Proverbs 21:1-3
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 21
The Lord Weighs the Heart[a]
1 A king’s heart is like a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
he directs it wherever he pleases.
2 A man’s ways may seem right to him,
but the Lord weighs the heart.
3 To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.[b]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:1 There is nothing unexpected in these reflections that oppose the lot of the righteous and that of the wicked, or in these comparative illustrations of wisdom and folly. The traditional teaching then in vogue about the earthly recompense of the righteous and the conviction that the wicked hasten to their ruin even on earth remain in full force. We will read two apt words about the quarrelsome woman, but this is not the first time this caricature appears in the Book. Verse 18 seems to stem from a pessimistic realism: wickedness will forever play its part in the universe! But we will meditate above all on the affirmation that the entire destiny of human beings is found in the hands of God (vv. 2, 30-31).
- Proverbs 21:3 More acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice: internal goodness is more acceptable to the Lord than external sacrifice (see v. 27; 15:8; 1 Sam 15:22; Isa 1:11-15; Am 5:22; Hos 6:6; Mic 6:7-8; Mal 1:12).
Proverbs 21:1-3
New International Version
21 In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water
that he channels toward all who please him.(A)
2 A person may think their own ways are right,
but the Lord weighs the heart.(B)
3 To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.(C)
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