Proverbs 16-19
New King James Version
Wisdom Is Better Than Gold
16 The (A)preparations[a] of the heart belong to man,
(B)But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own (C)eyes,
But the Lord weighs the spirits.
5 (G)Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
Though they join [d]forces, none will go unpunished.
6 (H)In mercy and truth
Atonement is provided for iniquity;
And (I)by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.
7 When a man’s ways please the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
8 (J)Better is a little with righteousness,
Than vast revenues without justice.
10 Divination is on the lips of the king;
His mouth must not transgress in judgment.
11 (M)Honest weights and scales are the Lord’s;
All the weights in the bag are His [e]work.
12 It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness,
For (N)a throne is established by righteousness.
13 (O)Righteous lips are the delight of kings,
And they love him who speaks what is right.
14 As messengers of death is the king’s wrath,
But a wise man will (P)appease it.
15 In the light of the king’s face is life,
And his favor is like a (Q)cloud of the latter rain.
16 (R)How much better to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;
He who keeps his way preserves his soul.
18 Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before [f]a fall.
19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,
Than to divide the [g]spoil with the proud.
20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good,
And whoever (S)trusts in the Lord, happy is he.
21 The wise in heart will be called prudent,
And sweetness of the lips increases learning.
22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it.
But the correction of fools is folly.
23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth,
And adds learning to his lips.
24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.
25 There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of (T)death.
26 The person who labors, labors for himself,
For his hungry mouth drives (U)him on.
27 [h]An ungodly man digs up evil,
And it is on his lips like a burning (V)fire.
28 A perverse man sows strife,
And (W)a whisperer separates the best of friends.
29 A violent man entices his neighbor,
And leads him in a way that is not good.
30 He winks his eye to devise perverse things;
He [i]purses his lips and brings about evil.
31 (X)The silver-haired head is a crown of glory,
If it is found in the way of righteousness.
32 (Y)He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
33 The lot is cast into the lap,
But its every decision is from the Lord.
The Lord Tests Hearts
2 A wise servant will rule over (AA)a son who causes shame,
And will share an inheritance among the brothers.
3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
(AB)But the Lord tests the hearts.
4 An evildoer gives heed to false lips;
A liar listens eagerly to a [k]spiteful tongue.
5 (AC)He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker;
(AD)He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
6 (AE)Children’s children are the crown of old men,
And the glory of children is their father.
7 Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool,
Much less lying lips to a prince.
8 A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.
10 (AH)Rebuke is more effective for a wise man
Than a hundred blows on a fool.
11 An evil man seeks only rebellion;
Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 Let a man meet (AI)a bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.
13 Whoever (AJ)rewards evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.
14 The beginning of strife is like releasing water;
Therefore (AK)stop contention before a quarrel starts.
15 (AL)He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.
16 Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom,
Since he has no heart for it?
17 (AM)A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.
18 (AN)A man devoid of [l]understanding [m]shakes hands in a pledge,
And becomes [n]surety for his friend.
19 He who loves transgression loves strife,
And (AO)he who exalts his gate seeks destruction.
20 He who has a [o]deceitful heart finds no good,
And he who has (AP)a perverse tongue falls into evil.
21 He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.
23 A wicked man accepts a bribe [q]behind the back
To pervert the ways of justice.
24 (AR)Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding,
But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25 A (AS)foolish son is a grief to his father,
And bitterness to her who bore him.
26 Also, to punish the righteous is not good,
Nor to strike princes for their uprightness.
27 (AT)He who has knowledge spares his words,
And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.
28 (AU)Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace;
When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.
The Name of the Lord Is a Strong Tower
18 A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire;
He rages against all [r]wise judgment.
2 A fool has no delight in understanding,
But in expressing his (AV)own heart.
3 When the wicked comes, contempt comes also;
And with dishonor comes reproach.
5 It is not good to show partiality to the wicked,
Or to overthrow the righteous in (AY)judgment.
6 A fool’s lips enter into contention,
And his mouth calls for blows.
7 (AZ)A fool’s mouth is his destruction,
And his lips are the snare of his (BA)soul.
8 (BB)The words of a [s]talebearer are like [t]tasty trifles,
And they go down into the [u]inmost body.
9 He who is slothful in his work
Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.
