Proverbs 16:16–24

16 How much better to get wisdom than gold!

To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

17 The highway of the upright turns aside from evil;

whoever guards his way preserves his life.

18 Pride goes before destruction,

and a haughty spirit before a fall.

19 It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor

than to divide the spoil with the proud.

20 Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,

and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.

21 The wise of heart is called discerning,

and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.

22 Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it,

but the instruction of fools is folly.

23 The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious

and adds persuasiveness to his lips.

24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb,

sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold!

And to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!

17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil:

He that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.

18 Pride goeth before destruction,

And an haughty spirit before a fall.

19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly,

Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

20 He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good:

And whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.

21 The wise in heart shall be called prudent:

And the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.

22 Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it:

But the instruction of fools is folly.

23 The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth,

And addeth learning to his lips.

24 Pleasant words are as an honeycomb,

Sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

16 How much better to get wisdom than gold,

and good judgment than silver!

17 The path of the virtuous leads away from evil;

whoever follows that path is safe.

18 Pride goes before destruction,

and haughtiness before a fall.

19 Better to live humbly with the poor

than to share plunder with the proud.

20 Those who listen to instruction will prosper;

those who trust the Lord will be joyful.

21 The wise are known for their understanding,

and pleasant words are persuasive.

22 Discretion is a life-giving fountain to those who possess it,

but discipline is wasted on fools.

23 From a wise mind comes wise speech;

the words of the wise are persuasive.

24 Kind words are like honey—

sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

16 How much better to get wisdom than gold!

And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;

He who keeps his way preserves his soul.

18 Pride goes before destruction,

And a haughty spirit before a fall.

19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,

Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good,

And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.

21 The wise in heart will be called prudent,

And sweetness of the lips increases learning.

22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it.

But the correction of fools is folly.

23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth,

And adds learning to his lips.

24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,

Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

16 It is better to get wisdom than gold,

and to choose understanding rather than silver!

17 Good people stay away from evil.

By watching what they do, they protect their lives.

18 Pride leads to destruction;

a proud attitude brings ruin.

19 It is better to be humble and be with those who suffer

than to share stolen property with the proud.

20 Whoever listens to what is taught will succeed,

and whoever trusts the Lord will be happy.

21 The wise are known for their understanding.

Their pleasant words make them better teachers.

22 Understanding is like a fountain which gives life to those who use it,

but foolishness brings punishment to fools.

23 Wise people’s minds tell them what to say,

and that helps them be better teachers.

24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,

making people happy and healthy.

16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold!

Yea, to get understanding is rather to be chosen than silver.

17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil:

He that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.

18 Pride goeth before destruction,

And a haughty spirit before a fall.

19 Better it is to be of a lowly spirit with the poor,

Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

20 He that giveth heed unto the word shall find good;

And whoso trusteth in Jehovah, happy is he.

21 The wise in heart shall be called prudent;

And the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.

22 Understanding is a well-spring of life unto him that hath it;

But the correction of fools is their folly.

23 The heart of the wise instructeth his mouth,

And addeth learning to his lips.

24 Pleasant words are as a honeycomb,

Sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

16 How much better is it to get wisdom than fine gold, and the getting of intelligence to be preferred to silver!

17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that taketh heed to his way keepeth his soul.

18 Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

19 Better is it to be of a humble spirit with the meek, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

20 He that giveth heed to the word shall find good; and whoso confideth in Jehovah, happy is he.

21 The wise in heart is called intelligent, and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.

22 Wisdom is a fountain of life for him that hath it; but the instruction of fools is folly.

23 The heart of the wise maketh his mouth intelligent, and upon his lips increaseth learning.

24 Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health for the bones.

16 How much better it is to gain wisdom than gold, 

and the gaining of understanding should be chosen over silver. 

17 The highway of decent people turns away from evil. 

Whoever watches his way preserves his own life. 

18 Pride precedes a disaster, 

and an arrogant attitude precedes a fall. 

19 Better to be humble with lowly people 

than to share stolen goods with arrogant people. 

20 Whoever gives attention to the Lord’s word prospers, 

and blessed is the person who trusts the Lord. 

21 The person who is truly wise is called understanding, 

and speaking sweetly helps others learn. 

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

but stubborn fools punish themselves with their stupidity. 

23 A wise person’s heart controls his speech, 

and what he says helps others learn. 

24 Pleasant words are ⸤like⸥ honey from a honeycomb— 

sweet to the spirit and healthy for the body. 

16 Get wisdom—

how much better it is than gold!

And get understanding—

it is preferable to silver.

17 The highway of the upright avoids evil;

the one who guards his way protects his life.

18 Pride comes before destruction,

and an arrogant spirit before a fall.

19 Better to be lowly of spirit with the humble

than to divide plunder with the proud.

20 The one who understands a matter finds success,

and the one who trusts in the Lord will be happy.

21 Anyone with a wise heart is called discerning,

and pleasant speech increases learning.

22 Insight is a fountain of life for its possessor,

but the discipline of fools is folly.

23 A wise heart instructs its mouth

and increases learning with its speech.

24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb:

sweet to the taste and health to the body.

16 How much better to get wisdom than gold!

To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

17 The highway of the upright avoids evil;

those who guard their way preserve their lives.

18 Pride goes before destruction

and a haughty spirit before a fall.

19 It is better to be of a lowly spirit among the poor

than to divide the spoil with the proud.

20 Those who are attentive to a matter will prosper,

and happy are those who trust in the Lord.

21 The wise of heart is called perceptive,

and pleasant speech increases persuasiveness.

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

but folly is the punishment of fools.

23 The mind of the wise makes their speech judicious

and adds persuasiveness to their lips.

24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,

sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

16 Getting wisdom: how much better than gold!

And getting understanding: it is chosen over silver.

17 The highway of the upright, it turns from evil,

he who guards himself keeps his way.

18 Before destruction comes pride,

and before a fall, a haughty spirit.

19 Better a lowly spirit with the poor

than dividing the spoil with the proud.

20 He who is attentive to a matter will find goodness,

and he who trusts in Yahweh, his own happiness.

21 The wise of heart is called perceptive,

but he who is pleasant of lips will increase persuasiveness.

22 A fountain of life is wisdom for its owner,

but the instruction of fools is folly.

23 The heart of the wise will make his mouth judicious,

and upon his lips, it will add persuasiveness.

24 Pleasant sayings are a honeycomb,

sweetness to the soul and healing to the bones.

16 It is much better to get wisdom than gold.

It is much better to choose understanding than silver.

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

Those who guard their ways guard their lives.

18 If you are proud, you will be destroyed.

If you are proud, you will fall.

19 Suppose 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.

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

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

21 Wise hearts are known for understanding what is right.

Pleasant words make people want to learn more.

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

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

23 The hearts of wise people guide their mouths.

Their words make people want to learn more.

24 Pleasant words are like honey.

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

16 How much better it is to get wisdom than gold!

And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.

17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;

He who watches his way preserves his life.

18 Pride goes before destruction,

And a haughty spirit before stumbling.

19 It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly

Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

20 He who gives attention to the word will find good,

And blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.

21 The wise in heart will be called understanding,

And sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.

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

But the discipline of fools is folly.

23 The heart of the wise instructs his mouth

And adds persuasiveness to his lips.

24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb,

Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.