Proverbs 2:11-22
Evangelical Heritage Version
11 Foresight will stand guard over you.
Understanding will protect you.
12 It will save you from the evil way,
from the man who speaks perverse things,
13 from those who abandon upright paths
in order to walk in the ways of darkness.
14 It will save you from those who enjoy doing evil,
from those who celebrate the twisted ways of evil,
15 from those whose paths are crooked,
and from those whose ways are devious.
Wisdom Protects You From the Adulterous Woman
16 Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman,[a]
from the unfaithful woman[b] with her seductive words,
17 who abandons the husband of her youth
and forgets the covenant of her God.
18 So she sinks down to death, which becomes her house.[c]
Her way of life leads down to the spirits of the dead.
19 All who enter her house never return.
They never reach the paths of life.
Admonition to Live Righteously
20 This is how to walk in the way of good people,
how to stay on the paths of the righteous.
21 Yes, the upright will live in the land,
and people with integrity will remain in it,
22 but wicked people will be cut off from the land,
and treacherous people will be torn out of it.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 2:16 Literally from the strange woman, that is, one who is married to another man
- Proverbs 2:16 Literally from the foreign woman, that is, one who is married to another man
- Proverbs 2:18 The line is difficult and the translation is uncertain.
Proverbs 2:11-22
Lexham English Bible
11 Discretion will watch over you;
understanding will protect you,
12 in order to deliver you from the way of evil,[a]
from a man who speaks devious things—
13 those who forsake the paths of uprightness
to walk in ways of darkness,
14 those who are happy to do evil,
for they delight in the deviousness of evil,
15 who are crooked in their ways,[b]
and devious in their paths;
16 in order to deliver you from a strange woman,
from a foreign woman who flatters[c] with her sayings,
17 she who forsakes the partner of her youth
and has forgotten the covenant of her God,
18 for her house sinks to death,
and to the dead[d] are her paths.
19 Of all who go to her, none shall return,
nor do they reach paths of life.
20 So that you will walk on the road of those who are good,
and the paths of those who are righteous you shall keep.
21 For those who are upright will dwell in the land,[e]
and those who are blameless[f] will remain in it.
22 And those who are wicked will be cut off from the land,
and those who are treacherous will be uprooted from it.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 2:12 Or “evildoer”
- Proverbs 2:15 Literally “that in their ways are crooked”
- Proverbs 2:16 Or “makes smooth”
- Proverbs 2:18 Or “Rephaim”
- Proverbs 2:21 Or “earth”
- Proverbs 2:21 Or “innocent”
Proverbs 3:31-32
Evangelical Heritage Version
31 Do not envy a violent person.
Do not choose any of his ways,
32 because a crooked person is an abomination[a] to the Lord,
but God’s friendly guidance leads[b] the upright.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 3:32 Or is disgusting or is repulsive
- Proverbs 3:32 Or intimate counsel guides
Proverbs 3:31-32
Lexham English Bible
31 Do not envy a man of violence,
and do not choose any of his ways,
32 for he who is perverse is an abomination of Yahweh,
but those who are upright are his confidence.
Proverbs 6:12-15
Evangelical Heritage Version
Dishonesty Leads to Disaster
12 A worthless, wicked scoundrel,
who goes around with a corrupt mouth,
13 who winks with his eye, signals with his foot,
and gestures with his fingers,
14 who plots evil with a deceitful heart—
he always spreads conflict.
15 Therefore his disaster will come upon him suddenly.
All at once he will be broken, and there will be no remedy.
