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Proverbs 16-18
Common English Bible
Proverbs 16-18
Common English Bible
16 To people belong the plans of the heart,
but the answer of the tongue comes from the Lord.
2 All the ways of people
are pure in their eyes,
but the Lord tests the motives.
3 Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will succeed.
4 The Lord made everything for a purpose,
even the wicked for an evil day.
5 The Lord detests all who are arrogant;
they surely won’t go unpunished.
6 Love and faithfulness reconcile guilt;
the fear of the Lord turns away evil.
7 When people draw favor from the Lord,
even their enemies are at peace with them.
8 Better a little with righteousness
than great profits without justice.
9 People plan their path,
but the Lord secures their steps.
10 A king’s speech is like an oracle;
in a judgment, one can’t go against his words.
11 Honest balances and scales are the Lord’s;
all the weights in the bag are his doing.
12 Kings detest wicked deeds,
for their thrones are founded on righteousness.
13 Kings favor those with righteous lips;
they love words of integrity.
14 The king’s anger is a messenger of death;
the wise will calm him.
15 There’s life in the light of the king’s face.
His favor is like a cloud that brings spring rain.
16 Acquiring wisdom is much better than gold,
and acquiring understanding is better than silver.
17 The road of those who do right turns away from evil;
those who protect their path guard their lives.
18 Pride comes before disaster,
and arrogance before a fall.
19 Better to be humble with the needy
than to divide plunder with the proud.
20 Those with insight find prosperity;
those who trust the Lord are blessed.
21 The skilled mind is called discerning,
and pleasant speech enhances teaching.
22 One who has insight is a fountain of life,
but the instruction of the foolish is folly.
23 The mind of the wise makes their speech insightful
and enhances the teaching of their lips.
24 Pleasant words are flowing honey,
sweet to the taste and healing to the bones.
25 There is a path that may seem straight to someone,
but in the end it is the path of death.
26 The appetite of workers labors for them,
for their hunger presses them on.
27 Worthless people dig up trouble;
their lips are like a scorching fire.
28 Destructive people produce conflict;
gossips alienate close friends.
29 Violent people entice their neighbors
and walk them down a path that isn’t good.
30 Those who wink their eye plot destruction;
those who purse their lips plan evil.
31 Gray hair is a crown of glory;
it is found on the path of righteousness.
32 Better to be patient than a warrior,
and better to have self-control than to capture a city.
33 The dice are cast into the lap;
all decisions are from the Lord.
17 Better a dry crust with quiet
than a house full of feasting with quarrels.
2 An insightful servant rules over a disgraceful son
and will divide an inheritance
with the brothers.
3 A crucible is for silver and a furnace for gold,
but the Lord tests the heart.
4 An evildoer pays attention to guilty lips;
a liar listens to a destructive tongue.
5 Those who mock the poor insult their maker;
those who rejoice in disaster won’t go unpunished.
6 Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly,
and the glory of children is their parents.
7 Too much talking isn’t right for a fool;
even less so false speech for an honorable person.
8 A bribe seems magical in the eyes of those who give it,
granting success to all who use it.
9 One who seeks love conceals an offense,
but one who repeats it divides friends.
10 A rebuke goes deeper to an understanding person
than a hundred lashes to a fool.
11 Evil people seek only rebellion;
a cruel messenger will be sent against them.
12 Safer to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than fools in their folly.
13 Evil will never depart from the house
of those who return evil for good.
14 The start of a quarrel is like letting out water,
so drop the dispute before it breaks out.
15 Judging the righteous wicked and the wicked righteous—
the Lord detests both of these.
16 Why should a fool have money
to pay for wisdom? He has no mind.
17 Friends love all the time,
and kinsfolk are born for times of trouble.
18 One with no sense shakes hands on a deal,
securing a loan for a friend.
19 Those who love an offense love a quarrel;
those who build a high doorway invite a collapse.
20 Those with crooked hearts won’t prosper,
and those with twisted tongues will fall into trouble.
21 Having a fool for a son brings grief;
there’s no joy for a scoundrel’s father.
22 A joyful heart helps healing,
but a broken spirit dries up the bones.
23 The wicked take secret bribes
to twist the way of justice.
24 Wisdom is right in front of those with understanding,
but the eyes of fools are off to the edges of the earth.
25 A foolish son is irritating to his father
and bitter to her who gave birth to him.
26 It isn’t good to punish the righteous,
to strike the honorable for their integrity.
27 Wise are those who restrain their talking;
people with understanding are coolheaded.
28 Fools who keep quiet are deemed wise;
those who shut their lips are smart.
18 Unfriendly people look out for themselves;
they bicker with sensible people.
2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing their opinion.
3 When the wicked arrive, so does contempt;
with shame comes insult.
4 The words of a person’s mouth are deep waters,
a bubbling stream, a fountain of wisdom.
5 Favoring the wicked isn’t good;
it denies justice to the righteous.
6 The lips of fools make accusations;
their mouths elicit beatings.
