Proverbs 18-19
New King James Version
The Name of the Lord Is a Strong Tower
18 A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire;
He rages against all [a]wise judgment.
2 A fool has no delight in understanding,
But in expressing his (A)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 (D)judgment.
6 A fool’s lips enter into contention,
And his mouth calls for blows.
7 (E)A fool’s mouth is his destruction,
And his lips are the snare of his (F)soul.
8 (G)The words of a [b]talebearer are like [c]tasty trifles,
And they go down into the [d]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 (H)tower;
The righteous run to it and are [e]safe.
11 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own esteem.
12 (I)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 (J)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 (K)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 (L)A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth;
From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.
21 (M)Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.
22 (N)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 (O)roughly.
24 A man who has friends [f]must himself be friendly,
(P)But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
The Fear of the Lord Leads to Life
19 Better (Q)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 (R)Wealth makes many friends,
But the poor is separated from his friend.
5 A (S)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 (T)All the brothers of the poor hate him;
How much more do his friends go (U)far from him!
He may pursue them with words, yet they [g]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 (W)for a servant to rule over princes.
11 (X)The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger,
(Y)And his glory is to overlook a transgression.
13 (AB)A foolish son is the ruin of his father,
(AC)And the contentions of a wife are a continual [i]dripping.
17 (AI)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 (AK)in your latter days.
21 There are many plans in a man’s heart,
(AL)Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.
22 What is desired in a man is [l]kindness,
And a poor man is better than a liar.
23 (AM)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 (AN)A lazy man buries his hand in the [m]bowl,
And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
25 Strike a scoffer, and the simple (AO)will become wary;
(AP)Rebuke one who has understanding, and he will discern knowledge.
26 He who mistreats his father and chases away his mother
Is (AQ)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,
(AS)And beatings for the backs of fools.
Footnotes
- 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
Proverbs 18-19
New International Version
18 An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.
2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding
but delight in airing their own opinions.(A)
3 When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
and with shame comes reproach.
4 The words of the mouth are deep waters,(B)
but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.
6 The lips of fools bring them strife,
and their mouths invite a beating.(E)
8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to the inmost parts.(H)
9 One who is slack in his work
is brother to one who destroys.(I)
11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;(L)
they imagine it a wall too high to scale.
12 Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
but humility comes before honor.(M)
13 To answer before listening—
that is folly and shame.(N)
14 The human spirit can endure in sickness,
but a crushed spirit who can bear?(O)
15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,(P)
for the ears of the wise seek it out.
16 A gift(Q) opens the way
and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.
17 In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,
until someone comes forward and cross-examines.
18 Casting the lot settles disputes(R)
and keeps strong opponents apart.
19 A brother wronged(S) is more unyielding than a fortified city;
disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.
20 From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.(T)
23 The poor plead for mercy,
but the rich answer harshly.
24 One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.(Y)
19 Better the poor whose walk is blameless
than a fool whose lips are perverse.(Z)
2 Desire without knowledge is not good—
how much more will hasty feet miss the way!(AA)
4 Wealth attracts many friends,
but even the closest friend of the poor person deserts them.(AD)
7 The poor are shunned by all their relatives—
how much more do their friends avoid them!(AJ)
Though the poor pursue them with pleading,
they are nowhere to be found.[a](AK)
8 The one who gets wisdom loves life;
the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper.(AL)
9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and whoever pours out lies will perish.(AM)
10 It is not fitting for a fool(AN) to live in luxury—
how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!(AO)
11 A person’s wisdom yields patience;(AP)
it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.
13 A foolish child is a father’s ruin,(AT)
and a quarrelsome wife is like
the constant dripping of a leaky roof.(AU)
15 Laziness brings on deep sleep,
and the shiftless go hungry.(AX)
16 Whoever keeps commandments keeps their life,
but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die.(AY)
17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,(AZ)
and he will reward them for what they have done.(BA)
18 Discipline your children, for in that there is hope;
do not be a willing party to their death.(BB)
19 A hot-tempered person must pay the penalty;
rescue them, and you will have to do it again.
20 Listen to advice and accept discipline,(BC)
and at the end you will be counted among the wise.(BD)
21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.(BE)
22 What a person desires is unfailing love[b];
better to be poor than a liar.
23 The fear of the Lord leads to life;
then one rests content, untouched by trouble.(BF)
24 A sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
he will not even bring it back to his mouth!(BG)
25 Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence;
rebuke the discerning,(BH) and they will gain knowledge.(BI)
26 Whoever robs their father and drives out their mother(BJ)
is a child who brings shame and disgrace.
27 Stop listening to instruction, my son,(BK)
and you will stray from the words of knowledge.
28 A corrupt witness mocks at justice,
and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.(BL)
29 Penalties are prepared for mockers,
and beatings for the backs of fools.(BM)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
- Proverbs 19:22 Or Greed is a person’s shame
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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