Proverbs 11
New Living Translation
11 The Lord detests the use of dishonest scales,
but he delights in accurate weights.
2 Pride leads to disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom.
3 Honesty guides good people;
dishonesty destroys treacherous people.
4 Riches won’t help on the day of judgment,
but right living can save you from death.
5 The godly are directed by honesty;
the wicked fall beneath their load of sin.
6 The godliness of good people rescues them;
the ambition of treacherous people traps them.
7 When the wicked die, their hopes die with them,
for they rely on their own feeble strength.
8 The godly are rescued from trouble,
and it falls on the wicked instead.
9 With their words, the godless destroy their friends,
but knowledge will rescue the righteous.
10 The whole city celebrates when the godly succeed;
they shout for joy when the wicked die.
11 Upright citizens are good for a city and make it prosper,
but the talk of the wicked tears it apart.
12 It is foolish to belittle one’s neighbor;
a sensible person keeps quiet.
13 A gossip goes around telling secrets,
but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.
14 Without wise leadership, a nation falls;
there is safety in having many advisers.
15 There’s danger in putting up security for a stranger’s debt;
it’s safer not to guarantee another person’s debt.
16 A gracious woman gains respect,
but ruthless men gain only wealth.
17 Your kindness will reward you,
but your cruelty will destroy you.
18 Evil people get rich for the moment,
but the reward of the godly will last.
19 Godly people find life;
evil people find death.
20 The Lord detests people with crooked hearts,
but he delights in those with integrity.
21 Evil people will surely be punished,
but the children of the godly will go free.
22 A beautiful woman who lacks discretion
is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.
23 The godly can look forward to a reward,
while the wicked can expect only judgment.
24 Give freely and become more wealthy;
be stingy and lose everything.
25 The generous will prosper;
those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
26 People curse those who hoard their grain,
but they bless the one who sells in time of need.
27 If you search for good, you will find favor;
but if you search for evil, it will find you!
28 Trust in your money and down you go!
But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.
29 Those who bring trouble on their families inherit the wind.
The fool will be a servant to the wise.
30 The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life;
a wise person wins friends.[a]
31 If the righteous are rewarded here on earth,
what will happen to wicked sinners?[b]
Footnotes
- 11:30 Or and those who win souls are wise.
- 11:31 Greek version reads If the righteous are barely saved, / what will happen to godless sinners? Compare 1 Pet 4:18.
Proverbs 11
Christian Standard Bible
2 When arrogance 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 person 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.
11 A city is built up by the blessing of the upright,(L)
but it is torn down by the mouth of the wicked.(M)
12 Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks sense,
but a person with understanding keeps silent.(N)
13 A gossip goes around revealing a secret,
but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.(O)
14 Without guidance, a people will fall,
but with many counselors there is deliverance.(P)
15 If someone puts up security for a stranger,
he will suffer for it,(Q)
but the one who hates such agreements is protected.
16 A gracious woman gains honor,
but violent[c] people gain only riches.
18 The wicked person earns an empty wage,
but the one who sows righteousness, a true reward.(T)
20 Those with twisted minds are detestable to the Lord,
but those with blameless conduct are his delight.(W)
21 Be assured[d] that a wicked person
will not go unpunished,(X)
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.(Y)
24 One person gives freely,
yet gains more;(AB)
another withholds what is right,
only to become poor.(AC)
25 A generous person will be enriched,(AD)
and the one who gives a drink of water
will receive water.(AE)
26 People will curse(AF) anyone who hoards grain,
but a blessing will come to the one who sells it.(AG)
27 The one who searches for what is good(AH) seeks favor,
but if someone looks for trouble, it will come to him.(AI)
29 The one who brings ruin on his household(AL)
will inherit the wind,(AM)
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.(AP)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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