Proverbs 16
New Living Translation
16 We can make our own plans,
but the Lord gives the right answer.
2 People may be pure in their own eyes,
but the Lord examines their motives.
3 Commit your actions to the Lord,
and your plans will succeed.
4 The Lord has made everything for his own purposes,
even the wicked for a day of disaster.
5 The Lord detests the proud;
they will surely be punished.
6 Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin.
By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil.
7 When people’s lives please the Lord,
even their enemies are at peace with them.
8 Better to have little, with godliness,
than to be rich and dishonest.
9 We can make our plans,
but the Lord determines our steps.
10 The king speaks with divine wisdom;
he must never judge unfairly.
11 The Lord demands accurate scales and balances;
he sets the standards for fairness.
12 A king detests wrongdoing,
for his rule is built on justice.
13 The king is pleased with words from righteous lips;
he loves those who speak honestly.
14 The anger of the king is a deadly threat;
the wise will try to appease it.
15 When the king smiles, there is life;
his favor refreshes like a spring rain.
16 How much better to get wisdom than gold,
and good judgment than silver!
17 The path of the virtuous leads away from evil;
whoever follows that path is safe.
18 Pride goes before destruction,
and haughtiness before a fall.
19 Better to live humbly with the poor
than to share plunder with the proud.
20 Those who listen to instruction will prosper;
those who trust the Lord will be joyful.
21 The wise are known for their understanding,
and pleasant words are persuasive.
22 Discretion is a life-giving fountain to those who possess it,
but discipline is wasted on fools.
23 From a wise mind comes wise speech;
the words of the wise are persuasive.
24 Kind words are like honey—
sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.
25 There is a path before each person that seems right,
but it ends in death.
26 It is good for workers to have an appetite;
an empty stomach drives them on.
27 Scoundrels create trouble;
their words are a destructive blaze.
28 A troublemaker plants seeds of strife;
gossip separates the best of friends.
29 Violent people mislead their companions,
leading them down a harmful path.
30 With narrowed eyes, people plot evil;
with a smirk, they plan their mischief.
31 Gray hair is a crown of glory;
it is gained by living a godly life.
32 Better to be patient than powerful;
better to have self-control than to conquer a city.
33 We may throw the dice,[a]
but the Lord determines how they fall.
Footnotes
- 16:33 Hebrew We may cast lots.
Proverbs 16
International Standard Version
Wisdom’s Blessings
2 Everything a person does seems pure in his own opinion,
but the Lord weighs intentions.
3 Entrust your work to the Lord,
and your planning will succeed.
4 The Lord made everything answerable to him,
including the wicked at the time of trouble.[c]
5 The Lord detests those who are proud;
truly they will not go unpunished.
6 Iniquity is atoned for by gracious love and truth,
and through fear of the Lord people[d] turn from evil.
7 When a person’s ways please the Lord,
even his enemies will be at peace with him.
8 A little gain[e] with righteousness is better
than great income without justice.
9 A person plans his way,
but the Lord directs his steps.
10 When a king is ready to speak officially,[f]
what he says should not err with respect to justice.
11 Honest scales and balances are from the Lord;
he made all the weights in the bag.
12 Kings detest wrongdoing,
for through righteousness the throne is established.
13 Kings take pleasure in righteous speech;
they treasure a person who speaks what is upright.
14 The king’s wrath results in a death sentence,
but whoever is wise will appease him.
15 When a king is pleased,[g] there is life,
and his favor is like a cloud that brings spring rain.
16 How much better than gaining gold is the acquisition of wisdom,
the attainment of wisdom better than silver!
17 The road of the upright circumvents evil,
and whoever watches how he lives[h] preserves his life.
18 Pride precedes destruction;
an arrogant spirit appears before a fall.
19 Better to be humble among the poor,
than to share what is stolen with the proud.
20 Whoever listens to a word of instruction prospers,
and anyone who trusts in the Lord is blessed.
21 The wise-hearted person is told to be discerning,
and that pleasant speech promotes instruction.
22 Anyone who has understanding is a fountain of life,
but foolishness brings punishment to fools.
23 A wise person’s thoughts[i] control his words,
and his speech promotes instruction.
24 Pleasant words are honey from a honeycomb—
sweet to the soul and healing for the body.[j]
Advice to the Wise
25 There is a road that seems right for a man to travel,[k]
but in the end it’s the road to death.
26 The appetite of the laborer motivates him;
indeed, his hunger drives him on.
27 A worthless person concocts evil gossip[l]—
his lips are like a burning fire.
28 A deceitful man stirs dissension,
and anyone who gossips separates friends.
29 A violent man entices his companion
and leads him on a path that is not good.
30 Whoever winks knowingly[m] is plotting[n] deceit;
anyone who purses his lips is bent towards evil.
31 Gray hair is a crown of glory;
it is obtained by following[o] a righteous path.
32 Whoever controls his temper is better than a warrior,
and anyone who has control of his spirit is better
than someone who captures a city.
33 The dice is cast into someone’s lap,
but the outcome is from the Lord.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 16:1 Lit. Preparations of the heart belong to human beings
- Proverbs 16:1 Or the response of the tongue
- Proverbs 16:4 Lit. evil
- Proverbs 16:6 The Heb. lacks people
- Proverbs 16:8 The Heb. lacks gain
- Proverbs 16:10 Lit. king speaks an oracle
- Proverbs 16:15 Lit. a king’s face lightens
- Proverbs 16:17 Lit. watches his path
- Proverbs 16:23 Lit. heart
- Proverbs 16:24 Lit. bone
- Proverbs 16:25 The Heb. lacks to travel
- Proverbs 16:27 The Heb. lacks gossip
- Proverbs 16:30 Lit. with his eyes
- Proverbs 16:30 So MT; LXX Syr Targ Vg read winks with his eyes considers
- Proverbs 16:31 The Heb. lacks following
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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