Proverbs 18
Living Bible
18 The selfish man quarrels against every sound principle of conduct by demanding his own way.
2 A rebel doesn’t care about the facts. All he wants to do is yell.[a]
3 Sin brings disgrace.
4 A wise man’s words express deep streams of thought.
5 It is wrong for a judge to favor the wicked and condemn the innocent.
6-7 A fool gets into constant fights. His mouth is his undoing! His words endanger him.
8 What dainty morsels rumors are. They are eaten with great relish!
9 A lazy man is brother to the saboteur.
10 The Lord[b] is a strong fortress. The godly run to him and are safe.
11 The rich man thinks of his wealth as an impregnable defense, a high wall of safety. What a dreamer!
12 Pride ends in destruction; humility ends in honor.
13 What a shame—yes, how stupid!—to decide before knowing the facts!
14 A man’s courage[c] can sustain his broken body, but when courage dies, what hope is left?
15 The intelligent man is always open to new ideas. In fact, he looks for them.
16 A gift does wonders; it will bring you before men of importance!
17 Any story sounds true until someone tells the other side and sets the record straight.
18 A coin toss[d] ends arguments and settles disputes between powerful opponents.
19 It is harder to win back the friendship of an offended brother than to capture a fortified city.[e] His anger shuts you out like iron bars.
20 Ability to give wise advice satisfies like a good meal!
21 Those who love to talk will suffer the consequences. Men have died for saying the wrong thing!
22 The man who finds a wife finds a good thing; she is a blessing to him from the Lord.
23 The poor man pleads, and the rich man answers with insults.
24 There are “friends” who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 18:2 yell, literally, “express his opinion.”
- Proverbs 18:10 The Lord, literally, “The name of the Lord.”
- Proverbs 18:14 courage, literally, “spirit.”
- Proverbs 18:18 A coin toss, literally, “The lot.”
- Proverbs 18:19 The Hebrew of this verse is not clear.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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