Proverbs 11 (New American Standard Bible)

Proverbs 11

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

    ¹A ^(A)false balance is an abomination to the LORD,
         But a ^(B)just weight is His delight.
    ²When ^(C)pride comes, then comes dishonor,
         But with the humble is wisdom.
    ³The ^(D)integrity of the upright will guide them,
         But the ^(E)crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.
    ^4(F)Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
         But ^(G)righteousness delivers from death.
    ⁵The ^(H)righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way,
         But ^(I)the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.
    ⁶The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,
         But the treacherous will ^(J)be caught by their own greed.
    ⁷When a wicked man dies, his ^(K)expectation will perish,
         And the ^(L)hope of strong men perishes.
    ⁸The righteous is delivered from trouble,
         But the wicked takes his place.
    ⁹With his ^(M)mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor,
         But through knowledge the ^(N)righteous will be delivered.
    ¹⁰When it ^(O)goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
         And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.
    ¹¹By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
         But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
    ¹²He who despises his neighbor lacks sense,
         But a man of understanding keeps silent.
    ¹³He ^(P)who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets,
         But he who is trustworthy ^(Q)conceals a matter.
    ¹⁴Where there is no ^(R)guidance the people fall,
         But in abundance of counselors there is victory.
    ¹⁵He who is ^(S)guarantor for a stranger will surely suffer for it,
         But he who hates being a guarantor is secure.
    ¹⁶A ^(T)gracious woman attains honor,
         And ruthless men attain riches.
    ¹⁷The ^(U)merciful man does himself good,
         But the cruel man does himself harm.
    ¹⁸The wicked earns deceptive wages,
         But he who ^(V)sows righteousness gets a true reward.
    ¹⁹He who is steadfast in ^(W)righteousness will attain to life,
         And ^(X)he who pursues evil will bring about his own death.
    ²⁰The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD,
         But the ^(Y)blameless in their walk are His ^(Z)delight.
    ²¹Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished,
         But the descendants of the righteous will be delivered.
    ²²As a ^(AA)ring of gold in a swine's snout
         So is a beautiful woman who lacks ^[a]discretion.
    ²³The desire of the righteous is only good,
         But the ^(AB)expectation of the wicked is wrath.
    ²⁴There 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 want.
    ²⁵The ^(AC)generous man will be prosperous,
         And he who ^(AD)waters will himself be watered.
    ²⁶He who withholds grain, the ^(AE)people will curse him,
         But ^(AF)blessing will be on the head of him who ^(AG)sells it.
    ²⁷He who diligently seeks good seeks favor,
         But ^(AH)he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.
    ²⁸He who ^(AI)trusts in his riches will fall,
         But ^(AJ)the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.
    ²⁹He who ^(AK)troubles his own house will ^(AL)inherit wind,
         And ^(AM)the foolish will be servant to the wisehearted.
    ³⁰The fruit of the righteous is ^(AN)a tree of life,
         And ^(AO)he who is wise wins souls.
    ³¹If ^(AP)the righteous will be rewarded in the earth,
         How much more the wicked and the sinner!