Proverbs 18
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 18
1 One who is alienated seeks a pretext,
with all persistence picks a quarrel.
2 Fools take no delight in understanding,
but only in displaying what they think.[a]
3 With wickedness comes contempt,
and with disgrace, scorn.
4 The words of one’s mouth are deep waters,
the spring of wisdom, a running brook.[b](A)
5 It is not good to favor the guilty,
nor to reject the claim of the just.(B)
6 The lips of fools walk into a fight,
and their mouths are asking for a beating.[c]
7 The mouths of fools are their ruin;
their lips are a deadly snare.(C)
8 The words of a talebearer are like dainty morsels:
they sink into one’s inmost being.(D)
9 Those slack in their work
are kin to the destroyer.
10 [d]The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the just run to it and are safe.
11 The wealth of the rich is their strong city;(E)
they fancy it a high wall.
12 Before disaster the heart is haughty,(F)
but before honor is humility.
13 Whoever answers before listening,(G)
theirs is folly and shame.[e]
14 One’s spirit supports one when ill,
but a broken spirit who can bear?[f]
15 The heart of the intelligent acquires knowledge,
and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.[g]
16 Gifts clear the way for people,
winning access to the great.(H)
17 Those who plead the case first seem to be in the right;
then the opponent comes and cross-examines them.[h]
18 The lot puts an end to disputes,
and decides a controversy between the mighty.[i]
19 A brother offended is more unyielding than a stronghold;
such strife is more daunting than castle gates.[j]
20 With the fruit of one’s mouth one’s belly is filled,
with the produce of one’s lips one is sated.[k](I)
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue;(J)
those who choose one shall eat its fruit.[l]
22 To find a wife is to find happiness,
a favor granted by the Lord.(K)
23 The poor implore,
but the rich answer harshly.
24 There are friends who bring ruin,
but there are true friends more loyal than a brother.(L)
Footnotes
- 18:2 One grows in wisdom by listening to others, but fools take delight in expounding the contents of their minds.
- 18:4 Words express a person’s thoughts (“deep waters”), which in turn become accessible to others. Cf. 20:5a.
- 18:6 The bold personification of lips and mouth is similar to Ps 73:9, “They set their mouths against the heavens, their tongues roam the earth.” Careless words can lead one into serious trouble.
- 18:10–11 Contrast this judgment with the observation in 10:15.
- 18:13 To speak without first listening is characteristic of a fool; cf. 10:14; Sir 11:8.
- 18:14 The paradox is that something as slight as a column of air offers protection against the encroachment of death. If it is stilled, nothing, no matter how powerful, can substitute for it.
- 18:15 “Knowledge” here refers to what one knows, not knowledge in itself. The mind acquires and stores it, the ear strains toward it.
- 18:17 A persuasive speech in court can easily make one forget there is another side to the question. When the other party speaks, people realize they made a premature judgment. The experience at court is a lesson for daily life: there are two sides to every question.
- 18:18 See note on 16:33.
- 18:19 The Greek version, followed by several ancient versions, has the opposite meaning: “A brother helped by a brother is like a strong and lofty city; it is strong like a well-founded palace.” The Greek is secondary as is shown by the need to supply the phrase “by a brother”; further, the parallelism is inadequate. The Hebrew is to be preferred.
- 18:20 Fruit from the earth is our ordinary sustenance, but “the fruit of one’s lips,” i.e., our words, also affect our well-being. If our words and our deeds are right, then we are blessed, our “belly is filled.”
- 18:21 This enigmatic saying has provoked many interpretations, e.g., judicious speech brings a reward; those who love the tongue in the sense of rattling on must face the consequences of their loquacity. This translation interprets the verb “love” in colon B in its occasional sense of “choose” (e.g., 12:1; 20:13; Dt 4:37) and interprets its pronominal object as referring to both death and life in colon A. Death and life are set before every person (cf. Dt 30:15–20) and we have the power to choose either one by the quality of our deeds. Words (= “the tongue”) are regarded here as the defining actions of human beings.
