Proverbs 10–16

Wise Sayings of Solomon

10The proverbs of ^aSolomon:

^bA wise son makes a glad father,

But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.

^2cTreasures of wickedness profit nothing,

^dBut righteousness delivers from death.

^3eThe Lord will not allow the righteous soul to famish,

But He casts away the desire of the wicked.

^4fHe who has a slack hand becomes poor,

But ^gthe hand of the diligent makes rich.

⁵He who gathers in ^hsummer is a wise son;

He who sleeps in harvest is ⁱa son who causes shame.

⁶Blessings are on the head of the righteous,

But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

^7jThe memory of the righteous is blessed,

But the name of the wicked will rot.

⁸The wise in heart will receive commands,

^kBut ¹a prating fool will ²fall.

^9lHe who walks with integrity walks securely,

But he who perverts his ways will become known.

¹⁰He who winks with the eye causes trouble,

But a prating fool will fall.

¹¹The mouth of the righteous is a well of life,

But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

¹²Hatred stirs up strife,

But ^mlove covers all sins.

¹³Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding,

But ⁿa rod is for the back of him who ³is devoid of understanding.

¹⁴Wise people store up knowledge,

But ^othe mouth of the foolish is near destruction.

¹⁵The ^prich man’s wealth is his strong city;

The destruction of the poor is their poverty.

¹⁶The labor of the righteous leads to ^qlife,

The wages of the wicked to sin.

¹⁷He who keeps instruction is in the way of life,

But he who refuses correction ⁴goes astray.

¹⁸Whoever ^rhides hatred has lying lips,

And ^swhoever spreads slander is a fool.

^19tIn the multitude of words sin is not lacking,

But ^uhe who restrains his lips is wise.

²⁰The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;

The heart of the wicked is worth little.

²¹The lips of the righteous feed many,

But fools die for lack of ⁵wisdom.

^22vThe blessing of the Lord makes one rich,

And He adds no sorrow with it.

^23wTo do evil is like sport to a fool,

But a man of understanding has wisdom.

^24xThe fear of the wicked will come upon him,

And ^ythe desire of the righteous will be granted.

²⁵When the whirlwind passes by, ^zthe wicked is no more,

But ^athe righteous has an everlasting foundation.

²⁶As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,

So is the lazy man to those who send him.

^27bThe fear of the Lord prolongs days,

But ^cthe years of the wicked will be shortened.

²⁸The hope of the righteous will be gladness,

But the ^dexpectation of the wicked will perish.

²⁹The way of the Lord is strength for the upright,

But ^edestruction will come to the workers of iniquity.

^30fThe righteous will never be removed,

But the wicked will not inhabit the ⁶earth.

^31gThe mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,

But the perverse tongue will be cut out.

³²The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,

But the mouth of the wicked what is perverse.

11Dishonest ^a1scales are an abomination to the Lord,

But a ²just weight is His delight.

²When pride comes, then comes ^bshame;

But with the humble is wisdom.

³The integrity of the upright will guide ^cthem,

But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.

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

But ^erighteousness delivers from death.

⁵The righteousness of the blameless will ³direct his way aright,

But the wicked will fall by his own ^fwickedness.

⁶The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,

But the unfaithful will be caught by their lust.

⁷When a wicked man dies, his expectation will ^gperish,

And the hope of the unjust perishes.

^8hThe righteous is delivered from trouble,

And it comes to the wicked instead.

⁹The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor,

But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.

¹⁰ⁱWhen it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices;

And when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.

¹¹By the blessing of the upright the city is ^jexalted,

But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

¹²He who ⁴is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor,

But a man of understanding holds his peace.

^13kA talebearer reveals secrets,

But he who is of a faithful spirit ^lconceals a matter.

^14mWhere there is no counsel, the people fall;

But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

¹⁵He who is ⁿsurety ⁵for a stranger will suffer,

But one who hates ⁶being surety is secure.

¹⁶A gracious woman retains honor,

But ruthless men retain riches.

^17oThe merciful man does good for his own soul,

But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.

¹⁸The wicked man does deceptive work,

But ^phe who sows righteousness will have a sure reward.

¹⁹As righteousness leads to ^qlife,

So he who pursues evil pursues it to his own ^rdeath.

²⁰Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the Lord,

But the blameless in their ways are His delight.

^21sThough they join ⁷forces, the wicked will not go unpunished;

But ^tthe posterity of the righteous will be delivered.

²²As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout,

So is a lovely woman who lacks ⁸discretion.

