Proverbs 16
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 16
1 Plans are made in human hearts,
but from the Lord comes the tongue’s response.[a]
2 All one’s ways are pure[b] in one’s own eyes,
but the measurer of motives is the Lord.(A)
3 Entrust your works to the Lord,
and your plans will succeed.
4 The Lord has made everything for a purpose,
even the wicked for the evil day.[c]
5 Every proud heart[d] is an abomination to the Lord;(B)
be assured that none will go unpunished.
6 By steadfast loyalty guilt is expiated,
and by the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.[e]
7 When the Lord is pleased with someone’s ways,
he makes even enemies be at peace with them.
8 Better a little with justice,
than a large income with injustice.
9 The human heart plans the way,
but the Lord directs the steps.[f](C)
10 An oracle is upon the king’s lips,
no judgment of his mouth is false.[g]
11 Balance and scales belong to the Lord;
every weight in the sack is his concern.(D)
12 Wrongdoing is an abomination to kings,
for by justice the throne endures.(E)
13 The king takes delight in honest lips,
and whoever speaks what is right he loves.(F)
14 The king’s wrath is a messenger of death,(G)
but a wise person can pacify it.
15 A king’s smile means life,
and his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.[h]
16 How much better to get wisdom than gold!
To get understanding is preferable to silver.[i](H)
17 The path of the upright leads away from misfortune;
those who attend to their way guard their lives.[j]
18 Pride goes before disaster,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 It is better to be humble with the poor
than to share plunder with the proud.(I)
20 Whoever ponders a matter will be successful;
happy the one who trusts in the Lord!
21 The wise of heart is esteemed for discernment,
and pleasing speech gains a reputation for learning.
22 Good sense is a fountain of life to those who have it,
but folly is the training of fools.
23 The heart of the wise makes for eloquent speech,
and increases the learning on their lips.
24 Pleasing words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the taste and invigorating to the bones.
25 Sometimes a way seems right,
but the end of it leads to death!(J)
26 The appetite of workers works for them,
for their mouths urge them on.[k](K)
27 Scoundrels are a furnace of evil,
and their lips are like a scorching fire.
28 Perverse speech sows discord,
and talebearing separates bosom friends.(L)
29 The violent deceive their neighbors,
and lead them into a way that is not good.
30 Whoever winks an eye plans perversity;
whoever purses the lips does evil.[l]
31 Gray hair is a crown of glory;(M)
it is gained by a life that is just.
32 The patient are better than warriors,
and those who rule their temper, better than the conqueror of a city.(N)
33 Into the bag the lot is cast,
but from the Lord comes every decision.[m]
Footnotes
- 16:1 Words, like actions, often produce results different from those which were planned, and this comes under the agency of God.
- 16:2 “Pure” in a moral sense for human action is found only in Job and Proverbs. As in v. 1, the contrast is between human intent and divine assessment.
- 16:4 Even the wicked do not lie outside God’s plan.
- 16:5 Proud heart: lit., “high of heart.” To forget one is a fallible human being is so basic an error that one cannot escape exposure and punishment.
- 16:6 As v. 5 used the language of worship to express what is acceptable or not to God, so this saying uses similar language to declare that lovingly loyal conduct undoes the effects of sin.
- 16:9 As in vv. 1–3, the antithesis is between human plans and divine disposal. The saying uses the familiar metaphor of path for the course of life.
- 16:10 Six sayings on the king and his divine authority begin here, following the series of sayings about the Lord’s governance in 15:33–16:9, in which “Lord” was mentioned nine times.
- 16:15 The last of six sayings about the king. In the previous verse, royal wrath means death; in this verse royal favor means life. It is significant that royal favor is compared to something not under human control—the clouds preceding the spring rains.
- 16:16 The point of comparison is the superiority of the pursuit of wisdom and gold, not the relative merits of wealth and wisdom.
- 16:17 In the metaphor of the two ways, the way of the righteous is protected and the way of the wicked is unprotected. Since the path of the righteous leads therefore away from trouble, one’s task is to stay on it, to “attend to” it.
- 16:26 The adage puzzled ancient and modern commentators. The meaning seems to state the paradox that a person does not toil to feed the gullet but that the gullet itself “toils” in the sense that it forces the person to work. As often in Proverbs, the sense organ stands for the faculty by metonymy. Cf. Eccl 6:7.
- 16:30 A restless or twitching eye or lip betrays the condition of the heart (cf. 6:13).
- 16:33 Dice were given meanings of “yes” or “no” and then cast for their answer. What came out was the decision. Here the saying interprets the sequence of actions: a human being puts the dice in the bag but what emerges from the bag is the Lord’s decision.
箴言 16
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
所作所谋交托 神就必成立
16 心里的筹划在于人，
舌头的应对却出于耶和华。
2 人看自己一切所行的，都是清洁的；
耶和华却衡量人心。
3 当把你所作的交托耶和华，
你的计划就必成功。
4 耶和华所造的各有目的，
连恶人也是为祸患的日子而造的。
5 心里骄傲的人都是耶和华厌恶的；
他们必不免受罚。
6 因着怜悯和信实，罪孽得赎；
因为敬畏耶和华，人可以避开罪恶。
7 人所行的，若是蒙耶和华喜悦，
耶和华也使他的仇敌与他和好。
8 收入少而有公义，
胜过收入多却毫无正义。
9 人心计划自己的道路，
他的脚步却由耶和华指引。
10 王的嘴里有 神的判语，
审判的时候，他的口必不差错。
11 公正的秤和天平都属耶和华，
囊中的一切法码都是他所造的。
12 作恶是君王所厌恶的，
因为王位是靠赖公义建立的。
13 公义的嘴唇是君王所喜悦的；
他喜爱说话正直的人。
14 君王的烈怒好象死亡的使者，
唯有智慧人能平息君王的怒气。
15 君王脸上欣悦的光采，使人得生命；
君王的恩宠好象春日雨云。
智慧人谨慎言行
16 得智慧胜过得金子，
选择哲理，胜过选择银子。
17 正直人的大道远离罪恶；
谨守自己道路的，保全自己的性命。
18 在灭亡以先，必有骄傲；
在跌倒以前，心中高傲。
19 存谦卑的心与穷乏人在一起，
胜过与骄傲人同分战利品。
20 留心听训言的必定得益；
倚靠耶和华的是有福的人。
21 心中有智慧的必称为聪明人；
动听的话能增加说服力。
22 明慧人的明慧是他生命的泉源；
愚妄人的惩罚就是愚妄。
23 智慧人的心教导自己的口，
使自己口中的话增加说服力。
24 恩慈的话好象蜂巢中的蜂蜜，
使人心里甘甜，骨头健壮。
25 有一条路，人以为是正路，
走到尽头却是死亡之路。
26 劳力的人身体的需要促使他劳力；
因为他的饥饿催逼着他。
27 无赖之徒挖出邪恶，
他口里的话好象灼热的火。
28 乖谬的人散播纷争，
搬弄是非的离间亲密的朋友。
29 强暴的人引诱邻舍，
领他走邪恶的道路。
30 瞇着眼睛的，图谋乖谬的事；
紧抿着嘴唇的，作成恶事。
31 白发是荣耀的冠冕，
在公义的路上，必能得着。
32 不轻易动怒的，胜过勇士；
克服己心的，胜过把城攻取的人。
33 签拋在人的怀中，
一切决断却在于耶和华。
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.