Proverbs 16:24-18:21

24Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

25There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.

26The appetite of laborers works for them; their hunger drives them on.

27A scoundrel plots evil, and on their lips it is like a scorching fire.

28A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.

29A violent person entices their neighbor and leads them down a path that is not good.

30Whoever winks with their eye is plotting perversity; whoever purses their lips is bent on evil.

31Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.

32Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city. 33The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD .

1Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.

2A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son and will share the inheritance as one of the family.

3The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart.

4A wicked person listens to deceitful lips; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

5Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.

6Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.

7Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool— how much worse lying lips to a ruler!

8A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; they think success will come at every turn.

9Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

10A rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool.

11Evildoers foster rebellion against God; the messenger of death will be sent against them.

12Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly.

13Evil will never leave the house of one who pays back evil for good.

14Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

15Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent— the LORD detests them both.

16Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom, when they are not able to understand it?

17A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

18One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge and puts up security for a neighbor.

19Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin; whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.

20One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.

21To have a fool for a child brings grief; there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.

22A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

23The wicked accept bribes in secret to pervert the course of justice.

24A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.

25A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the mother who bore him.

26If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good, surely to flog honest officials is not right.

27The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. 28Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.

1An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.

2Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.

3When wickedness comes, so does contempt, and with shame comes reproach.

4The words of the mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.

5It is not good to be partial to the wicked and so deprive the innocent of justice.

6The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating.

7The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives.

8The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.

9One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.

10The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

11The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it a wall too high to scale.

12Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.

13To answer before listening— that is folly and shame.

14The human spirit can endure in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?

15The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.

16A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.

17In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.

18Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart.

19A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city; disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.

20From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.

21The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.