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You Can't Hide behind Evil

12 (A) To accept correction is wise,
    to reject it is stupid.
The Lord likes everyone
    who lives right,
but he punishes everyone
    who makes evil plans.
Sin cannot offer security!
    But if you live right,
you will be as secure
    as a tree with deep roots.
A helpful wife is a jewel
    for her husband,
but a shameless wife
    will make his bones rot.

Good people have kind thoughts,
but you should never trust
    the advice of someone evil.
Bad advice is a deadly trap,
but good advice
    is like a shield.
Once the wicked are defeated,
    they are gone forever,
but no one who obeys God
    will ever be thrown down.
Good sense is worthy of praise,
    but stupidity is a curse.
It's better to be ordinary
    and have only one servant[a]
than to think you are somebody
    and starve to death.
10 Good people are kind
to their animals,
    but a mean person is cruel.

11 Hard working farmers have more
    than enough food;
daydreamers are nothing more
    than stupid fools.
12 An evil person tries to hide
    behind evil;[b]
good people are like trees
    with deep roots.
13 We trap ourselves
    by telling lies,
but we stay out of trouble
    by living right.
14 We are rewarded or punished
    for what we say and do.
15 Fools think they know
    what is best,
but a sensible person
    listens to advice.

16 Losing your temper is foolish;
    ignoring an insult is smart.
17 An honest person
    tells the truth in court,
but a dishonest person
    tells nothing but lies.
18 Sharp words cut like a sword,
    but words of wisdom heal.
19 Truth will last forever;
    lies are soon found out.
20 An evil mind is deceitful,
but gentle thoughts
    bring happiness.
21 Good people never have trouble,
but troublemakers
    have more than enough.
22 The Lord hates every liar,
but he is the friend of all
    who can be trusted.
23 Be sensible and don't tell
    everything you know—
only fools spread
    foolishness everywhere.

24 Work hard, and you
    will be a leader;
be lazy, and you
    will end up a slave.
25 Worry is a heavy burden,
but a kind word
    always brings cheer.
26 You are better off to do right,
than to lose your way
    by doing wrong.[c]
27 Anyone too lazy to cook
    will starve,
but a hard worker
    is a valuable treasure.[d]
28 Living right is a pathway
that leads to life
    and away from death.

Footnotes

  1. 12.9 It's … servant: Or “It is better just to have an ordinary job.”
  2. 12.12 An evil … evil: Or “Evil people love what they get from being evil.”
  3. 12.26 wrong: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 26.
  4. 12.27 but … treasure: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

12 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
    but whoever hates correction is stupid.(A)

Good people obtain favor from the Lord,(B)
    but he condemns those who devise wicked schemes.(C)

No one can be established through wickedness,
    but the righteous cannot be uprooted.(D)

A wife of noble character(E) is her husband’s crown,
    but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.(F)

The plans of the righteous are just,
    but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.

The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
    but the speech of the upright rescues them.(G)

The wicked are overthrown and are no more,(H)
    but the house of the righteous stands firm.(I)

A person is praised according to their prudence,
    and one with a warped(J) mind is despised.

Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant
    than pretend to be somebody and have no food.

10 The righteous care for the needs of their animals,(K)
    but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

11 Those who work their land will have abundant food,
    but those who chase fantasies have no sense.(L)

12 The wicked desire the stronghold of evildoers,
    but the root of the righteous endures.

13 Evildoers are trapped by their sinful talk,(M)
    and so the innocent escape trouble.(N)

14 From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things,(O)
    and the work of their hands brings them reward.(P)

15 The way of fools seems right to them,(Q)
    but the wise listen to advice.(R)

16 Fools(S) show their annoyance at once,(T)
    but the prudent overlook an insult.(U)

17 An honest witness tells the truth,
    but a false witness tells lies.(V)

18 The words of the reckless pierce like swords,(W)
    but the tongue of the wise brings healing.(X)

19 Truthful lips endure forever,
    but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

20 Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil,
    but those who promote peace have joy.(Y)

21 No harm overtakes the righteous,(Z)
    but the wicked have their fill of trouble.

22 The Lord detests lying lips,(AA)
    but he delights(AB) in people who are trustworthy.(AC)

23 The prudent keep their knowledge to themselves,(AD)
    but a fool’s heart blurts out folly.(AE)

24 Diligent hands will rule,
    but laziness ends in forced labor.(AF)

25 Anxiety weighs down the heart,(AG)
    but a kind word cheers it up.

26 The righteous choose their friends carefully,
    but the way of the wicked leads them astray.(AH)

27 The lazy do not roast[a] any game,
    but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.

28 In the way of righteousness there is life;(AI)
    along that path is immortality.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:27 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.