²³The desire of the righteous is only good,

But the expectation of the wicked ^uis wrath.

²⁴There is one who ^vscatters, yet increases more;

And there is one who withholds more than is right,

But it leads to poverty.

^25wThe generous soul will be made rich,

^xAnd he who waters will also be watered himself.

²⁶The people will curse ^yhim who withholds grain,

But ^zblessing will be on the head of him who sells it.

²⁷He who earnestly seeks good ⁹finds favor,

^aBut trouble will come to him who seeks evil.

^28bHe who trusts in his riches will fall,

But ^cthe righteous will flourish like foliage.

²⁹He who troubles his own house ^dwill inherit the wind,

And the fool will be ^eservant to the wise of heart.

³⁰The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

And ^fhe who ¹wins souls is wise.

^31gIf the righteous will be ²recompensed on the earth,

How much more the ungodly and the sinner.

12Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge,

But he who hates correction is stupid.

²A good man obtains favor from the Lord,

But a man of wicked intentions He will condemn.

³A man is not established by wickedness,

But the ^aroot of the righteous cannot be moved.

^4bAn ¹excellent wife is the crown of her husband,

But she who causes shame is ^clike rottenness in his bones.

⁵The thoughts of the righteous are right,

But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.

^6dThe words of the wicked are, “Lie in wait for blood,”

^eBut the mouth of the upright will deliver them.

^7fThe wicked are overthrown and are no more,

But the house of the righteous will stand.

⁸A man will be commended according to his wisdom,

^gBut he who is of a perverse heart will be despised.

^9hBetter is the one who is ²slighted but has a servant,

Than he who honors himself but lacks bread.

¹⁰ⁱA righteous man regards the life of his animal,

But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

^11jHe who ³tills his land will be satisfied with ^kbread,

But he who follows ⁴frivolity ^lis devoid of ⁵understanding.

¹²The wicked covet the catch of evil men,

But the root of the righteous yields fruit.

^13mThe wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,

ⁿBut the righteous will come through trouble.

^14oA man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth,

^pAnd the recompense of a man’s hands will be rendered to him.

^15qThe way of a fool is right in his own eyes,

But he who heeds counsel is wise.

^16rA fool’s wrath is known at once,

But a prudent man covers shame.

^17sHe who speaks truth declares righteousness,

But a false witness, deceit.

^18tThere is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword,

But the tongue of the wise promotes health.

¹⁹The truthful lip shall be established forever,

^uBut a lying tongue is but for a moment.

²⁰Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,

But counselors of peace have joy.

^21vNo grave ⁶trouble will overtake the righteous,

But the wicked shall be filled with evil.

^22wLying lips are an abomination to the Lord,

But those who deal truthfully are His delight.

^23xA prudent man conceals knowledge,

But the heart of fools proclaims foolishness.

^24yThe hand of the diligent will rule,

But the lazy man will be put to forced labor.

^25zAnxiety in the heart of man causes depression,

But ^aa good word makes it glad.

²⁶The righteous should choose his friends carefully,

For the way of the wicked leads them astray.

²⁷The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting,

But diligence is man’s precious possession.

²⁸In the way of righteousness is life,

And in its pathway there is no death.

13A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,

^aBut a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

^2bA man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth,

But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.

^3cHe who guards his mouth preserves his life,

But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

^4dThe soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;

But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

⁵A righteous man hates lying,

But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame.

^6eRighteousness guards him whose way is blameless,

But wickedness overthrows the sinner.

^7fThere is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing;

And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.

⁸The ransom of a man’s life is his riches,

But the poor does not hear rebuke.

⁹The light of the righteous rejoices,

^gBut the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

¹⁰By pride comes nothing but ^hstrife,

But with the well-advised is wisdom.

¹¹ⁱWealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,

But he who gathers by labor will increase.

¹²Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

But ^jwhen the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

¹³He who ^kdespises the word will be destroyed,

But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.

^14lThe law of the wise is a fountain of life,

To turn one away from ^mthe snares of death.

¹⁵Good understanding ¹gains ⁿfavor,

But the way of the unfaithful is hard.

^16oEvery prudent man acts with knowledge,

But a fool lays open his folly.

¹⁷A wicked messenger falls into trouble,

But ^pa faithful ambassador brings health.

¹⁸Poverty and shame will come to him who ²disdains correction,

But ^qhe who regards a rebuke will be honored.

¹⁹A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul,

But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.

²⁰He who walks with wise men will be wise,

But the companion of fools will be…