When a wicked man dies, his ^ahope will perish,

And the ^bexpectation of vigorous men perishes.

⁸The righteous is rescued from ¹distress,

But the wicked ²takes his place.

⁹With his ^amouth the godless man corrupts his neighbor,

But through knowledge the ^brighteous will be rescued.

¹⁰When it ^agoes well with the righteous, the city exults,

And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.

¹¹By the blessing of the upright a city is raised up,

But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.

¹²He who despises his neighbor lacks a heart of wisdom,

But a man of discernment keeps silent.

¹³He ^awho goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets,

But he who is faithful in spirit ^bconceals a matter.

¹⁴Where there is no ^aguidance the people fall,

But in abundance of counselors there is salvation.

¹⁵If one becomes a ^aguarantor for a stranger, he will surely suffer,

But he who hates ¹striking hands in pledge is secure.

¹⁶A ^agracious woman holds fast to glory,

But ruthless men hold fast to riches.

¹⁷The man of ^alovingkindness deals bountifully with his soul,

But the cruel man brings trouble on his flesh.

¹⁸The wicked earns deceptive wages,

But he who ^asows righteousness gets a true reward.

¹⁹He who is steadfast in ^arighteousness will attain to life,

And ^bhe who pursues evil will bring about his own death.

²⁰Those with a crooked heart are an abomination to Yahweh,

But those of a ^ablameless way are His ^bdelight.

²¹¹Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished,

But the seed of the righteous will escape.

²²As a ^aring of gold in a swine’s snout

So is a beautiful woman who turns away from ¹discretion.

²³The desire of the righteous is only good,

But the ^ahope of the wicked is wrath.

²⁴There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more,

And there is one who holds back what is rightly due, and yet results only in want.

²⁵The soul ¹that ^ablesses will be ²enriched,

And he who ^bwaters will himself be watered.

²⁶He who withholds grain, the ^apeople will curse him,

But ^bblessing will be on the head of him who ^csells it.

²⁷He who earnestly seeks good seeks favor,

But ^ahe who searches for evil, evil will come to him.

²⁸He who ^atrusts in his riches will fall,

But ^bthe righteous will flourish like the green leaf.

²⁹He who ^atroubles his own house will ^binherit wind,

And ^cthe ignorant fool will be a slave to the wise of heart.

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

And ^bhe who is wise ¹wins souls.

³¹If ^athe righteous will be repaid in the earth,

How much more the wicked and the sinner!

CHAPTER 12

¹Whoever loves ¹discipline loves knowledge,

But he who hates reproof is senseless.

²A ^agood man will obtain favor from Yahweh,

But a man of evil schemes He will condemn.

³A man will ^anot be established by wickedness,

But the root of the ^brighteous will not be shaken.

⁴¹An ^aexcellent wife is the crown of her husband,

But she who causes shame is like ^brottenness in his bones.

⁵The thoughts of the righteous are just,

But the guidance of the wicked is deceitful.

⁶The ^awords of the wicked lie in wait for blood,

But the ^bmouth of the upright will deliver them.

⁷The ^awicked are overthrown and are no more,

But the ^bhouse of the righteous will stand.

⁸A man will be praised according to his insight,

But one of perverse heart will be despised.

⁹Better is he who is lightly esteemed and has a servant

Than he who honors himself and lacks bread.

¹⁰A ^arighteous man knows the value of the life of his animal,

But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.

¹¹He ^awho cultivates his land will be satisfied with bread,

But he who pursues empty things lacks a heart of wisdom.

¹²The ^awicked man desires a stronghold of evil men,

But the root of the righteous ^bgives fruit.

¹³The snare of an evil man is in the transgression of his lips,

But the ^arighteous man will come out from distress.

¹⁴A man will be ^asatisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth,

And the good ^bdeed of a man’s hands will return to him.

¹⁵The ^away of an ignorant fool is right in his own eyes,

But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

¹⁶An ^aignorant fool’s ¹anger is known at once,

But a prudent man conceals disgrace.

¹⁷He who breathes out truth declares what is right,

But a false witness, deceit.

¹⁸There is one who ^aspeaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,

But the ^btongue of the wise brings healing.

¹⁹Truthful lips will be established forever,

But a ^alying tongue is only for a moment.

²⁰Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,

But counselors of peace have gladness.

^21aNo misfortune befalls the righteous,

But the wicked are filled with calamity.

^22aLying lips are an abomination to Yahweh,

But doers of faithfulness are His delight.

²³A ^aprudent man conceals knowledge,

But the heart of fools proclaims folly.

²⁴The hand of the diligent will rule,

But ¹the slack hand will be ^aput to forced labor.

^25aAnxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,

But a ^bgood word makes it glad.

²⁶The righteous is a guide to his neighbor,

But the way of the wicked makes them wander about.

²⁷A slack handed man does not ¹roast his prey,

But the wealth of a man is ^aprecious for the diligent.

^28aIn the path of righteousness is life,

And in its pathway there is no death.

CHAPTER 13

¹A ^awise son accepts his father’s discipline,

But a ^bscoffer does not listen to rebuke.

²From the fruit of a man’s mouth he ^aeats what is good,

But the soul of the treacherous desires ^bviolence.

³The one who ^aguards his mouth keeps his soul;

The one who ^bopens wide his lips ¹comes to ruin.

⁴The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,

But the soul of the diligent is enriched.

⁵A righteous man ^ahates a lying word,

But a wicked man ^1bacts odiously and is humiliated.

⁶Righteousness ^aguards the ¹one whose way is blameless,

But wickedness subverts the ²sinner.

⁷There is one who ^apretends to be rich, but has nothing;

Another ¹pretends to be ^bpoor, but has great wealth.

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

But the poor hears no rebuke.

⁹The ^alight of the righteous is glad,

But the ^blamp of the wicked goes out.

¹⁰With arrogance ¹comes only quarreling,

But with those who receive counsel is wisdom.

¹¹Wealth obtained from empty effort dwindles,

But the one who gathers ¹with his hand abounds.

¹²¹Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

But desire ²fulfilled is a tree of life.

¹³The one who ^adespises the word will be ¹in debt to it,

But the one who fears…