Proverbs 16

16The ^apreparations ¹of the heart belong to man,

^bBut the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

²All the ways of a man are pure in his own ^ceyes,

But the Lord weighs the spirits.

^3dCommit ²your works to the Lord,

And your thoughts will be established.

⁴The ^eLord has made all for Himself,

^fYes, even the wicked for the day of ³doom.

^5gEveryone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;

Though they join ⁴forces, none will go unpunished.

^6hIn mercy and truth

Atonement is provided for iniquity;

And ⁱby the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.

⁷When a man’s ways please the Lord,

He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

^8jBetter is a little with righteousness,

Than vast revenues without justice.

^9kA man’s heart plans his way,

^lBut the Lord directs his steps.

¹⁰Divination is on the lips of the king;

His mouth must not transgress in judgment.

^11mHonest weights and scales are the Lord’s;

All the weights in the bag are His ⁵work.

¹²It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness,

For ⁿa throne is established by righteousness.

^13oRighteous lips are the delight of kings,

And they love him who speaks what is right.

¹⁴As messengers of death is the king’s wrath,

But a wise man will ^pappease it.

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

And his favor is like a ^qcloud of the latter rain.

^16rHow much better to get wisdom than gold!

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

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

He who keeps his way preserves his soul.

¹⁸Pride goes before destruction,

And a haughty spirit before ⁶a fall.

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

Than to divide the ⁷spoil with the proud.

²⁰He who heeds the word wisely will find good,

And whoever ^strusts in the Lord, happy is he.

²¹The wise in heart will be called prudent,

And sweetness of the lips increases learning.

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

But the correction of fools is folly.

²³The heart of the wise teaches his mouth,

And adds learning to his lips.

²⁴Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,

Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

²⁵There is a way that seems right to a man,

But its end is the way of ^tdeath.

²⁶The person who labors, labors for himself,

For his hungry mouth drives ^uhim on.

²⁷⁸An ungodly man digs up evil,

And it is on his lips like a burning ^vfire.

²⁸A perverse man sows strife,

And ^wa whisperer separates the best of friends.

²⁹A violent man entices his neighbor,

And leads him in a way that is not good.

³⁰He winks his eye to devise perverse things;

He ⁹purses his lips and brings about evil.

^31xThe silver-haired head is a crown of glory,

If it is found in the way of righteousness.

^32yHe who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,

And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

³³The lot is cast into the lap,

But its every decision is from the Lord.