Proverbs 11–12

Chapter 11

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

¹A ^afalse balance is an abomination to the Lord,

But a ^bjust weight is His delight.

²When ^apride comes, then comes dishonor,

But with the humble is wisdom.

³The ^aintegrity of the upright will guide them,

But the ^bcrookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.

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

But ^brighteousness delivers from death.

⁵The ^arighteousness of the blameless will smooth his way,

But ^bthe wicked will fall by his own wickedness.

⁶The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,

But the treacherous will ^abe caught by their own greed.

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

And the ^bhope of strong men perishes.

⁸The righteous is delivered from trouble,

But the wicked ¹takes his place.

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

But through knowledge the ^brighteous will be delivered.

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

And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.

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

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

¹²He who despises his neighbor lacks ¹sense,

But a man of understanding keeps silent.

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

But he who is ¹trustworthy ^bconceals a matter.

¹⁴Where there is no ^aguidance the people fall,

But in abundance of counselors there is ¹victory.

¹⁵He who is ^aguarantor for a stranger will surely suffer for it,

But he who hates ¹being a guarantor is secure.

¹⁶A ^agracious woman attains honor,

And ruthless men attain riches.

¹⁷The ^amerciful man does ¹himself good,

But the cruel man ²does himself harm.

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.

²⁰The perverse in heart are an abomination to the Lord,

But the ^ablameless in their ¹walk are His ^bdelight.

²¹¹Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished,

But the ²descendants of the righteous will be delivered.

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

So is a beautiful woman who lacks ¹discretion.

²³The desire of the righteous is only good,

But the ^aexpectation of the wicked is wrath.

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

And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want.

²⁵The ^1agenerous man will be ²prosperous,

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 diligently seeks good seeks favor,

But ^ahe who seeks 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 foolish will be servant to the wisehearted.

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

And ^bhe who is wise ¹wins souls.

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

How much more the wicked and the sinner!

Chapter 12

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

¹Whoever loves ¹discipline loves knowledge,

But he who hates reproof is stupid.

²A ^agood man will obtain favor from the Lord,

But He will condemn a man ¹who devises evil.

³A man will ^anot be established by wickedness,

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

⁴An ^1aexcellent wife is the crown of her husband,

But she who shames him is like ^brottenness in his bones.

⁵The thoughts of the righteous are just,

But the counsels of the wicked are 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 ¹mind 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 has regard for the life of his animal,

But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.

¹¹He ^awho tills his land will have plenty of bread,

But he who pursues worthless things lacks ¹sense.

¹²The ^awicked man desires the ¹booty of evil men,

But the root of the righteous ^byields fruit.

¹³¹An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,

But the ^arighteous will escape from trouble.

¹⁴A man will be ^asatisfied with good by the fruit of his ¹words,

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

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

But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

¹⁶A ^afool’s anger is known at once,

But a prudent man conceals dishonor.

¹⁷He who ¹speaks truth tells 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 joy.

^21aNo harm befalls the righteous,

But the wicked are filled with trouble.

^22aLying lips are an abomination to the Lord,

But those who deal faithfully are His delight.

²³A ^aprudent man conceals knowledge,

But the heart of fools proclaims folly.

²⁴The hand of the diligent will rule,

But the ¹slack 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 leads them astray.

²⁷A ¹lazy man does not ²roast his prey,

But the ^aprecious possession of a man is diligence.

^28aIn the way of righteousness is life,

And in its pathway there is no death.