Proverbs 15
New King James Version
A Soft Answer Turns Away Wrath
15 A (A)soft answer turns away wrath,
But (B)a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,
(C)But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
3 (D)The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Keeping watch on the evil and the good.
4 A [a]wholesome tongue is a tree of life,
But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
6 In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.
7 The lips of the wise [c]disperse knowledge,
But the heart of the fool does not do so.
8 (G)The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But He loves him who (H)follows righteousness.
11 (K)Hell[d] and [e]Destruction are before the Lord;
So how much more (L)the hearts of the sons of men.
12 (M)A scoffer does not love one who corrects him,
Nor will he go to the wise.
13 (N)A merry heart makes a cheerful [f]countenance,
But (O)by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
15 All the days of the afflicted are evil,
(P)But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.
16 (Q)Better is a little with the fear of the Lord,
Than great treasure with trouble.
17 (R)Better is a dinner of [g]herbs where love is,
Than a fatted calf with hatred.
18 (S)A wrathful man stirs up strife,
But he who is slow to anger allays contention.
19 (T)The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns,
But the way of the upright is a highway.
20 (U)A wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man despises his mother.
21 (V)Folly is joy to him who is destitute of [h]discernment,
(W)But a man of understanding walks uprightly.
22 (X)Without counsel, plans go awry,
But in the multitude of counselors they are established.
25 (AB)The Lord will destroy the house of the proud,
But (AC)He will establish the boundary of the widow.
26 (AD)The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
(AE)But the words of the pure are pleasant.
27 (AF)He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house,
But he who hates bribes will live.
28 The heart of the righteous (AG)studies how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.
30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
And a good report makes the bones [k]healthy.
31 The ear that hears the rebukes of life
Will abide among the wise.
32 He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,
But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.
33 (AJ)The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,
And (AK)before honor is humility.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 15:4 Lit. healing
- Proverbs 15:5 Lit. keeps
- Proverbs 15:7 spread
- Proverbs 15:11 Or Sheol
- Proverbs 15:11 Heb. Abaddon
- Proverbs 15:13 face
- Proverbs 15:17 Or vegetables
- Proverbs 15:21 Lit. heart
- Proverbs 15:23 Lit. in its time
- Proverbs 15:24 Or Sheol
- Proverbs 15:30 Lit. fat
Proverbs 15
Names of God Bible
15 A gentle answer turns away rage,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongues of wise people give good expression to knowledge,
but the mouths of fools pour out a flood of stupidity.
3 The eyes of Yahweh are everywhere.
They watch evil people and good people.
4 A soothing tongue is a tree of life,
but a deceitful tongue breaks the spirit.
5 A stubborn fool despises his father’s discipline,
but whoever appreciates a warning shows good sense.
6 Great treasure is in the house of a righteous person,
but trouble comes along with the income of a wicked person.
7 The lips of wise people spread knowledge,
but a foolish attitude does not.
8 A sacrifice brought by wicked people is disgusting to Yahweh,
but the prayers of decent people please him.
9 The way of wicked people is disgusting to Yahweh,
but he loves those who pursue righteousness.
10 Discipline is a terrible burden to anyone who leaves the right path.
Anyone who hates a warning will die.
11 If Sheol and Abaddon lie open in front of Yahweh
how much more the human heart!
12 A mocker does not appreciate a warning.
He will not go to wise people.
13 A joyful heart makes a cheerful face,
but with a heartache comes depression.
14 The mind of a person who has understanding searches for knowledge,
but the mouths of fools feed on stupidity.
15 Every day is a terrible day for a miserable person,
but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.
16 Better to have a little with the fear of Yahweh
than great treasure and turmoil.
17 Better to have a dish of vegetables where there is love
than juicy steaks where there is hate.
18 A hothead stirs up a fight,
but one who holds his temper calms disputes.
19 The path of lazy people is like a thorny hedge,
but the road of decent people is an open highway.
A Wise Son Brings Blessings to Others
20 A wise son makes his father happy,
but a foolish child despises its mother.
21 Stupidity is fun to the one without much sense,
but a person who has understanding forges straight ahead.
22 Without advice plans go wrong,
but with many advisers they succeed.
23 A person is delighted to hear an answer from his own mouth,
and a timely word—oh, how good!
24 The path of life for a wise person leads upward
in order to turn him away from hell below.
25 Yahweh tears down the house of an arrogant person,
but he protects the property of widows.
26 The thoughts of evil people are disgusting to Yahweh,
but pleasant words are pure to him.
27 Whoever is greedy for unjust gain brings trouble to his family,
but whoever hates bribes will live.
28 The heart of a righteous person carefully considers how to answer,
but the mouths of wicked people pour out a flood of evil things.
29 Yahweh is far from wicked people,
but he hears the prayers of righteous people.
30 A twinkle in the eye delights the heart.
Good news refreshes the body.
31 The ear that listens to a life-giving warning
will be at home among wise people.
32 Whoever ignores discipline despises himself,
but the person who listens to warning gains understanding.
33 The fear of Yahweh is discipline leading to wisdom,
and humility comes before honor.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.