Proverbs 10
New King James Version
Wise Sayings of Solomon
10 The proverbs of (A)Solomon:
(B)A wise son makes a glad father,
But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.
2 (C)Treasures of wickedness profit nothing,
(D)But righteousness delivers from death.
3 (E)The Lord will not allow the righteous soul to famish,
But He casts away the desire of the wicked.
4 (F)He who has a slack hand becomes poor,
But (G)the hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who gathers in (H)summer is a wise son;
He who sleeps in harvest is (I)a son who causes shame.
6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
7 (J)The memory of the righteous is blessed,
But the name of the wicked will rot.
9 (L)He who walks with integrity walks securely,
But he who perverts his ways will become known.
10 He who winks with the eye causes trouble,
But a prating fool will fall.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a well of life,
But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
But (M)love covers all sins.
13 Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding,
But (N)a rod is for the back of him who [c]is devoid of understanding.
14 Wise people store up knowledge,
But (O)the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
15 The (P)rich man’s wealth is his strong city;
The destruction of the poor is their poverty.
16 The labor of the righteous leads to (Q)life,
The wages of the wicked to sin.
17 He who keeps instruction is in the way of life,
But he who refuses correction [d]goes astray.
19 (T)In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,
But (U)he who restrains his lips is wise.
20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
The heart of the wicked is worth little.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools die for lack of [e]wisdom.
22 (V)The blessing of the Lord makes one rich,
And He adds no sorrow with it.
23 (W)To do evil is like sport to a fool,
But a man of understanding has wisdom.
24 (X)The fear of the wicked will come upon him,
And (Y)the desire of the righteous will be granted.
25 When the whirlwind passes by, (Z)the wicked is no more,
But (AA)the righteous has an everlasting foundation.
26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the lazy man to those who send him.
27 (AB)The fear of the Lord prolongs days,
But (AC)the years of the wicked will be shortened.
28 The hope of the righteous will be gladness,
But the (AD)expectation of the wicked will perish.
29 The way of the Lord is strength for the upright,
But (AE)destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.
30 (AF)The righteous will never be removed,
But the wicked will not inhabit the [f]earth.
31 (AG)The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
But the perverse tongue will be cut out.
32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,
But the mouth of the wicked what is perverse.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 10:8 Lit. the foolish of lips
- Proverbs 10:8 be thrust down or ruined
- Proverbs 10:13 Lit. lacks heart
- Proverbs 10:17 leads
- Proverbs 10:21 Lit. heart
- Proverbs 10:30 land
Proverbs 10
The Message
The Wise Sayings of Solomon
An Honest Life Is Immortal
10 Wise son, glad father;
stupid son, sad mother.
2 Ill-gotten gain gets you nowhere;
an honest life is immortal.
3 God won’t starve an honest soul,
but he frustrates the appetites of the wicked.
4 Sloth makes you poor;
diligence brings wealth.
5 Make hay while the sun shines—that’s smart;
go fishing during harvest—that’s stupid.
6 Blessings accrue on a good and honest life,
but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.
7 A good and honest life is a blessed memorial;
a wicked life leaves a rotten stench.
8 A wise heart takes orders;
an empty head will come unglued.
9 Honesty lives confident and carefree,
but Shifty is sure to be exposed.
10 An evasive eye is a sign of trouble ahead,
but an open, face-to-face meeting results in peace.
11 The mouth of a good person is a deep, life-giving well,
but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.
12 Hatred starts fights,
but love pulls a quilt over the bickering.
13 You’ll find wisdom on the lips of a person of insight,
but the shortsighted needs a slap in the face.
14 The wise accumulate knowledge—a true treasure;
know-it-alls talk too much—a sheer waste.
The Road to Life Is a Disciplined Life
15 The wealth of the rich is their security;
the poverty of the indigent is their ruin.
16 The wage of a good person is exuberant life;
an evil person ends up with nothing but sin.
17 The road to life is a disciplined life;
ignore correction and you’re lost for good.
18 Liars secretly hoard hatred;
fools openly spread slander.
19 The more talk, the less truth;
the wise measure their words.
20 The speech of a good person is worth waiting for;
the blabber of the wicked is worthless.
21 The talk of a good person is rich fare for many,
but chatterboxes die of an empty heart.
Fear-of-God Expands Your Life
22 God’s blessing makes life rich;
nothing we do can improve on God.
23 An empty-head thinks mischief is fun,
but a mindful person relishes wisdom.
24 The nightmares of the wicked come true;
what the good people desire, they get.
25 When the storm is over, there’s nothing left of the wicked;
good people, firm on their rock foundation, aren’t even fazed.
26 A lazy employee will give you nothing but trouble;
it’s vinegar in the mouth, smoke in the eyes.
27 The Fear-of-God expands your life;
a wicked life is a puny life.
28 The aspirations of good people end in celebration;
the ambitions of bad people crash.
29 God is solid backing to a well-lived life,
but he calls into question a shabby performance.
30 Good people last—they can’t be moved;
the wicked are here today, gone tomorrow.
31 A good person’s mouth is a clear fountain of wisdom;
a foul mouth is a stagnant swamp.
32 The speech of a good person clears the air;
the words of the wicked pollute it.
La Bibbia della Gioia Copyright © 1997, 2006 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson