Proverbs 20:30-21:12

English Standard Version

^30 (A)Blows that wound cleanse away evil;
    strokes make clean ^(B)the innermost parts.
21 The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
    he ^(C)turns it wherever he will.
^2 (D)Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
    but the Lord ^(E)weighs the heart.
^3 (F)To do righteousness and justice
    is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
^4 (G)Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
    ^(H)the lamp^[a] of the wicked, are sin.
⁵ The plans of ^(I)the diligent lead surely to abundance,
    but everyone who is ^(J)hasty comes ^(K)only to poverty.
^6 (L)The getting of treasures by a lying tongue
    is a ^(M)fleeting ^(N)vapor and a ^(O)snare of death.^[b]
7 The violence of the wicked will ^(P)sweep them away,
    because they refuse to do what is just.
⁸ The way of the guilty ^(Q)is crooked,
    but the conduct of the pure is upright.
⁹ It is ^(R)better to live in a corner of the housetop
    than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
¹⁰ The soul of the wicked desires evil;
    his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.
¹¹ When ^(S)a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise;
    when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.
¹² The Righteous One ^(T)observes the house of the wicked;
    he throws the wicked down to ruin.