Proverbs 10–16

Wise Sayings of Solomon

¹⁰The proverbs of Solomon.

A wise child makes a glad father,

but a foolish child is a mother’s grief.^*

²Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,

but righteousness delivers from death.

³The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,

but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.^*

⁴A slack hand causes poverty,

but the hand of the diligent makes rich.^*

⁵A child who gathers in summer is prudent,

but a child who sleeps in harvest brings shame.^*

⁶Blessings are on the head of the righteous,

but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.^*

⁷The memory of the righteous is a blessing,

but the name of the wicked will rot.^*

⁸The wise of heart will heed commandments,

but one with foolish lips will come to ruin.^*

⁹Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,

but whoever follows perverse ways will be found out.^*

¹⁰Whoever winks the eye causes trouble,

but one who rebukes boldly makes peace.^f*

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

but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.^*

¹²Hatred stirs up strife,

but love covers all offenses.^*

¹³On the lips of one who has understanding wisdom is found,

but a rod is for the back of one who lacks sense.^*

¹⁴The wise lay up knowledge,

but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.

¹⁵The wealth of the rich is their fortress;

the poverty of the poor is their ruin.^*

¹⁶The wage of the righteous leads to life,

the gain of the wicked to sin.

¹⁷Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,

but one who rejects a rebuke goes astray.

¹⁸Lying lips conceal hatred,

and whoever utters slander is a fool.

¹⁹When words are many, transgression is not lacking,

but the prudent are restrained in speech.^*

²⁰The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;

the mind of the wicked is of little worth.^*

²¹The lips of the righteous feed many,

but fools die for lack of sense.

²²The blessing of the Lord makes rich,

and toil adds nothing to it.^*

²³Doing wrong is like sport to a fool,

but wise conduct is pleasure to a person of understanding.^*

²⁴What the wicked dread will come upon them,

but the desire of the righteous will be granted.^*

²⁵When the tempest passes, the wicked are no more,

but the righteous are established forever.^*

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

so are the lazy to their employers.^*

²⁷The fear of the Lord prolongs life,

but the years of the wicked will be short.^*

²⁸The hope of the righteous ends in gladness,

but the expectation of the wicked comes to nothing.

²⁹The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the upright

but destruction for evildoers.^*

³⁰The righteous will never totter,

but the wicked will not remain on the earth.^*

³¹The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,

but the perverse tongue will be cut off.^*

³²The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,

but the mouth of the wicked what is perverse.

¹¹A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,

but an accurate weight is his delight.^*

²When pride comes, then comes disgrace,

but wisdom is with the humble.^*

³The integrity of the upright guides them,

but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.^*

⁴Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,

but righteousness delivers from death.^*

⁵The righteousness of the blameless keeps their ways straight,

but the wicked fall by their own wickedness.

⁶The righteousness of the upright saves them,

but the treacherous are taken captive by their schemes.^*

⁷When the wicked die, hope perishes,

and the expectation of strength comes to nothing.^*

⁸The righteous are delivered from trouble,

and the wicked come into it instead.^*

⁹With their mouths the godless would destroy their neighbors,

but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

¹⁰When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,

and when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.^*

¹¹By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,

but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.^*

¹²Whoever belittles another lacks sense,

but an intelligent person remains silent.^*

¹³A gossip goes about telling secrets,

but one who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a confidence.^*

¹⁴Where there is no guidance, a nation^g falls,

but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.^*

¹⁵To guarantee loans for a stranger brings trouble,

but there is safety in refusing to do so.

¹⁶A gracious woman gets honor,

but she who hates virtue is covered with shame.^h

The timid become destitute,ⁱ

but the aggressive gain riches.^*

¹⁷Those who are kind reward themselves,

but the cruel do themselves harm.

¹⁸The wicked earn no real gain,

but those who sow righteousness get a true reward.^*

¹⁹Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live,

but whoever pursues evil will die.

²⁰Crooked minds are an abomination to the Lord,

but those of blameless ways are his delight.^*

²¹Be assured, the wicked will not go unpunished,

but those who are righteous will escape.^*

²²Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout

is a beautiful woman without good sense.

²³The desire of the righteous ends only in good,

the expectation of the wicked in wrath.

