Proverbs 21

Chapter 21

On Life and Conduct

¹The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord;

He ^aturns it wherever He wishes.

^2aEvery man’s way is right in his own eyes,

But the Lord ^bweighs the hearts.

³To do ^arighteousness and justice

Is desired by the Lord more than sacrifice.

⁴Haughty eyes and a proud heart,

The ^alamp of the wicked, is sin.

⁵The plans of the ^adiligent lead surely to advantage,

But everyone ^bwho is hasty comes surely to poverty.

⁶The ^aacquisition of treasures by a lying tongue

Is a fleeting vapor, the ¹pursuit of ^bdeath.

⁷The violence of the wicked will drag them away,

Because they ^arefuse to act with justice.

⁸The way of a guilty man is ^acrooked,

But as for the pure, his conduct is upright.

⁹It is better to live in a corner of a roof

Than ¹in a house shared with a contentious woman.

¹⁰The soul of the wicked desires evil;

His ^aneighbor finds no favor in his eyes.

¹¹When the ^ascoffer is punished, the ¹naive becomes wise;

But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.

¹²The righteous one considers the house of the wicked,

Turning the ^awicked to ruin.

¹³He who ^ashuts his ear to the cry of the poor

Will also cry himself and not be ^banswered.

¹⁴A ^agift in secret subdues anger,

And a bribe in the bosom, strong wrath.

¹⁵The exercise of justice is joy for the righteous,

But is ^aterror to the workers of iniquity.

¹⁶A man who wanders from the way of understanding

Will ^arest in the assembly of the ¹dead.

¹⁷He who ^aloves pleasure will become a poor man;

He who loves wine and oil will not become rich.

¹⁸The wicked is a ^aransom for the righteous,

And the ^btreacherous is in the place of the upright.

^19aIt is better to live in a desert land

Than with a contentious and vexing woman.

²⁰There is precious ^atreasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise,

But a foolish man ^bswallows it up.

²¹He who ^apursues righteousness and loyalty

Finds life, righteousness and honor.

²²A ^awise man scales the city of the mighty

And brings down the ¹stronghold in which they trust.

²³He who ^aguards his mouth and his tongue,

Guards his soul from troubles.

²⁴“Proud,” “Haughty,” “^aScoffer,” are his names,

Who acts with ^binsolent pride.

²⁵The ^adesire of the sluggard puts him to death,

For his hands refuse to work;

²⁶All day long he ¹is craving,

While the righteous ^agives and does not hold back.

²⁷The ^asacrifice of the wicked is an abomination,

How much more when he brings it with evil intent!

²⁸A ^afalse witness will perish,

But the man who listens to the truth will speak forever.

²⁹A wicked man ^1adisplays a bold face,

But as for the ^bupright, he makes his way sure.

³⁰There is ^ano wisdom and no understanding

And no counsel against the Lord.

³¹The ^ahorse is prepared for the day of battle,

But ^bvictory belongs to the Lord.