Contrast of the Righteous and the Wicked

10 The (A)proverbs of Solomon.

(B)A wise son makes a father glad,
But (C)a foolish son is a grief to his mother.
[a](D)Ill-gotten gains do not benefit,
But righteousness rescues from death.
The Lord (E)will not allow the [b]righteous to hunger,
But He (F)will [c]reject the craving of the wicked.
Poor is one who works with [d]a lazy hand,
But the (G)hand of the diligent makes rich.
He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely,
But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully.
(H)Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
But (I)the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
The (J)mentioning of the righteous is a blessing,
But (K)the name of the wicked will rot.
The (L)wise of heart will receive commands,
But [e]a babbling fool will come to ruin.
One (M)who walks in integrity walks securely,
But (N)one who perverts his ways will be found out.
10 He (O)who winks the eye causes trouble,
And [f](P)a babbling fool will come to ruin.
11 The (Q)mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
But (R)the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
But (S)love covers all offenses.
13 On (T)the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found,
But (U)a rod is for the back of him who has no [g]sense.
14 Wise people (V)store up knowledge,
But with (W)the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.
15 The (X)rich person’s wealth is his [h]fortress,
The (Y)ruin of the poor is their poverty.
16 The [i](Z)wages of the righteous is life,
The income of the wicked, punishment.
17 One who (AA)is on the path of life follows instruction,
But one who ignores a rebuke goes astray.
18 One (AB)who conceals hatred has lying lips,
And one who spreads slander is a fool.
19 When there are (AC)many words, wrongdoing is unavoidable,
But (AD)one who restrains his lips is wise.
20 The tongue of the righteous is like (AE)choice silver,
The heart of the wicked is worth little.
21 The (AF)lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools (AG)die for lack of [j]understanding.
22 It is the (AH)blessing of the Lord that makes rich,
And He adds no sorrow to it.
23 Doing wickedness is like (AI)sport to a fool,
And so is wisdom to a person of understanding.
24 What (AJ)the wicked fears will come upon him,
But the (AK)desire of the righteous will be granted.
25 When the (AL)whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more,
But the (AM)righteous has an everlasting foundation.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the [k](AN)lazy one to those who send him.
27 The (AO)fear of the Lord prolongs [l]life,
But the (AP)years of the wicked will be shortened.
28 The (AQ)hope of the righteous is gladness,
But the (AR)expectation of the wicked perishes.
29 The (AS)way of the Lord is a stronghold for the upright,
But (AT)ruin to the workers of injustice.
30 The (AU)righteous will never be shaken,
But (AV)the wicked will not live in the land.
31 The (AW)mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom,
But the (AX)perverted tongue will be cut out.
32 The lips of the righteous know (AY)what is acceptable,
But the (AZ)mouth of the wicked, what is perverted.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:2 Lit Treasures of wickedness
  2. Proverbs 10:3 Lit soul of the righteous
  3. Proverbs 10:3 Lit thrust away
  4. Proverbs 10:4 Lit an idle hand
  5. Proverbs 10:8 Lit the foolish of lips
  6. Proverbs 10:10 Lit the foolish of lips
  7. Proverbs 10:13 Lit heart
  8. Proverbs 10:15 Lit strong city
  9. Proverbs 10:16 Or work
  10. Proverbs 10:21 Lit heart
  11. Proverbs 10:26 Lit idle one
  12. Proverbs 10:27 Lit days

Solomon’s Sayings

10 The proverbs of Solomon.

A wise son brings joy to his father,
    but a foolish son grieves his mother.

Nothing good comes from ill-gotten wealth,
    but righteousness delivers from death.
The Lord won’t cause the righteous to hunger,
    but he will reject what the wicked crave.

Lazy hands bring poverty,
    but hard-working hands lead to wealth.
Whoever harvests during summer acts wisely,
    but the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful.

The Righteous and Wicked Compared

Blessings come[a] upon the head of the righteous,
    but the words[b] of the wicked conceal violence.
The reputation[c] of the righteous leads to blessing,
    but the name of the wicked will rot.
The wise person[d] accepts commands,
    but the chattering fool will be brought down.

Whoever walks in integrity lives prudently,[e]
    but whoever perverts his way of life will be exposed.
10 Those who wink their eyes[f] are trouble makers,
    and the mocking fool will be brought down.[g]

11 What the righteous say[h] is a flowing fountain,[i]
    but what the wicked say[j] conceals violence.
12 Hatred awakens contention,
    but love covers all transgressions.
13 Wisdom characterizes the speech[k] of the discerning,
    but the rod is for the backs of those lacking discernment.
14 Those who are wise store up knowledge,
    but when the fool speaks,[l] destruction is near.
15 The rich hide within the fortress that is their wealth,
    but the poor are dismayed due to their poverty.

16 Honorable wages lead[m] to life;
    the salaries of the wicked, to retribution.
17 Whoever heeds correction is on the pathway to life,
    but someone who ignores exhortation goes astray.

18 Whoever conceals hatred is a deceitful liar,
    and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
19 Transgression is at work where people talk too much,
    but anyone who holds his tongue is prudent.
20 What the righteous person says[n] is like precious silver;
    the thoughts of the wicked are compared to small things.
21 What the righteous person says[o] nourishes many,
    but fools die because they lack discerning[p] hearts.

22 The blessing of the Lord establishes wealth,
    and difficulty does not accompany it.
23 Just as the fool considers wickedness his joy,
    so is wisdom to the discerning man.
24 What the wicked fears will come about,
    but the longing of the righteous will be granted.

25 When the storm ends, the wicked vanish,[q]
    but the righteous person is forever firm.

26 As vinegar is to the mouth[r] and smoke to the eyes,
    so is the lazy person to those who send him.
27 Fearing the Lord prolongs life,
    but the wicked will not live long.
28 What the righteous hope for brings joy,
    but the expectation of the wicked dies.
29 To the upright, the way of the Lord is a place of safety,
    but it’s a place of ruin to those who practice evil.
30 The righteous will never be overthrown,
    but the wicked will never inhabit the land.

31 The words of the righteous overflow with wisdom,
    but the perverse tongue will be cut out.
32 Righteous lips know what is prudent,
    but the words of the wicked are perverse.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:6 The Heb. lacks come
  2. Proverbs 10:6 Lit. mouth
  3. Proverbs 10:7 Lit. memorial
  4. Proverbs 10:8 Lit. wise in heart
  5. Proverbs 10:9 Lit. lives in safety
  6. Proverbs 10:10 I.e. Those whose looks communicate insincerity
  7. Proverbs 10:10 So MT; LXX reads makers, but the one who reproves publicly makes peace
  8. Proverbs 10:11 Lit. The mouth of the righteous
  9. Proverbs 10:11 Lit. a fountain of life
  10. Proverbs 10:11 Lit. but the mouth of the wicked
  11. Proverbs 10:13 Lit. Wisdom is found on the lips
  12. Proverbs 10:14 Lit. but the mouth of the fool
  13. Proverbs 10:16 The Heb. lacks lead
  14. Proverbs 10:20 Lit. The tongue of the righteous
  15. Proverbs 10:21 Lit. The lips of the righteous
  16. Proverbs 10:21 The Heb. lacks discerning
  17. Proverbs 10:25 Lit. wicked are no more
  18. Proverbs 10:26 Lit. teeth