7 The mouth of fools is their ruin;
their lips are a trap for their lives.
8 The words of gossips are like choice snacks;
they go down to the inmost parts.
9 Those who are lazy in their work
are brothers to thugs.
10 The Lord’s name is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and find refuge.
11 The riches of the wealthy are a strong city
and like a high wall in their imagination.
12 Pride comes before a disaster,
but humility comes before respect.
13 Those who answer before they listen
are foolish and disgraceful.
14 The human spirit sustains a sick person,
but who can bear a broken spirit?
15 An understanding mind gains knowledge;
the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16 A gift opens the way
for access to important people.
17 The first person to testify seems innocent,
until the other comes and cross-examines him.
18 The dice settle conflicts
and keep strong opponents apart.
19 An offended ally is more formidable than a city;
such quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
20 The stomach is satisfied
by the fruit of the mouth;
one’s lips can earn a satisfying income.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue;
those who love it will eat its fruit.
22 He who finds a wife finds what is good,
gaining favor from the Lord.
23 The poor plead for help,
but the wealthy answer harshly.
24 There are persons for companionship,
but then there are friends who are more loyal than family.
Proverbs 16-18
New International Version
Proverbs 16-18
New International Version
16 To humans belong the plans of the heart,
but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.(A)
3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.(E)
6 Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
through the fear of the Lord(J) evil is avoided.(K)
7 When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way,
he causes their enemies to make peace(L) with them.(M)
9 In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.(P)
10 The lips of a king speak as an oracle,
and his mouth does not betray justice.(Q)
11 Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord;
all the weights in the bag are of his making.(R)
12 Kings detest wrongdoing,
for a throne is established through righteousness.(S)
13 Kings take pleasure in honest lips;
they value the one who speaks what is right.(T)
17 The highway of the upright avoids evil;
those who guard their ways preserve their lives.(AA)
19 Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed
than to share plunder with the proud.
20 Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,[a](AE)
and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.(AF)
22 Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent,(AH)
but folly brings punishment to fools.
26 The appetite of laborers works for them;
their hunger drives them on.
29 A violent person entices their neighbor
and leads them down a path that is not good.(AS)
30 Whoever winks(AT) with their eye is plotting perversity;
whoever purses their lips is bent on evil.
31 Gray hair is a crown of splendor;(AU)
it is attained in the way of righteousness.
32 Better a patient person than a warrior,
one with self-control than one who takes a city.
17 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
than a house full of feasting, with strife.(AY)
2 A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son
and will share the inheritance as one of the family.
4 A wicked person listens to deceitful lips;
a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.
5 Whoever mocks the poor(BB) shows contempt for their Maker;(BC)
whoever gloats over disaster(BD) will not go unpunished.(BE)
6 Children’s children(BF) are a crown to the aged,
and parents are the pride of their children.
7 Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool—
how much worse lying lips to a ruler!(BG)
8 A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it;
they think success will come at every turn.(BH)
9 Whoever would foster love covers over an offense,(BI)
but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.(BJ)
10 A rebuke impresses a discerning person
more than a hundred lashes a fool.
11 Evildoers foster rebellion against God;
the messenger of death will be sent against them.
12 Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than a fool bent on folly.(BK)
14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.(BN)
16 Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom,
when they are not able to understand it?(BQ)
17 A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for a time of adversity.(BR)
18 One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge
and puts up security for a neighbor.(BS)
19 Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin;
whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.
20 One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper;
one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.
21 To have a fool for a child brings grief;
there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.(BT)
24 A discerning person keeps wisdom in view,
but a fool’s eyes(BY) wander to the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish son brings grief to his father
and bitterness to the mother who bore him.(BZ)
26 If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good,(CA)
surely to flog honest officials is not right.
27 The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,(CB)
and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.(CC)
28 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
and discerning if they hold their tongues.(CD)
18 An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.
2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding
but delight in airing their own opinions.(CE)
3 When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
and with shame comes reproach.
4 The words of the mouth are deep waters,(CF)
but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.
6 The lips of fools bring them strife,
and their mouths invite a beating.(CI)
8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to the inmost parts.(CL)
9 One who is slack in his work
is brother to one who destroys.(CM)
11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;(CP)
they imagine it a wall too high to scale.
12 Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
but humility comes before honor.(CQ)
13 To answer before listening—
that is folly and shame.(CR)
14 The human spirit can endure in sickness,
but a crushed spirit who can bear?(CS)
15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,(CT)
for the ears of the wise seek it out.
16 A gift(CU) opens the way
and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.
17 In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,
until someone comes forward and cross-examines.
18 Casting the lot settles disputes(CV)
and keeps strong opponents apart.
19 A brother wronged(CW) is more unyielding than a fortified city;
disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.
20 From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.(CX)
23 The poor plead for mercy,
but the rich answer harshly.
24 One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.(DC)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 16:20 Or whoever speaks prudently finds what is good
- Proverbs 16:21 Or words make a person persuasive
- Proverbs 16:23 Or prudent / and make their lips persuasive
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.