Mishle 18
Orthodox Jewish Bible
18 A man who separates himself seeks his own ta’avah (desire); he defies all tushiyyah (wisdom, sound judgment).
2 A kesil (fool) hath no delight in tevunah (understanding), but only in airing out his lev (mind, opinions).
3 When the rashah cometh, then cometh also contempt, and with dishonor, cherpah (reproach, disgrace).
4 The devarim of a man’s mouth are deep mayim; the makor chochmah is a flowing stream.
5 It is not tov to show partiality to the rashah, to subvert the tzaddik in mishpat.
6 The sfatayim (lips) of a kesil enter into contention, and his peh (mouth) inviteth blows.
7 The peh (mouth) of a kesil is his undoing, and his sfatayim (lips) are the mokesh (snare) of his nefesh.
8 The devarim of a nirgan (gossip, talebearer, slanderer) are like mitlachamim (delicious tidbits), and they go down into the innermost parts of the beten (belly).
9 He also that is slack in his work is brother to him that is ba’al mashchit (master of destruction).
10 The Shem of Hashem is a strong migdal (tower), the tzaddik runneth into it, and is safe.
11 The oisher’s wealth is his strong city, and is a high chomah in his own conceit.
12 Before shever (destruction) the lev ish is haughty, and before kavod is anavah (humility).
13 He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and kelimmah (reproach, shame) unto him.
14 The ruach ish will sustain him in sickness, but a crushed ruach who can bear?
15 The lev of the prudent acquireth da’as, and the ozen of the chachamim seeketh da’as.
16 The mattan adam (gift of a man) openeth the way for him, and bringeth him before gedolim.
17 He that is harishon (the first) to make his case seemeth tzaddik, but his re’a cometh and doth cross-examine him.
18 The goral (lot) causeth contentions to cease, and keepeth the mighty apart.
19 A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city, and their contentious quarrelings are like the bars of an armon (citadel).
20 An ish’s beten shall be filled with the fruit of his peh (mouth), and with the produce of his sfatayim (lips) shall he be satisfied.
21 Mavet and chayyim are in the power of the lashon, and they that love it shall eat the p’ri (fruit) thereof.
22 He who findeth an isha (wife) findeth tov, and obtaineth ratzon (favor) from Hashem.
23 The poor useth entreaties, but the oisher answereth roughly.
24 An ish of many companions may come to ruin, but there is an ohev (friend) that sticketh closer than a brother.
箴言 18
Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Traditional)
善惡互論垂為箴言
18 與眾寡合的，獨自尋求心願，並惱恨一切真智慧。 2 愚昧人不喜愛明哲，只喜愛顯露心意。 3 惡人來，藐視隨來；羞恥到，辱罵同到。 4 人口中的言語如同深水，智慧的泉源好像湧流的河水。 5 瞻徇惡人的情面，偏斷義人的案件，都為不善。 6 愚昧人張嘴啟爭端，開口招鞭打。 7 愚昧人的口自取敗壞，他的嘴是他生命的網羅。 8 傳舌人的言語如同美食，深入人的心腹。 9 做工懈怠的，與浪費人為弟兄。 10 耶和華的名是堅固臺，義人奔入便得安穩。 11 富足人的財物是他的堅城，在他心想，猶如高牆。 12 敗壞之先，人心驕傲；尊榮以前，必有謙卑。 13 未曾聽完先回答的，便是他的愚昧和羞辱。 14 人有疾病心能忍耐，心靈憂傷，誰能承當呢？ 15 聰明人的心得知識，智慧人的耳求知識。 16 人的禮物為他開路，引他到高位的人面前。 17 先訴情由的似乎有理，但鄰舍來到，就察出實情。 18 掣籤能止息爭競，也能解散強盛的人。 19 弟兄結怨，勸他和好比取堅固城還難，這樣的爭競如同堅寨的門閂。 20 人口中所結的果子必充滿肚腹，他嘴所出的必使他飽足。 21 生死在舌頭的權下，喜愛它的必吃它所結的果子。 22 得著賢妻的，是得著好處，也是蒙了耶和華的恩惠。 23 貧窮人說哀求的話，富足人用威嚇的話回答。 24 濫交朋友的自取敗壞，但有一朋友比弟兄更親密。
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