Proverbs 16

Chapter 16

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

¹The ^aplans of the heart belong to man,

But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

²All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight,

But the ^aLord weighs the ¹motives.

^31aCommit your works to the Lord

And your plans will be established.

⁴The Lord ^ahas made everything for ¹its own purpose,

Even the ^bwicked for the day of evil.

⁵Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;

Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.

⁶By ^alovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for,

And by the ^1bfear of the Lord one keeps away from evil.

⁷When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord,

He ^amakes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

⁸Better is a little with righteousness

Than great income with injustice.

⁹The mind of ^aman plans his way,

But ^bthe Lord directs his steps.

¹⁰A divine ^adecision is in the lips of the king;

His mouth should not ¹err in judgment.

¹¹A ^ajust balance and scales belong to the Lord;

All the ¹weights of the bag are His ²concern.

¹²It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts,

For a ^athrone is established on righteousness.

¹³Righteous lips are the delight of kings,

And he who speaks right is loved.

¹⁴The fury of a king is like messengers of death,

But a wise man will appease it.

¹⁵In the light of a king’s face is life,

And his favor is like a cloud with the ^1aspring rain.

¹⁶How much ^abetter it is to get wisdom than gold!

And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.

¹⁷The ^ahighway of the upright is to depart from evil;

He who watches his way preserves his ¹life.

^18aPride goes before destruction,

And a haughty spirit before stumbling.

¹⁹It is better to be ^ahumble in spirit with the lowly

Than to ^bdivide the spoil with the proud.

²⁰He who gives attention to the word will ^afind good,

And ^bblessed is he who trusts in the Lord.

²¹The ^awise in heart will be called understanding,

And sweetness of ¹speech ^bincreases ²persuasiveness.

²²Understanding is a fountain of life to one who has it,

But the discipline of fools is folly.

²³The ^aheart of the wise instructs his mouth

And adds ¹persuasiveness to his lips.

^24aPleasant words are a honeycomb,

Sweet to the soul and ^bhealing to the bones.

^25aThere is a way which seems right to a man,

But its end is the way of death.

²⁶A worker’s appetite works for him,

For his ¹hunger urges him on.

²⁷A ^aworthless man digs up evil,

While ¹his words are like ^bscorching fire.

²⁸A perverse man spreads strife,

And a slanderer separates intimate friends.

²⁹A man of violence ^aentices his neighbor

And leads him in a way that is not good.

³⁰He who winks his eyes does so to devise perverse things;

He who compresses his lips brings evil to pass.

³¹A ^agray head is a crown of glory;

It ^bis found in the way of righteousness.

³²He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,

And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.

³³The ^alot is cast into the lap,

But its every ^bdecision is from the Lord.