Proverbs 18:7-23:7

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.

1Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

2A king’s wrath strikes terror like the roar of a lion; those who anger him forfeit their lives.

3It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.

4Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing.

5The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.

6Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find?

7The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them.

8When a king sits on his throne to judge, he winnows out all evil with his eyes.

9Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin”?

10Differing weights and differing measures— the LORD detests them both.

11Even small children are known by their actions, so is their conduct really pure and upright?

12Ears that hear and eyes that see— the LORD has made them both.

13Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.

14“It’s no good, it’s no good!” says the buyer— then goes off and boasts about the purchase.

15Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.

16Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger; hold it in pledge if it is done for an outsider.

17Food gained by fraud tastes sweet, but one ends up with a mouth full of gravel.

18Plans are established by seeking advice; so if you wage war, obtain guidance.

19A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much.

20If someone curses their father or mother, their lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.

21An inheritance claimed too soon will not be blessed at the end.

22Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the LORD, and he will avenge you.

23The LORD detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please him.

24A person’s steps are directed by the LORD . How then can anyone understand their own way?

25It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider one’s vows.

26A wise king winnows out the wicked; he drives the threshing wheel over them.

27The human spirit is Or A person’s words are the lamp of the LORD that sheds light on one’s inmost being.

28Love and faithfulness keep a king safe; through love his throne is made secure.

29The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old. 30Blows and wounds scrub away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being.

1In the LORD ’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.

2A person may think their own ways are right, but the LORD weighs the heart.

3To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

4Haughty eyes and a proud heart— the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin.

5The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.

6A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare. Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts vapor for those who seek death

7The violence of the wicked will drag them away, for they refuse to do what is right.

8The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

9Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

10The wicked crave evil; their neighbors get no mercy from them.

11When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom; by paying attention to the wise they get knowledge.

12The Righteous One Or The righteous person takes note of the house of the wicked and brings the wicked to ruin.

13Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.

14A gift given in secret soothes anger, and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.

15When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.

16Whoever strays from the path of prudence comes to rest in the company of the dead.

17Whoever loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.

18The wicked become a ransom for the righteous, and the unfaithful for the upright.

19Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.

20The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.

21Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity Or righteousness and honor.

22One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.

23Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.

24The proud and arrogant person—“Mocker” is his name— behaves with insolent fury.

25The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.

26All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing.

27The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable— how much more so when brought with evil intent!

28A false witness will perish, but a careful listener will testify successfully.

29The wicked put up a bold front, but the upright give thought to their ways.

30There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD . 31The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD .

1A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

2Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all.

3The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

4Humility is the fear of the LORD ; its wages are riches and honor and life.

5In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls, but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.

6Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

7The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.

8Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity, and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.

9The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.

10Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended.

11One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend.

12The eyes of the LORD keep watch over knowledge, but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.

13The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside! I’ll be killed in the public square!”

14The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit; a man who is under the LORD ’s wrath falls into it.

15Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.

16One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.

Thirty Sayings of the Wise Saying 1 17Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach,

18for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips.

19So that your trust may be in the LORD, I teach you today, even you.

20Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge,

21teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth, so that you bring back truthful reports to those you serve?

Saying 2 22Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court,

23for the LORD will take up their case and will exact life for life.

Saying 3 24Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered,

25or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared.

Saying 4 26Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts;

27if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you.

Saying 5 28Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your ancestors. Saying 6 29Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.

Saying 7 1When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what Or who is before you,

2and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.

3Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive.

Saying 8 4Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness.

5Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

Saying 9 6Do not eat the food of a begrudging host, do not crave his delicacies;

7for he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost. Or for as he thinks within himself, / so he is; or for as he puts on a feast, / so he is “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.