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
Lexham English Bible
16 To mortals belong the plans of the heart,
but from Yahweh comes the answer of the tongue.
2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
but Yahweh weighs the spirit.[a]
3 Commit your work to Yahweh,
and your plans will be established.
4 All Yahweh has made is for his[b] purpose,
and even the wicked for the day of trouble.
5 An abomination of Yahweh are all who are arrogant of heart;[c]
rest assured,[d] he will not go unpunished.
6 By loyalty and faithfulness, iniquity will be covered over,[e]
and by fear of Yahweh one turns[f] from evil.
7 When the ways of a man are pleasing to Yahweh,
even his enemies he will cause to make peace with him.
8 Better is little with righteousness
than great income with no justice.
9 The mind[g] of a person will plan his ways,
and Yahweh will direct his steps.
10 A decision is upon the lips of a king;
in judgment his mouth will not sin.
11 A balance and scales of justice belong to Yahweh;
all the weights of the bag are his work.
12 An abomination to kings is doing evil,
for by righteousness the throne will be established.
13 The delight of kings are the lips of righteousness,
and he who speaks what is upright he will love.
14 The wrath of a king is a messenger of death,
but one who is wise will appease[h] it.
15 In the light of the face of the king there is life,
and his favor is like a cloud of spring rain.
16 Getting wisdom: how much[i] better than gold!
And getting understanding: it is chosen over[j] silver.
17 The highway of the upright, it turns from evil,
he who guards himself[k] keeps his way.
18 Before destruction comes pride,
and before a fall, a haughty spirit.[l]
19 Better a lowly spirit with the poor
than dividing the spoil with the proud.
20 He who is attentive to a matter will find goodness,
and he who trusts in Yahweh, his own happiness.
21 The wise of heart[m] is called perceptive,
but he who is pleasant of lips will increase persuasiveness.
22 A fountain of life is wisdom for its owner,[n]
but the instruction[o] of fools is folly.
23 The heart[p] of the wise will make his mouth judicious,
and upon his lips, it[q] will add persuasiveness.
24 Pleasant sayings are a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and healing to the bones.
25 There is a way that seems upright to[r] a man,
but its end is the way of death.
26 The life[s] of a worker works for him,
for his hunger[t] urges him.
27 A man of wickedness concocts evil,
and his lips are like a scorching fire.
28 A person of perversity will spread dissent,
and he who whispers separates a close friend.
29 A person of violence will entice his neighbor
and cause him to walk on a way that is not good.
30 He who winks his eyes does so in order to plan perverse things;
he who purses his lips will bring evil to pass.
31 A crown of glory is gray hair;
by a righteous life it is gained.
32 He who is slow to anger[u] is better than him who is mighty,
and he who controls his spirit than him who captures a city.
33 The lot will be cast into the lap,
but all of its decisions are from Yahweh.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 16:2 Or “breath”
- Proverbs 16:4 Or “its”
- Proverbs 16:5 Or “mind”
- Proverbs 16:5 Literally “hand to hand”
- Proverbs 16:6 Or “atoned for”
- Proverbs 16:6 Literally “turning”
- Proverbs 16:9 Literally “heart”
- Proverbs 16:14 Or “atone, cover over”
- Proverbs 16:16 Literally “what”
- Proverbs 16:16 Literally “from”
- Proverbs 16:17 Or “soul,” or “inner self”
- Proverbs 16:18 Hebrew “a haughty of spirit”
- Proverbs 16:21 Or “mind”
- Proverbs 16:22 Or “master”
- Proverbs 16:22 Or “punishment”
- Proverbs 16:23 Or “mind”
- Proverbs 16:23 Or “he”
- Proverbs 16:25 Literally “to the face of”
- Proverbs 16:26 Or “soul,” or “inner self”
- Proverbs 16:26 Literally “mouth”
- Proverbs 16:32 Literally “nostrils”
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