The House of the Righteous Shall Stand

12 Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge,
But he who hates correction is stupid.

A good man obtains favor from the Lord,
But a man of wicked intentions He will condemn.

A man is not established by wickedness,
But the (A)root of the righteous cannot be moved.

(B)An[a] excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
But she who causes shame is (C)like rottenness in his bones.

The thoughts of the righteous are right,
But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
(D)The words of the wicked are, “Lie in wait for blood,”
(E)But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.

(F)The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
But the house of the righteous will stand.

A man will be commended according to his wisdom,
(G)But he who is of a perverse heart will be despised.

(H)Better is the one who is [b]slighted but has a servant,
Than he who honors himself but lacks bread.

10 (I)A righteous man regards the life of his animal,
But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

11 (J)He who [c]tills his land will be satisfied with (K)bread,
But he who follows [d]frivolity (L)is devoid of [e]understanding.

12 The wicked covet the catch of evil men,
But the root of the righteous yields fruit.
13 (M)The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
(N)But the righteous will come through trouble.
14 (O)A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth,
(P)And the recompense of a man’s hands will be rendered to him.

15 (Q)The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But he who heeds counsel is wise.
16 (R)A fool’s wrath is known at once,
But a prudent man covers shame.

17 (S)He who speaks truth declares righteousness,
But a false witness, deceit.
18 (T)There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise promotes health.
19 The truthful lip shall be established forever,
(U)But a lying tongue is but for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.
21 (V)No grave [f]trouble will overtake the righteous,
But the wicked shall be filled with evil.
22 (W)Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
But those who deal truthfully are His delight.

23 (X)A prudent man conceals knowledge,
But the heart of fools proclaims foolishness.

24 (Y)The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the lazy man will be put to forced labor.

25 (Z)Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression,
But (AA)a good word makes it glad.

26 The righteous should choose his friends carefully,
For the way of the wicked leads them astray.

27 The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting,
But diligence is man’s precious possession.

28 In the way of righteousness is life,
And in its pathway there is no death.

Wisdom Loves Righteousness

13 A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,
(AB)But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

(AC)A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth,
But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.
(AD)He who guards his mouth preserves his life,
But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

(AE)The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

A righteous man hates lying,
But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame.
(AF)Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,
But wickedness overthrows the sinner.

(AG)There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing;
And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.

The ransom of a man’s life is his riches,
But the poor does not hear rebuke.

The light of the righteous rejoices,
(AH)But the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

10 By pride comes nothing but (AI)strife,
But with the well-advised is wisdom.

11 (AJ)Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase.

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But (AK)when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

13 He who (AL)despises the word will be destroyed,
But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.
14 (AM)The law of the wise is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from (AN)the snares of death.

15 Good understanding [g]gains (AO)favor,
But the way of the unfaithful is hard.
16 (AP)Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool lays open his folly.

17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
But (AQ)a faithful ambassador brings health.

18 Poverty and shame will come to him who [h]disdains correction,
But (AR)he who regards a rebuke will be honored.

19 A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.

20 He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will be destroyed.

21 (AS)Evil pursues sinners,
But to the righteous, good shall be repaid.

22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
But (AT)the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

23 (AU)Much food is in the [i]fallow ground of the poor,
And for lack of justice there is [j]waste.

24 (AV)He who spares his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him [k]promptly.

25 (AW)The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul,
But the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.

The Ways of Life and Death

14 The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.

He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
(AX)But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.

In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,
(AY)But the lips of the wise will preserve them.

Where no oxen are, the [l]trough is clean;
But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.

A (AZ)faithful witness does not lie,
But a false witness will utter (BA)lies.

A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it,
But (BB)knowledge is easy to him who understands.
Go from the presence of a foolish man,
When you do not perceive in him the lips of (BC)knowledge.
The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But the folly of fools is deceit.

(BD)Fools mock at [m]sin,
But among the upright there is favor.

10 The heart knows its own bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.

11 (BE)The house of the wicked will be overthrown,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.

12 (BF)There is a way that seems right to a man,
But (BG)its end is the way of (BH)death.

13 Even in laughter the heart may sorrow,
And (BI)the end of mirth may be grief.

14 The backslider in heart will be (BJ)filled with his own ways,
But a good man will be satisfied [n]from (BK)above.

15 The simple believes every word,
But the prudent considers well his steps.
16 (BL)A wise man fears and departs from evil,
But a fool rages and is self-confident.
17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
And a man of wicked intentions is hated.
18 The simple inherit folly,
But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19 The evil will bow before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

20 (BM)The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor,
But [o]the rich has many (BN)friends.
21 He who despises his neighbor sins;
(BO)But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.

22 Do they not go astray who devise evil?
But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.

23 In all labor there is profit,
But [p]idle chatter leads only to poverty.

24 The crown of the wise is their riches,
But the foolishness of fools is folly.

25 A true witness [q]delivers (BP)souls,
But a deceitful witness speaks lies.

26 In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge.
27 (BQ)The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.

28 In a multitude of people is a king’s honor,
But in the lack of people is the downfall of a prince.

29 (BR)He who is slow to wrath has great understanding,
But he who is [r]impulsive exalts folly.

30 A sound heart is life to the body,
But (BS)envy is (BT)rottenness to the bones.

31 (BU)He who oppresses the poor reproaches (BV)his Maker,
But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.

32 The wicked is banished in his wickedness,
But (BW)the righteous has a refuge in his death.

33 Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding,
But (BX)what is in the heart of fools is made known.

34 Righteousness exalts a (BY)nation,
But sin is a [s]reproach to any people.

35 (BZ)The king’s favor is toward a wise servant,
But his wrath is against him who causes shame.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:4 Lit. A wife of valor
  2. Proverbs 12:9 lightly esteemed
  3. Proverbs 12:11 works or cultivates
  4. Proverbs 12:11 Lit. vain things
  5. Proverbs 12:11 Lit. heart
  6. Proverbs 12:21 harm
  7. Proverbs 13:15 gives
  8. Proverbs 13:18 Lit. ignores
  9. Proverbs 13:23 uncultivated
  10. Proverbs 13:23 Lit. what is swept away
  11. Proverbs 13:24 early
  12. Proverbs 14:4 manger or feed trough
  13. Proverbs 14:9 Lit. guilt
  14. Proverbs 14:14 Lit. from above himself
  15. Proverbs 14:20 Lit. many are the lovers of the rich
  16. Proverbs 14:23 Lit. talk of the lips
  17. Proverbs 14:25 saves lives
  18. Proverbs 14:29 Lit. short of spirit
  19. Proverbs 14:34 shame or disgrace

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