10 The name of the Lord is a strong (BC)tower;
The righteous run to it and are [v]safe.
11 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own esteem.
12 (BD)Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty,
And before honor is humility.
13 He who answers a matter before he hears it,
It is folly and shame to him.
14 The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness,
But who can bear a broken spirit?
15 The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge,
And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16 (BE)A man’s gift makes room for him,
And brings him before great men.
17 The first one to plead his cause seems right,
Until his neighbor comes and examines him.
18 Casting (BF)lots causes contentions to cease,
And keeps the mighty apart.
19 A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city,
And contentions are like the bars of a castle.
20 (BG)A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth;
From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.
21 (BH)Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.
22 (BI)He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from the Lord.
23 The poor man uses entreaties,
But the rich answers (BJ)roughly.
24 A man who has friends [w]must himself be friendly,
(BK)But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
The Fear of the Lord Leads to Life
19 Better (BL)is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than one who is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.
2 Also it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge,
And he sins who hastens with his feet.
3 The foolishness of a man twists his way,
And his heart frets against the Lord.
4 (BM)Wealth makes many friends,
But the poor is separated from his friend.
5 A (BN)false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who speaks lies will not escape.
6 Many entreat the favor of the nobility,
And every man is a friend to one who gives gifts.
7 (BO)All the brothers of the poor hate him;
How much more do his friends go (BP)far from him!
He may pursue them with words, yet they [x]abandon him.
9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who speaks lies shall perish.
10 Luxury is not fitting for a fool,
Much less (BR)for a servant to rule over princes.
11 (BS)The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger,
(BT)And his glory is to overlook a transgression.
13 (BW)A foolish son is the ruin of his father,
(BX)And the contentions of a wife are a continual [z]dripping.
17 (CD)He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord,
And He will pay back what he has given.
19 A man of great wrath will suffer punishment;
For if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.
20 Listen to counsel and receive instruction,
That you may be wise (CF)in your latter days.
21 There are many plans in a man’s heart,
(CG)Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.
22 What is desired in a man is [ac]kindness,
And a poor man is better than a liar.
23 (CH)The fear of the Lord leads to life,
And he who has it will abide in satisfaction;
He will not be visited with evil.
24 (CI)A lazy man buries his hand in the [ad]bowl,
And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
25 Strike a scoffer, and the simple (CJ)will become wary;
(CK)Rebuke one who has understanding, and he will discern knowledge.
26 He who mistreats his father and chases away his mother
Is (CL)a son who causes shame and brings reproach.
27 Cease listening to instruction, my son,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge.
29 Judgments are prepared for scoffers,
(CN)And beatings for the backs of fools.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 16:1 plans
- Proverbs 16:3 Lit. Roll
- Proverbs 16:4 Lit. evil
- Proverbs 16:5 Lit. hand to hand
- Proverbs 16:11 concern
- Proverbs 16:18 stumbling
- Proverbs 16:19 plunder
- Proverbs 16:27 Lit. A man of Belial
- Proverbs 16:30 Lit. compresses
- Proverbs 17:1 Or sacrificial meals
- Proverbs 17:4 Lit. destructive
- Proverbs 17:18 Lit. heart
- Proverbs 17:18 Lit. strikes the hands
- Proverbs 17:18 guaranty or collateral
- Proverbs 17:20 crooked
- Proverbs 17:22 Or makes medicine even better
- Proverbs 17:23 Under cover, lit. from the bosom
- Proverbs 18:1 sound wisdom
- Proverbs 18:8 gossip or slanderer
- Proverbs 18:8 A Jewish tradition wounds
- Proverbs 18:8 Lit. rooms of the belly
- Proverbs 18:10 secure, lit. set on high
- Proverbs 18:24 So with Gr. mss., Syr., Tg., Vg.; MT may come to ruin
- Proverbs 19:7 Lit. are not
- Proverbs 19:8 Lit. heart
- Proverbs 19:13 Irritation
- Proverbs 19:16 Is reckless, lit. despises
- Proverbs 19:18 Lit. to put him to death; a Jewish tradition on his crying
- Proverbs 19:22 Lit. lovingkindness
- Proverbs 19:24 LXX, Syr. bosom; Tg., Vg. armpit
- Proverbs 19:28 Lit. witness of Belial, worthless witness
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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