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Proverbs 18
Legacy Standard Bible
Proverbs 18
Legacy Standard Bible
18 He who separates himself seeks his own desire,
He (A)breaks out in dispute against all sound wisdom.
2 A fool does not delight in discernment,
But only (B)in revealing his own heart.
3 When a wicked man comes, despising also comes,
And with disgrace comes reproach.
4 The words of a man’s mouth are (C)deep waters;
[a]The fountain of wisdom is a flowing brook.
5 To (D)show partiality to the wicked is not good,
Nor to (E)thrust aside the righteous in judgment.
6 A fool’s lips come with strife,
And his mouth calls for (F)beatings.
7 A (G)fool’s mouth is his ruin,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.
8 The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels,
And they go down into the [b]innermost parts of the stomach.
9 He also who is (H)slack in his work
(I)Is brother to him who destroys.
10 The (J)name of Yahweh is a (K)strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and is (L)set securely on high.
11 A (M)rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own delusion.
12 (N)Before destruction the heart of man is haughty,
But (O)humility goes before glory.
13 He who (P)responds with a word before he hears,
It is folly and shame to him.
14 The (Q)spirit of a man can endure his sickness,
But as for a (R)broken spirit, who can bear it?
15 The (S)heart of the understanding acquires knowledge,
And the (T)ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16 A man’s (U)gift makes room for him
And leads him into the presence of great men.
17 The first [c]to plead his case seems right,
Until [d]another comes and examines him.
18 The cast (V)lot puts an end to contentions
And [e]decides between the mighty ones.
19 A brother offended is harder to win over than a strong city,
And contentions are like the bars of a citadel.
20 From the [f](W)fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied;
(X)With the produce of his lips he will be satisfied.
21 (Y)Death and life are in the [g]power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its (Z)fruit.
22 He who finds a (AA)wife finds a good thing
And (AB)obtains favor from Yahweh.
23 The (AC)poor man speaks supplications,
But the (AD)rich man (AE)answers with strong words.
24 A man of too many friends comes to [h]ruin,
But there is (AF)a [i]friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 18:4 Or A bubbling brook, a fountain of wisdom
- Proverbs 18:8 Lit chambers of the belly
- Proverbs 18:17 Lit in his plea
- Proverbs 18:17 Lit his neighbor
- Proverbs 18:18 Lit makes a division
- Proverbs 18:20 Speech
- Proverbs 18:21 Lit hand
- Proverbs 18:24 Lit be broken in pieces
- Proverbs 18:24 Or lover
Proverbs 18
Evangelical Heritage Version
Proverbs 18
Evangelical Heritage Version
18 A person who is a loner seeks his own desires.
He fights against all sound judgment.
2 A fool finds no pleasure in understanding,
but only in revealing his own opinions.
3 When a wicked person comes, contempt comes with him,
and with dishonor comes disgrace.
4 The words from a man’s mouth are deep waters.
The fountain of wisdom is a flowing stream.
5 It is not good to show favoritism to a wicked person
in order to deprive a righteous person of justice.
6 A fool’s lips enter a fight,
and his mouth invites a beating.
7 A fool’s mouth is his destruction,
and his lips are a trap for his soul.[a]
8 The words of a gossip are like delicious food.
People gobble them right down.[b]
9 A person who fails to do his work
is a brother to a vandal.
10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower.
A righteous person runs inside and is protected.
11 A rich person’s wealth is his strong city.
In his imagination it is like a high wall.
12 Before destruction a man’s heart is proud,
but humility comes before honor.
13 If a person answers before he listens,
that is foolishness that brings disgrace.
14 A man’s spirit can endure illness,
but who can bear a broken spirit?
15 A discerning heart acquires knowledge,
and the ears of the wise seek knowledge.
16 A person’s gift opens doors[c] for him.
It leads him into the presence of great people.
17 The first person to state his case appears to be right.
Then his neighbor comes and cross-examines him.
18 Casting lots[d] ends disputes and decides between powerful people.
19 A brother who has been wronged is harder to regain than a strong city,
and disputes are like a bar across the gate of a citadel.
20 From the fruit of a man’s mouth, his stomach is satisfied.
He is satisfied with the harvest of his lips.
21 Life and death lie in the power of a tongue,
and those who love to use it will eat its fruit.
22 The man who finds a wife finds a good thing,
and he obtains favor from the Lord.
23 A poor man pleads for mercy,
but a rich man answers harshly.
24 A man with many acquaintances may suffer harm,
but there is a loving friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 18:7 Or his life
- Proverbs 18:8 Literally they go down to the rooms of the belly
- Proverbs 18:16 Or makes room
- Proverbs 18:18 This probably does not refer to the Urim and Thummim but to ordinary ways of making a choice, like a coin toss.
Proverbs 18
New International Version
Proverbs 18
New International Version
18 An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.
2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding
but delight in airing their own opinions.(A)
3 When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
and with shame comes reproach.
4 The words of the mouth are deep waters,(B)
but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.
6 The lips of fools bring them strife,
and their mouths invite a beating.(E)
8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to the inmost parts.(H)
9 One who is slack in his work
is brother to one who destroys.(I)
11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;(L)
they imagine it a wall too high to scale.
12 Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
but humility comes before honor.(M)
13 To answer before listening—
that is folly and shame.(N)
14 The human spirit can endure in sickness,
but a crushed spirit who can bear?(O)
15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,(P)
for the ears of the wise seek it out.
16 A gift(Q) opens the way
and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.
17 In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,
until someone comes forward and cross-examines.
18 Casting the lot settles disputes(R)
and keeps strong opponents apart.
19 A brother wronged(S) is more unyielding than a fortified city;
disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.
20 From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.(T)
23 The poor plead for mercy,
but the rich answer harshly.
24 One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.(Y)
Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)
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Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)
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