Proverbs 20:27-21:11

English Standard Version

^27 (A)The spirit^[a] of man is the lamp of the Lord,
    ^(B)searching all ^(C)his innermost parts.
^28 (D)Steadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king,
    and by steadfast love his ^(E)throne is upheld.
²⁹ The glory of young men is their strength,
    but ^(F)the splendor of old men is their gray hair.
^30 (G)Blows that wound cleanse away evil;
    strokes make clean ^(H)the innermost parts.
21 The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
    he ^(I)turns it wherever he will.
^2 (J)Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
    but the Lord ^(K)weighs the heart.
^3 (L)To do righteousness and justice
    is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
^4 (M)Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
    ^(N)the lamp^[b] of the wicked, are sin.
⁵ The plans of ^(O)the diligent lead surely to abundance,
    but everyone who is ^(P)hasty comes ^(Q)only to poverty.
^6 (R)The getting of treasures by a lying tongue
    is a ^(S)fleeting ^(T)vapor and a ^(U)snare of death.^[c]
7 The violence of the wicked will ^(V)sweep them away,
    because they refuse to do what is just.
⁸ The way of the guilty ^(W)is crooked,
    but the conduct of the pure is upright.
⁹ It is ^(X)better to live in a corner of the housetop
    than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
¹⁰ The soul of the wicked desires evil;
    his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.
¹¹ When ^(Y)a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise;
    when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.