Proverbs 15
New King James Version
A Soft Answer Turns Away Wrath
15 A (A)soft answer turns away wrath,
But (B)a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,
(C)But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
3 (D)The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Keeping watch on the evil and the good.
4 A [a]wholesome tongue is a tree of life,
But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
6 In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.
7 The lips of the wise [c]disperse knowledge,
But the heart of the fool does not do so.
8 (G)The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But He loves him who (H)follows righteousness.
11 (K)Hell[d] and [e]Destruction are before the Lord;
So how much more (L)the hearts of the sons of men.
12 (M)A scoffer does not love one who corrects him,
Nor will he go to the wise.
13 (N)A merry heart makes a cheerful [f]countenance,
But (O)by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
15 All the days of the afflicted are evil,
(P)But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.
16 (Q)Better is a little with the fear of the Lord,
Than great treasure with trouble.
17 (R)Better is a dinner of [g]herbs where love is,
Than a fatted calf with hatred.
18 (S)A wrathful man stirs up strife,
But he who is slow to anger allays contention.
19 (T)The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns,
But the way of the upright is a highway.
20 (U)A wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man despises his mother.
21 (V)Folly is joy to him who is destitute of [h]discernment,
(W)But a man of understanding walks uprightly.
22 (X)Without counsel, plans go awry,
But in the multitude of counselors they are established.
25 (AB)The Lord will destroy the house of the proud,
But (AC)He will establish the boundary of the widow.
26 (AD)The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
(AE)But the words of the pure are pleasant.
27 (AF)He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house,
But he who hates bribes will live.
28 The heart of the righteous (AG)studies how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.
30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
And a good report makes the bones [k]healthy.
31 The ear that hears the rebukes of life
Will abide among the wise.
32 He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,
But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.
33 (AJ)The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,
And (AK)before honor is humility.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 15:4 Lit. healing
- Proverbs 15:5 Lit. keeps
- Proverbs 15:7 spread
- Proverbs 15:11 Or Sheol
- Proverbs 15:11 Heb. Abaddon
- Proverbs 15:13 face
- Proverbs 15:17 Or vegetables
- Proverbs 15:21 Lit. heart
- Proverbs 15:23 Lit. in its time
- Proverbs 15:24 Or Sheol
- Proverbs 15:30 Lit. fat
Proverbs 15
English Standard Version
15 (A)A soft answer turns away wrath,
but (B)a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but (C)the mouths of fools pour out folly.
3 (D)The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
keeping watch on the evil and the good.
4 (E)A gentle[a] tongue is (F)a tree of life,
but (G)perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
5 (H)A fool (I)despises his father's instruction,
but (J)whoever heeds reproof is prudent.
6 In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
but trouble befalls the income of the wicked.
7 (K)The lips of the wise spread knowledge;
(L)not so the hearts of fools.[b]
8 (M)The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
but (N)the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him.
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
but he loves him (O)who pursues righteousness.
10 There is (P)severe discipline for him who forsakes the way;
(Q)whoever hates reproof will die.
11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord;
how much more (R)the hearts of the children of man!
12 (S)A scoffer (T)does not like to be reproved;
he will not go to the wise.
13 (U)A glad heart makes a cheerful face,
but by (V)sorrow of heart the spirit is (W)crushed.
14 (X)The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
but the mouths of fools feed on folly.
15 All the days of the afflicted are evil,
but (Y)the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.
16 (Z)Better is a little with the fear of the Lord
than great treasure and trouble with it.
17 (AA)Better is a dinner of herbs where love is
than (AB)a fattened ox and hatred with it.
18 (AC)A hot-tempered man (AD)stirs up strife,
but he who is (AE)slow to anger quiets contention.
19 The way of (AF)a sluggard is like a hedge of (AG)thorns,
but the path of the upright is (AH)a level highway.
20 (AI)A wise son makes a glad father,
but a foolish man despises his mother.
21 (AJ)Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense,
but a man of understanding (AK)walks straight ahead.
22 (AL)Without counsel plans fail,
but with many advisers they succeed.
23 To make an apt answer is a joy to a man,
and (AM)a word in season, how good it is!
24 The path of life leads upward (AN)for the prudent,
that he may turn away from Sheol beneath.
25 The Lord tears down the house of (AO)the proud
but (AP)maintains (AQ)the widow's boundaries.
26 (AR)The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
but (AS)gracious words are pure.
27 Whoever is (AT)greedy for unjust gain (AU)troubles his own household,
but he who hates (AV)bribes will live.
28 The heart of the righteous (AW)ponders how to answer,
but (AX)the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
29 The Lord is (AY)far from the wicked,
but he (AZ)hears the prayer of the righteous.
30 (BA)The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
and (BB)good news refreshes[c] the bones.
31 (BC)The ear that listens to (BD)life-giving reproof
will dwell among the wise.
32 Whoever (BE)ignores instruction (BF)despises himself,
but he who listens to reproof (BG)gains intelligence.
33 (BH)The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
and (BI)humility comes before honor.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 15:4 Or healing
- Proverbs 15:7 Or the hearts of fools are not steadfast
- Proverbs 15:30 Hebrew makes fat
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.