Proverbs 3:9-10
The Voice
9 Pay tribute to the Eternal in all of your affairs.
Honor Him with the best of what you make.
10 That way you will prosper to the fullest
and have plenty of food to eat and wine to drink.
Proverbs 10:2-4
The Voice
Solomon’s proverbs were originally short, pithy, easily remembered sayings brought together around certain themes. They started as oral traditions and were eventually written in a Hebrew poetic form known as parallelism. Chapters 10–15 are dominated by antithetical parallelism, meaning a statement is made in line 1 and then contrasted in line 2. Chapters 16–22 contain both synonymous and synthetic parallelism. In synonymous parallelism, the ideas in line 1 are repeated in line 2 using different words. In synthetic parallelism, later lines serve to expand, define, and elaborate the first lines.
2 Riches gained through dishonest means will eventually vanish,
but doing what is right avoids a deadly consequence.
3 The Eternal does not allow the right-living to go hungry,
but He will frustrate the plans of the wicked.
4 A slack hand produces nothing but poverty,
but an industrious hand soon takes hold of riches.
Proverbs 10:15
The Voice
15 The wealth of the rich is their powerful fortress;
the poverty of the poor reduces them to rubble.
Proverbs 10:22
The Voice
Perhaps the ancients knew the power of words better than we do. Words can conceal, reveal, destroy, and encourage. Words are extremely powerful, so Wisdom urges us to use a few carefully chosen words and to pick our conversations equally well.
22 The blessing of the Eternal is what makes someone rich,
and He doesn’t add pain to it.
Proverbs 11:4
The Voice
4 Riches won’t matter on the day of wrath,
but right living will rescue from death.
Proverbs 11:25
The Voice
25 A giving person will receive much in return,
and someone who gives water will also receive the water he needs.
Proverbs 11:28
The Voice
28 Those who trust in their wealth are headed for great disappointment,
but those who do right will sprout like green leaves in the spring.
Proverbs 13:7-8
The Voice
7 One pretends he is wealthy but has nothing,
while another seems to be poor but has great wealth.
8 The rich are targeted and must ransom their lives,
but no one bothers to threaten the poor.
Proverbs 13:11
The Voice
11 Money earned hastily is easily lost,
but hard-earned money continues to grow.
Proverbs 13:22
The Voice
22 A good person leaves an inheritance for his grandchildren,
but the wealth of the sinner is eventually passed on to the right-living.
Proverbs 14:20
The Voice
20 The poor are hated even by their own neighbors,
but the rich are loved by many friends.
Proverbs 14:24
The Voice
24 The wise are honored for their wealth;
the reward of fools is more foolishness.
Proverbs 15:6
The Voice
6 Great treasure may be found where the right-living make their home,
but trouble awaits the wicked at every turn.
Proverbs 15:16-17
The Voice
16 It is better to live with less and honor the Eternal
than to have riches and carry the burdens that come with them.
17 Better to eat only vegetables served lovingly
than a fattened ox served hatefully.
Proverbs 16:20
The Voice
20 Those devoted to instruction will prosper in goodness;
those who trust in the Eternal will experience His favor.
Proverbs 18:11
The Voice
11 The rich think their wealth is their sturdy fortress;
they imagine it to be an invincible wall of security.
Proverbs 19:4
The Voice
4 Wealth attracts many friends,
but the poor are soon separated from theirs.
Proverbs 20:21
The Voice
21 An inheritance acquired hastily at first
will end up not being blessed after all.
Proverbs 21:5-6
The Voice
5 A well-thought-out plan will work to your advantage,
but hasty actions will cost you dearly.
6 The fortune made by a swindler
is a fast-burning fog and a recipe for death.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
