Proverbs 16:11-20

New International Version

¹¹ Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord;
    all the weights in the bag are of his making.^(A)

¹² Kings detest wrongdoing,
    for a throne is established through righteousness.^(B)

¹³ Kings take pleasure in honest lips;
    they value the one who speaks what is right.^(C)

¹⁴ A king’s wrath is a messenger of death,^(D)
    but the wise will appease it.^(E)

¹⁵ When a king’s face brightens, it means life;^(F)
    his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.^(G)

¹⁶ How much better to get wisdom than gold,
    to get insight^(H) rather than silver!^(I)

¹⁷ The highway of the upright avoids evil;
    those who guard their ways preserve their lives.^(J)

¹⁸ Pride^(K) goes before destruction,
    a haughty spirit^(L) before a fall.^(M)

¹⁹ Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed
    than to share plunder with the proud.

²⁰ Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,^[a](N)
    and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.^(O)