Proverbs 11-12

New American Standard Bible

11 A ^(A)false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
But a ^(B)just weight is His delight.
² When ^(C)pride comes, then comes dishonor;
But with the humble there is wisdom.
³ The ^(D)integrity of the upright will guide them,
But the ^(E)perversity of the treacherous will destroy them.
^4 (F)Riches do not benefit on the day of wrath,
But ^(G)righteousness rescues from death.
⁵ The ^(H)righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way,
But ^(I)the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.
⁶ The righteousness of the upright will rescue them,
But the treacherous will ^(J)be caught by their own greed.
⁷ When a wicked person dies, his ^(K)expectation will perish,
And the ^(L)hope of strong people perishes.
⁸ The righteous is rescued from trouble,
But the wicked ^[a]takes his place.
⁹ With his ^(M)mouth the godless person destroys his neighbor,
But through knowledge the ^(N)righteous will be rescued.
¹⁰ When things ^(O)go well for the righteous, the city rejoices,
And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.
¹¹ By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
But by the mouth of the wicked, it is torn down.
¹² One who despises his neighbor lacks ^[b]sense,
But a person of understanding keeps silent.
¹³ One ^(P)who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets,
But one who is ^[c]trustworthy ^(Q)conceals a matter.
¹⁴ Where there is no ^(R)guidance the people fall,
But in an abundance of counselors there is ^[d]victory.
¹⁵ One who is a ^(S)guarantor for a stranger will certainly suffer for it,
But one who hates ^[e]being a guarantor is secure.
¹⁶ A ^(T)gracious woman attains honor,
And ruthless men attain riches.
¹⁷ A ^(U)merciful person does ^[f]himself good,
But the cruel person ^[g]does himself harm.
¹⁸ A wicked person earns deceptive wages,
But one who ^(V)sows righteousness gets a true reward.
¹⁹ One who is steadfast in ^(W)righteousness attains life,
But ^(X)one who pursues evil attains his own death.
²⁰ The perverse in heart are an abomination to the Lord,
But the ^(Y)blameless in their ^[h]walk are His ^(Z)delight.
^21 [i]Be assured, the evil person will not go unpunished,
But the ^[j]descendants of the righteous will be rescued.
²² As a ^(AA)ring of gold in a pig’s snout
So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.
²³ The desire of the righteous is only good,
But the ^(AB)expectation of the wicked is wrath.
²⁴ There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more,
And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in poverty.
²⁵ A ^[k](AC)generous person will be ^[l]prosperous,
And one who ^(AD)gives others plenty of water will himself be given plenty.
²⁶ One who withholds grain, the ^(AE)people will curse him,
But ^(AF)blessing will be on the head of him who ^(AG)sells it.
²⁷ One who diligently seeks good seeks favor,
But ^(AH)one who seeks evil, evil will come to him.
²⁸ One who ^(AI)trusts in his riches will fall,
But ^(AJ)the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.
²⁹ One who ^(AK)troubles his own house will ^(AL)inherit wind,
And ^(AM)the foolish will be servant to the wise-hearted.
³⁰ The fruit of the righteous is ^(AN)a tree of life,
And ^(AO)one who is wise ^[m]gains souls.
³¹ If ^(AP)the righteous will be repaid on the earth,
How much more the wicked and the sinner!

12 One who loves ^[n]discipline loves knowledge,
But one who hates rebuke is stupid.
² A ^(AQ)good person will obtain favor from the Lord,
But He will condemn a person ^[o]who devises evil.
³ A person will ^(AR)not be established by wickedness,
But the root of the ^(AS)righteous will not be moved.
⁴ An ^[p](AT)excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
But she who shames him is like ^(AU)rottenness in his bones.
⁵ The thoughts of the righteous are just,
But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
⁶ The ^(AV)words of the wicked wait in ambush for blood,
But the ^(AW)mouth of the upright will rescue them.
⁷ The ^(AX)wicked are overthrown and are no more,
But the ^(AY)house of the righteous will stand.
⁸ A person will be praised according to his insight,
But one of perverse ^[q]mind will be despised.
⁹ Better is one who is lightly esteemed and has a servant,
Than one who honors himself and lacks bread.
¹⁰ A ^(AZ)righteous person has regard for the life of his animal,
But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.
¹¹ One ^(BA)who works his land will have plenty of bread,
But one who pursues worthless things lacks ^[r]sense.
¹² The ^(BB)wicked person desires the ^[s]plunder of evil people,
But the root of the righteous ^(BC)yields fruit.
^13 [t]An evil person is ensnared by the offense of his lips,
But the ^(BD)righteous will escape from trouble.
¹⁴ A person will be ^(BE)satisfied with good by the fruit of his ^[u]words,
And the ^(BF)deeds of a person’s hands will return to him.
¹⁵ The ^(BG)way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But a person who listens to advice is wise.
¹⁶ A ^(BH)fool’s anger is known at once,
But a prudent person conceals dishonor.
¹⁷ One who declares truth tells what is right,
But a false witness, deceit.
¹⁸ There is one who ^(BI)speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,
But the ^(BJ)tongue of the wise brings healing.
¹⁹ Truthful lips will endure forever,
But a ^(BK)lying tongue is only for a moment.
²⁰ Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.
^21 (BL)No harm happens to the righteous,
But the wicked are filled with trouble.
^22 (BM)Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
But those who deal faithfully are His delight.
²³ A ^(BN)prudent person conceals knowledge,
But the heart of fools proclaims foolishness.
²⁴ The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the ^[v]lazy hand will be ^(BO)put to forced labor.
^25 (BP)Anxiety in a person’s heart weighs it down,
But a ^(BQ)good word makes it glad.
²⁶ The righteous person is a guide to his neighbor,
But the way of the wicked leads them astray.
^27 [w]A lazy person does not ^[x]roast his prey,
But the ^(BR)precious possession of a person is diligence.
^28 (BS)In the way of righteousness there is life,
And in its pathway there is no death.