Proverbs 6:12-15
Lexham English Bible
Against Worthlessness
12 A worthless man, an evil man,
goes around with deceitful speech.[a]
13 Winking in his eye, shuffling in his foot,
pointing in his fingers,
14 perversion in his heart, he devises evil;
at all times he will send out discord.[b]
15 Upon such a man,[c] suddenly shall his calamity come;
in a moment he will be damaged and there is no healing.[d]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:12 Literally “crookedness of mouth”
- Proverbs 6:14 Or “quarrels”
- Proverbs 6:15 Literally “thus”
- Proverbs 6:15 Or “repair”
Proverbs 10:6
Evangelical Heritage Version
Wise Words and Wise Ways
6 Blessings crown the head of a righteous person,
but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.[a]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 10:6 Or the mouth of the wicked conceals violence
Proverbs 10:6
Lexham English Bible
6 Blessings belong to the head of the righteous,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
Proverbs 10:11-13
Evangelical Heritage Version
11 The mouth of a righteous person is a fountain of life,
but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.[a]
12 Hatred stirs up a quarrel,
but love covers all sins.
13 Wisdom is found on the lips of a discerning person,
but a rod is appropriate for the back of one who lacks sense.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 10:11 Or the mouth of the wicked conceals violence
Proverbs 10:11-13
Lexham English Bible
11 A fountain of life is a mouth of righteousness,
and a mouth of wickedness conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
but love covers over all offenses.
13 On the lips of one who has understanding, wisdom is found,
but a rod is for the back of one who lacks sense.[a]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 10:13 Literally “heart”
Proverbs 10:18
Evangelical Heritage Version
18 Whoever conceals hatred has lying lips,
and whoever spreads gossip is a fool.
Proverbs 10:18
Lexham English Bible
18 He who conceals hatred has lips of deceit,
and he who utters slander—he is a fool.
Proverbs 11:13
Evangelical Heritage Version
13 A gossip goes around betraying secrets,
but a trustworthy spirit keeps a matter confidential.
Proverbs 11:13
Lexham English Bible
13 A gossip walks about telling a secret,
but the trustworthy in spirit keeps the matter.
Proverbs 12:15-18
Evangelical Heritage Version
15 The way of a stubborn fool seems correct to him,
but whoever listens to advice is wise.
16 A stubborn fool immediately lets his annoyance be known,
but a sensible person overlooks an insult.
17 Whoever breathes the truth proclaims righteousness,
but a lying witness is deceitful.
18 Some people wield reckless words like the thrusts of a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 12:15-18
Lexham English Bible
15 The way of a fool is upright in his own eyes,
but he who listens to advice is wise.
16 As for a fool, on that very day[a] he makes his anger known,
but he who ignores an insult is prudent.
17 He who will speak truth will reveal righteousness,
but the witness of falsehood, deceit.
18 There is one who speaks rashly, like the thrust of a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 12:16 Literally “on the day”
Proverbs 13:16
Evangelical Heritage Version
16 Every sensible person acts with knowledge,
but a fool displays stupidity.
Proverbs 13:16
Lexham English Bible
16 Anyone who is clever will act with intelligence,
but the fool will display folly.
Proverbs 16:27-30
Evangelical Heritage Version
27 A worthless scoundrel constantly plots evil,
and from his lips comes a scorching fire.
28 A perverse[a] man spreads conflict,
and a gossip separates intimate friends.
29 A violent man entices his neighbor.
He leads him on a way that is not good.
30 A person who squints his eyes is plotting something perverse.
One who purses his lips has completed some evil plot.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 16:28 Or twisted
Proverbs 16:27-30
Lexham English Bible
27 A man of wickedness concocts evil,
and his lips are like a scorching fire.
28 A person of perversity will spread dissent,
and he who whispers separates a close friend.
29 A person of violence will entice his neighbor
and cause him to walk on a way that is not good.
30 He who winks his eyes does so in order to plan perverse things;
he who purses his lips will bring evil to pass.
Proverbs 17:4
Evangelical Heritage Version
4 An evildoer pays attention to wicked lips.
A liar feeds upon[a] a destructive tongue.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 17:4 Hebrew variant listens to
Proverbs 17:4
Lexham English Bible
4 He who does evil listens to lips of wickedness,
and the liar gives heed to the tongue of mischief.
Proverbs 17:9
Evangelical Heritage Version
9 A person who covers an offense pursues love,
but one who repeats the matter separates friends.
Proverbs 17:9
Lexham English Bible
9 He who forgives an affront fosters love,
but he who waits on a matter will alienate a friend.
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