Proverbs 18-19

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.

22He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD .

23The poor plead for mercy, but the rich answer harshly. 24One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

1Better the poor whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse.

2Desire without knowledge is not good— how much more will hasty feet miss the way!

3A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the LORD .

4Wealth attracts many friends, but even the closest friend of the poor person deserts them.

5A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will not go free.

6Many curry favor with a ruler, and everyone is the friend of one who gives gifts.

7The poor are shunned by all their relatives— how much more do their friends avoid them! Though the poor pursue them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found. The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.

8The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper.

9A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will perish.

10It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury— how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!

11A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.

12A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

13A foolish child is a father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof.

14Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD .

15Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless go hungry.

16Whoever keeps commandments keeps their life, but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die.

17Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.

18Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death.

19A hot-tempered person must pay the penalty; rescue them, and you will have to do it again.

20Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.

21Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD ’s purpose that prevails.

22What a person desires is unfailing love Or Greed is a person’s shame ; better to be poor than a liar.

23The fear of the LORD leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

24A sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth!

25Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence; rebuke the discerning, and they will gain knowledge.

26Whoever robs their father and drives out their mother is a child who brings shame and disgrace.

27Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

28A corrupt witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil. 29Penalties are prepared for mockers, and beatings for the backs of fools.