18 孤傲者獨善其身,
    他惱恨一切真知。
愚人不喜歡悟性,
    只喜歡發表意見。
邪惡與藐視同行,
    無恥與羞辱為伴。
人口中的話如同深水,
    智慧之泉像涓涓溪流。
袒護惡人、冤枉義人都為不善。
愚人說話引起紛爭,
    他的口招來鞭打。
愚人的口自招滅亡,
    他的嘴坑害他自己。
閒言碎語如同美食,
    深入人的五臟六腑。
懶惰人與毀壞者臭味相投。
10 耶和華的名是堅固保障,
    義人投奔其中就得安穩。
11 財富是富人的堅城,
    在他幻想中是高牆。
12 驕傲是敗亡的前奏,
    謙虛是尊榮的先鋒。
13 未聽先答的人,
    自顯愚昧和羞辱。
14 人的心靈能忍受疾病,
    誰能忍受破碎的心靈?
15 哲士的心得知識,
    智者的耳求知識。
16 禮物為人開路,
    領人晉見權貴。
17 先告狀的看似有理,
    一經對質真相大白。
18 抽籤可以平息爭端,
    調解強者間的糾紛。
19 與結怨的兄弟和解比攻城還難,
    爭端難破,如堅城的門閂。
20 人因口中所說的話而飽足,
    因嘴中所出的言語而滿足。
21 口舌能夠定生死,
    多嘴多言食惡果。
22 得到妻子就是得到珍寶,
    也是蒙了耶和華的恩惠。
23 窮人哀聲懇求,
    富人惡言相向。
24 濫交友,自招損;
    得知己,勝手足。

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.

A fool has no delight in understanding,
But in expressing his (A)own heart.

When the wicked comes, contempt comes also;
And with dishonor comes reproach.

(B)The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
(C)The wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook.

It is not good to show partiality to the wicked,
Or to overthrow the righteous in (D)judgment.

A fool’s lips enter into contention,
And his mouth calls for blows.
(E)A fool’s mouth is his destruction,
And his lips are the snare of his (F)soul.
(G)The words of a [b]talebearer are like [c]tasty trifles,
And they go down into the [d]inmost body.

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.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 18:1 sound wisdom
  2. Proverbs 18:8 gossip or slanderer
  3. Proverbs 18:8 A Jewish tradition wounds
  4. Proverbs 18:8 Lit. rooms of the belly
  5. Proverbs 18:10 secure, lit. set on high
  6. Proverbs 18:24 So with Gr. mss., Syr., Tg., Vg.; MT may come to ruin

18 An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
    and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.

Fools find no pleasure in understanding
    but delight in airing their own opinions.(A)

When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
    and with shame comes reproach.

The words of the mouth are deep waters,(B)
    but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.

It is not good to be partial to the wicked(C)
    and so deprive the innocent of justice.(D)

The lips of fools bring them strife,
    and their mouths invite a beating.(E)

The mouths of fools are their undoing,
    and their lips are a snare(F) to their very lives.(G)

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
    they go down to the inmost parts.(H)

One who is slack in his work
    is brother to one who destroys.(I)

10 The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;(J)
    the righteous run to it and are safe.(K)

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)

21 The tongue has the power of life and death,(U)
    and those who love it will eat its fruit.(V)

22 He who finds a wife finds what is good(W)
    and receives favor from the Lord.(X)

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)