Proverbs 18

18A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire;

He rages against all ¹wise judgment.

²A fool has no delight in understanding,

But in expressing his ^aown heart.

³When the wicked comes, contempt comes also;

And with dishonor comes reproach.

^4bThe words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;

^cThe wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook.

⁵It is not good to show partiality to the wicked,

Or to overthrow the righteous in ^djudgment.

⁶A fool’s lips enter into contention,

And his mouth calls for blows.

^7eA fool’s mouth is his destruction,

And his lips are the snare of his ^fsoul.

^8gThe words of a ²talebearer are like ³tasty trifles,

And they go down into the ⁴inmost body.

⁹He who is slothful in his work

Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.

¹⁰The name of the Lord is a strong ^htower;

The righteous run to it and are ⁵safe.

¹¹The rich man’s wealth is his strong city,

And like a high wall in his own esteem.

¹²ⁱBefore destruction the heart of a man is haughty,

And before honor is humility.

¹³He who answers a matter before he hears it,

It is folly and shame to him.

¹⁴The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness,

But who can bear a broken spirit?

¹⁵The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge,

And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

^16jA man’s gift makes room for him,

And brings him before great men.

¹⁷The first one to plead his cause seems right,

Until his neighbor comes and examines him.

¹⁸Casting ^klots causes contentions to cease,

And keeps the mighty apart.

¹⁹A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city,

And contentions are like the bars of a castle.

^20lA man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth;

From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.

^21mDeath and life are in the power of the tongue,

And those who love it will eat its fruit.

²²ⁿHe who finds a wife finds a good thing,

And obtains favor from the Lord.

²³The poor man uses entreaties,

But the rich answers ^oroughly.

²⁴A man who has friends ⁶must himself be friendly,

^pBut there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.