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
International Standard Version
The Value of Righteousness
11 The Lord hates false scales,
but he delights in accurate weights.
2 When pride appears, disgrace accompanies it,
but humility is present with wisdom.
3 The integrity of the righteous guides them,
but the hypocrisy of the treacherous destroys them.
4 Wealth won’t help in the time of judgment,[a]
but righteousness will deliver from death.
5 The righteousness of the innocent creates a level path,
but the wicked fall by their wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the treacherous are trapped by their evil desires.
7 When a wicked person dies, his hope vanishes;[b]
and what he[c] expected from his scheming comes to nothing.
8 The righteous person is delivered from trouble;
it comes upon the wicked instead.
9 By what he says, the godless person can destroy his neighbor,
but through knowledge the righteous escape.
10 The city rejoices when the righteous prosper,
and when the wicked perish there is jubilation.
11 Through the blessing of the righteous a city is built up,
but what the wicked say tears it down.
12 Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense,
but the discerning man controls his comments.
13 Whoever spreads gossip betrays secrets,
but the trustworthy person[d] keeps a confidence.
14 A nation falls through a lack of guidance,
but victory comes through the counsel of many.[e]
15 Securing a loan for a stranger will bring suffering,
but by refusing to do so, one remains safe.
16 A gracious woman attains honor,[f]
but[g] ruthless men attain[h] wealth.
17 A gracious man benefits himself,
but the cruel person damages himself.
18 Evil people earn deceptive wages,
but those who plant righteousness are truly rewarded.
19 Genuine righteousness leads to life,
but whoever pursues evil will die.
20 Devious minds are abhorrent to the Lord,
but those whose ways are innocent are his delight.
21 Be sure of this:[i] the wicked will not go unpunished,
but the descendants of the righteous will go free.
22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman without discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous is to seek good,
but the hope of the wicked results in wrath.
24 Those who give freely gain even more;
others hold back what they owe, becoming even poorer.
25 A generous person will prosper,
and anyone who gives water will receive a flood in return.
26 People will curse whoever withholds grain,
but blessing will come to whoever is selling.
27 The person seeking good will find favor,
but anyone who searches for evil—it will find him!
28 The person who trusts in his wealth will fall,
but the righteous will flourish like green leaves.
29 Whoever troubles his household will inherit the wind,
and the fool will be a servant to the wise.
30 The fruit of the righteous is[j] a tree of life,
and the one who wins people is wise.[k]
31 If the righteous receive what they are due here on earth,
how much more will the wicked and the sinner.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 11:4 Lit. the day of wrath
- Proverbs 11:7 So MT; LXX reads When a righteous man dies, his hope does not perish
- Proverbs 11:7 So MT; LXX reads what the ungodly
- Proverbs 11:13 Lit. trustworthy in spirit
- Proverbs 11:14 Or through much planning
- Proverbs 11:16 So MT; LXX reads honor for her husband
- Proverbs 11:16 So MT; LXX reads but a seat of dishonor is for the woman who hates justice
- Proverbs 11:16 So MT; LXX reads justice. The deficient shrink from wealth, but the diligent support themselves with
- Proverbs 11:21 Lit. Hand to hand
- Proverbs 11:30 So MT; LXX reads From the fruit of righteousness grows
- Proverbs 11:30 So MT; LXX reads life, but the souls of those who practice evil are cut off prematurely
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