The Proverbs of Solomon

10 (A)The proverbs of Solomon.

(B)A wise son makes a glad father,
    (C)but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.
(D)Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
    (E)but righteousness delivers from death.
(F)The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,
    (G)but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
A slack hand (H)causes poverty,
    (I)but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
He who (J)gathers in summer is a prudent son,
    but he who sleeps in harvest is (K)a son who brings shame.
Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
    but (L)the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.[a]
(M)The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
    but (N)the name of the wicked will rot.
(O)The wise of heart will receive commandments,
    but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
(P)Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
    but he who makes his ways crooked (Q)will be found out.
10 Whoever (R)winks the eye causes trouble,
    and a babbling fool will come to ruin.
11 (S)The mouth of the righteous is (T)a fountain of life,
    but the mouth of the wicked (U)conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
    but (V)love covers all offenses.
13 On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,
    but (W)a rod is for the back of him who (X)lacks sense.
14 The wise (Y)lay up knowledge,
    but (Z)the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.
15 (AA)A rich man's wealth is his strong city;
    the poverty of the poor is their ruin.
16 The wage of the righteous leads (AB)to life,
    the gain of the wicked to sin.
17 Whoever heeds instruction is on (AC)the path to life,
    but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.
18 The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,
    and whoever utters slander is a fool.
19 (AD)When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
    (AE)but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
20 The tongue of the righteous is (AF)choice silver;
    the heart of the wicked is of little worth.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
    but fools die for (AG)lack of sense.
22 (AH)The blessing of the Lord makes rich,
    and he adds no sorrow with it.[b]
23 Doing wrong is (AI)like a joke to a fool,
    but (AJ)wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.
24 (AK)What the wicked dreads (AL)will come upon him,
    but (AM)the desire of the righteous will be granted.
25 When (AN)the tempest passes, the wicked is no more,
    but (AO)the righteous is established forever.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
    so is the sluggard to those who send him.
27 (AP)The fear of the Lord prolongs life,
    (AQ)but the years of the wicked will be short.
28 (AR)The hope of the righteous brings joy,
    (AS)but the expectation of the wicked will perish.
29 (AT)The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless,
    but destruction to evildoers.
30 (AU)The righteous will never be removed,
    but (AV)the wicked will not dwell in the land.
31 (AW)The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
    but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
32 The lips of the righteous (AX)know what is acceptable,
    but the mouth of the wicked, (AY)what is perverse.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:6 Or but violence covers the mouth of the wicked; also verse 11
  2. Proverbs 10:22 Or and toil adds nothing to it

Proverbs of Solomon

10 The proverbs of Solomon:
A wise child makes a father glad,
    but a foolish child grieves his mother.
Treasures of wickedness do not profit,
    but righteousness delivers from death.
Yahweh will not cause a righteous person[a] to go hungry,
    but the craving of the wicked he will thwart.
A slack hand causes poverty,
    but the hand of the diligent enriches.
He who gathers in the summer is a child who is prudent;
    he who sleeps at the harvest is a child who brings shame.
Blessings belong to the head of the righteous,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
The memory of righteousness is like a blessing,
    but the name of the wicked will rot.
A heart of wisdom will heed commandments,
    but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
Whoever walks in integrity[b] will walk securely,
    but whoever follows perversity, his ways will be made known.
10 The winking of an eye causes[c] trouble,
    and the foolishness of lips comes to ruin.
11 A fountain of life is a mouth of righteousness,
    and a mouth of wickedness conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
    but love covers over all offenses.
13 On the lips of one who has understanding, wisdom is found,
    but a rod is for the back of one who lacks sense.[d]
14 Those who are wise lay up knowledge,
    but to the mouth of the fool, ruin draws near.
15 The wealth of the rich is the city of his strength;
    the ruin of the poor is their poverty.
16 The wage of the righteous leads to life;
    the gain of the wicked to sin.
17 On the path to life is he who guards instruction,
    but he who rejects rebuke goes astray.
18 He who conceals hatred has lips of deceit,
    and he who utters slander—he is a fool.
19 In many words, transgression is not lacking,
    but he who restrains his lips is prudent.
20 Choice silver is a tongue of righteousness,
    a heart[e] of wickedness is of little worth.[f]
21 Lips of righteousness feed many,
    but fools die for lack of sense.[g]
22 The blessing of Yahweh makes one rich,
    and he does not increase sorrow with it.
23 It is like a sport for a fool to do wrong,
    wisdom for a person of understanding.
24 The dread of the wicked will come upon him,
    but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
25 With the passing of the tempest, there is no wickedness,
    but the righteous have a foundation forever.
26 Like vinegar to the tooth and like smoke to the eyes,
    thus is the lazy to one who employs[h] him.
27 The fear of Yahweh adds life,
    but the years of the wicked are shortened.
28 The hope of the righteous is gladness,
    but the expectation of the wicked comes to nothing.
29 A stronghold for the upright is the way of Yahweh,
    but ruin belongs to evildoers.[i]
30 The righteous one is forever; he will not be removed.
    But the wicked will not remain in the land.[j]
31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
    but a tongue of perversity will be cut off.
32 The lips of the righteous know the acceptable,
    but the mouth of the wicked, the perverse.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:3 Or “soul,” or “inner self”
  2. Proverbs 10:9 Hebrew “in the integrity”
  3. Proverbs 10:10 Or “gives, sets up”
  4. Proverbs 10:13 Literally “heart”
  5. Proverbs 10:20 Or “mind”
  6. Proverbs 10:20 Literally “like a little”
  7. Proverbs 10:21 Literally “in the lack of heart, they die”
  8. Proverbs 10:26 Or “sends”
  9. Proverbs 10:29 Literally “them who do evil”
  10. Proverbs 10:30 Or “earth”