²⁴Some give freely yet grow all the richer;

others withhold what is due and only suffer want.^*

²⁵A generous person will be enriched,

and one who gives water will get water.^*

²⁶The people curse those who hold back grain,

but a blessing is on the head of those who sell it.^*

²⁷Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,

but evil comes to the one who searches for it.^*

²⁸Those who trust in their riches will wither,^j

but the righteous will flourish like green leaves.^*

²⁹Those who trouble their households will inherit wind,

and the fool will be servant to the wise.

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

and the wise capture souls.^*

³¹If the righteous are repaid on earth,

how much more the wicked and the sinner!^*

¹²Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

but those who hate to be rebuked are stupid.^*

²The good obtain favor from the Lord,

but those who devise evil he condemns.^*

³No one finds security by wickedness,

but the root of the righteous will never be moved.^*

⁴A good wife is the crown of her husband,

but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.^*

⁵The thoughts of the righteous are just;

the advice of the wicked is treacherous.

⁶The words of the wicked are a deadly ambush,

but the speech of the upright delivers them.^*

⁷The wicked are overthrown and are no more,

but the house of the righteous will stand.^*

⁸One is commended for good sense,

but a perverse mind is despised.

⁹Better to be despised and have produce^k

than to be self-important and lack food.

¹⁰The righteous know the needs of their animals,

but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.^*

¹¹Those who till their land will have plenty of food,

but those who follow worthless pursuits have no sense.^*

¹²The wicked covet the proceeds of wickedness,^l

but the root of the righteous bears fruit.

¹³The evil are ensnared by the transgression of their lips,

but the righteous escape from trouble.^*

¹⁴From the fruit of the mouth one is filled with good things,

and manual labor has its reward.^*

¹⁵Fools think their own way is right,

but the wise listen to advice.^*

¹⁶Fools show their anger at once,

but the prudent ignore an insult.^*

¹⁷Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence,

but a false witness speaks deceitfully.^*

¹⁸Rash words are like sword thrusts,

but the tongue of the wise brings healing.^*

¹⁹Truthful lips endure forever,

but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.^*

²⁰Deceit is in the mind of those who plan evil,

but those who counsel peace have joy.^*

²¹No harm happens to the righteous,

but the wicked are filled with trouble.^*

²²Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,

but those who act faithfully are his delight.^*

²³One who is clever conceals knowledge,

but the mind of a fool^m broadcasts folly.^*

²⁴The hand of the diligent will rule,

while the lazy will be put to forced labor.

²⁵Anxiety weighs down the human heart,

but a good word cheers it up.^*

²⁶The righteous are released from misfortune,ⁿ

but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

²⁷The lazy do not roast^o their game,

but the diligent obtain precious wealth.^p

²⁸In the path of righteousness there is life;

in walking its path there is no death.^*

¹³A wise child loves discipline,^q

but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.^*

²From the fruit of their words good persons eat good things,

but the desire of the treacherous is for wrongdoing.

³Those who guard their mouths preserve their lives;

those who open wide their lips come to ruin.^*

⁴The appetite of the lazy craves and gets nothing,

while the appetite of the diligent is richly supplied.^*

⁵The righteous hate falsehood,

but the wicked act shamefully and disgracefully.

⁶Righteousness guards one whose way is upright,

but sin overthrows the wicked.^*

⁷Some pretend to be rich yet have nothing;

others pretend to be poor yet have great wealth.^*

⁸Wealth is a ransom for a person’s life,

but a poor person pays no attention to a rebuke.

⁹The light of the righteous rejoices,^r

but the lamp of the wicked goes out.^*

¹⁰By insolence the empty-headed person makes strife,

but wisdom is with those who take advice.^*

¹¹Wealth hastily gotten^s will dwindle,

but those who gather little by little will increase it.^*

¹²Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

¹³Those who despise a word bring destruction on themselves,

but those who respect a command will be rewarded.^*

¹⁴The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,

so that one may avoid the snares of death.^*

¹⁵Good sense wins favor,

but the way of the faithless is their ruin.^t*

¹⁶The clever do all things intelligently,

but the fool displays folly.^*

¹⁷A bad messenger brings trouble,

but a faithful envoy, healing.^*

¹⁸Poverty and disgrace are for the one who ignores instruction,

but one who heeds reproof is honored.^*

¹⁹A desire realized is sweet to the soul,

but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.

²⁰Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,

but the companion of fools suffers harm.^*

²¹Misfortune pursues…