Proverbs 11
New American Standard Bible
Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked
11 A (A)false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
But a (B)just weight is His delight.
2 When (C)pride comes, then comes dishonor;
But with the humble there is wisdom.
3 The (D)integrity of the upright will guide them,
But the (E)perversity of the treacherous will destroy them.
4 (F)Riches do not benefit on the day of wrath,
But (G)righteousness rescues from death.
5 The (H)righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way,
But (I)the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright will rescue them,
But the treacherous will (J)be caught by their own greed.
7 When a wicked person dies, his (K)expectation will perish,
And the (L)hope of strong people perishes.
8 The righteous is rescued from trouble,
But the wicked [a]takes his place.
9 With his (M)mouth the godless person destroys his neighbor,
But through knowledge the (N)righteous will be rescued.
10 When things (O)go well for the righteous, the city rejoices,
And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.
11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
But by the mouth of the wicked, it is torn down.
12 One who despises his neighbor lacks [b]sense,
But a person of understanding keeps silent.
13 One (P)who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets,
But one who is [c]trustworthy (Q)conceals a matter.
14 Where there is no (R)guidance the people fall,
But in an abundance of counselors there is [d]victory.
15 One who is a (S)guarantor for a stranger will certainly suffer for it,
But one who hates [e]being a guarantor is secure.
16 A (T)gracious woman attains honor,
And ruthless men attain riches.
17 A (U)merciful person does [f]himself good,
But the cruel person [g]does himself harm.
18 A wicked person earns deceptive wages,
But one who (V)sows righteousness gets a true reward.
19 One who is steadfast in (W)righteousness attains life,
But (X)one who pursues evil attains his own death.
20 The perverse in heart are an abomination to the Lord,
But the (Y)blameless in their [h]walk are His (Z)delight.
21 [i]Be assured, the evil person will not go unpunished,
But the [j]descendants of the righteous will be rescued.
22 As a (AA)ring of gold in a pig’s snout
So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous is only good,
But the (AB)expectation of the wicked is wrath.
24 There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more,
And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in poverty.
25 A [k](AC)generous person will be [l]prosperous,
And one who (AD)gives others plenty of water will himself be given plenty.
26 One who withholds grain, the (AE)people will curse him,
But (AF)blessing will be on the head of him who (AG)sells it.
27 One who diligently seeks good seeks favor,
But (AH)one who seeks evil, evil will come to him.
28 One who (AI)trusts in his riches will fall,
But (AJ)the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.
29 One who (AK)troubles his own house will (AL)inherit wind,
And (AM)the foolish will be servant to the wise-hearted.
30 The fruit of the righteous is (AN)a tree of life,
And (AO)one who is wise [m]gains souls.
31 If (AP)the righteous will be repaid on the earth,
How much more the wicked and the sinner!
Footnotes
- Proverbs 11:8 Lit enters
- Proverbs 11:12 Lit heart
- Proverbs 11:13 Lit faithful of spirit
- Proverbs 11:14 Lit deliverance
- Proverbs 11:15 Lit those who strike hands
- Proverbs 11:17 Lit his soul
- Proverbs 11:17 Lit ruins his flesh
- Proverbs 11:20 Lit way
- Proverbs 11:21 Lit Hand to hand
- Proverbs 11:21 Lit seed
- Proverbs 11:25 Lit soul of blessing
- Proverbs 11:25 Lit made fat
- Proverbs 11:30 Lit takes
Proverbs 11
Holman Christian Standard Bible
2 When pride comes, disgrace follows,
but with humility comes wisdom.(C)
3 The integrity of the upright guides them,(D)
but the perversity of the treacherous destroys them.(E)
4 Wealth is not profitable on a day of wrath,
but righteousness rescues from death.(F)
5 The righteousness of the blameless clears his path,
but the wicked person will fall because of his wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright rescues them,
but the treacherous are trapped by their own desires.(G)
7 When the wicked man dies,
his expectation comes to nothing,
and hope placed in wealth[a][b] vanishes.(H)
8 The righteous one is rescued from trouble;
in his place, the wicked one goes in.(I)
9 With his mouth the ungodly destroys his neighbor,
but through knowledge the righteous are rescued.
10 When the righteous thrive, a city rejoices,(J)
and when the wicked die, there is joyful shouting.
11 A city is built up by the blessing of the upright,(K)
but it is torn down by the mouth of the wicked.(L)
12 Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks sense,
but a man with understanding keeps silent.(M)
13 A gossip goes around revealing a secret,
but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.(N)
14 Without guidance, people fall,
but with many counselors there is deliverance.(O)
15 If someone puts up security for a stranger,
he will suffer for it,(P)
but the one who hates such agreements is protected.
16 A gracious woman gains honor,
but violent[c] men gain only riches.
18 The wicked man earns an empty wage,
but the one who sows righteousness, a true reward.(S)
20 Those with twisted minds are detestable to the Lord,
but those with blameless conduct are His delight.(V)
21 Be assured[d] that the wicked
will not go unpunished,(W)
but the offspring of the righteous will escape.
22 A beautiful woman who rejects good sense
is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.(X)
24 One person gives freely,
yet gains more;(AA)
another withholds what is right,
only to become poor.(AB)
25 A generous person will be enriched,(AC)
and the one who gives a drink of water
will receive water.(AD)
26 People will curse(AE) anyone who hoards grain,
but a blessing will come to the one who sells it.(AF)
27 The one who searches for what is good(AG) finds favor,
but if someone looks for trouble, it will come to him.(AH)
29 The one who brings ruin on his household(AK)
will inherit the wind,(AL)
and a fool will be a slave
to someone whose heart is wise.
31 If the righteous will be repaid on earth,
how much more the wicked and sinful.(AN)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 11:7 LXX reads hope of the ungodly
- Proverbs 11:7 Or strength
- Proverbs 11:16 Or ruthless
- Proverbs 11:21 Lit Hand to hand
- Proverbs 11:30 LXX, Syr; MT reads but a wise one
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