Proverbs 16

16People make plans in their hearts.

But the Lord controls what they say.

²Everything a man does might seem right to him.

But the Lord knows what that man is thinking.

³Commit to the Lord everything you do.

Then your plans will succeed.

⁴The Lord works everything out for his own purposes.

Even those who do wrong were made for a day of trouble.

⁵The Lord hates all those who have proud hearts.

You can be sure that they will be punished.

⁶Through love and truth sin is paid for.

People avoid evil when they have respect for the Lord.

⁷When the way you live pleases the Lord,

he makes even your enemies live at peace with you.

⁸It is better to have a little and do right

than to have a lot and be unfair.

⁹In your heart you plan your life.

But the Lord decides where your steps will take you.

¹⁰A king might speak as if his words come from God.

But what he says should not turn right into wrong.

¹¹Honest scales and balances come from the Lord.

He made all of the weights in the bag.

¹²A king hates it when his people do what is wrong.

A ruler is made secure when they do what is right.

¹³Kings are pleased when what you say is honest.

They value people who speak the truth.

¹⁴An angry king can order your death.

But a wise man will try to calm him down.

¹⁵When a king’s face is happy, it means life.

His favor is like rain in the spring.

¹⁶It is much better to get wisdom than gold.

It is much better to choose understanding than silver.

¹⁷The path of honest people takes them away from evil.

Those who guard their ways guard their lives.

¹⁸If you are proud, you will be destroyed.

If you are proud, you will fall.

¹⁹Suppose you are lowly in spirit and are with those who are beaten down.

That’s better than sharing stolen goods with those who are proud.

²⁰If anyone pays attention to what he is taught, he will succeed.

Blessed is the person who puts his trust in the Lord.

²¹Wise hearts are known for understanding what is right.

Pleasant words make people want to learn more.

²²Understanding is like a fountain of life to those who have it.

But foolish people are punished for the foolish things they do.

²³The hearts of wise people guide their mouths.

Their words make people want to learn more.

²⁴Pleasant words are like honey.

They are sweet to the spirit and bring healing to the body.

²⁵There is a way that may seem right to a man.

But in the end it leads to death.

²⁶The hunger of a worker makes him work.

His hunger drives him on.

²⁷A worthless man plans to do evil things.

His words are like a burning fire.

²⁸A twisted person stirs up fights.

Anyone who talks about others comes between close friends.

²⁹A man who wants to hurt others tries to get them to sin.

He leads them down a path that isn’t good.

³⁰When he winks with his eyes, he is planning to do wrong.

When his lips are tightly closed, he is up to no good.

³¹Gray hair is a glorious crown.

You get it by living the right way.

³²It is better to be patient than to fight.

It is better to control your temper than to take a city.

³³Lots are cast into the lap to make decisions.

But everything they decide comes from the Lord.