Proverbs 8-11

Christian Standard Bible

²² “The Lord acquired^[c] me
at the beginning of his creation,^[d]
before his works of long ago.^(R)
23 I was formed^[e] before ancient times,
from the beginning, before the earth began.^(S)
24 I was born
when there were no watery depths^(T)
and no springs filled with water.
²⁵ Before the mountains were established,
prior to the hills,^(U) I was given birth—
²⁶ before he made the land, the fields,
or the first soil on earth.
²⁷ I was there when he established the heavens,^(V)
when he laid out the horizon on the surface of the ocean,^(W)
28 when he placed the skies above,
when the fountains of the ocean gushed out,
²⁹ when he set a limit for the sea
so that the waters would not violate his command,^(X)
when he laid out the foundations of the earth.^(Y)
30 I was a skilled craftsman^[f] beside him.^(Z)
I was his^[g] delight every day,
always rejoicing before him.
³¹ I was rejoicing in his inhabited world,^(AA)
delighting in the children of Adam.^(AB)

³² “And now, sons, listen to me;
those who keep my ways are happy.^(AC)
33 Listen to instruction and be wise;^(AD)
don’t ignore it.
³⁴ Anyone who listens to me is happy,^(AE)
watching at my doors every day,
waiting by the posts of my doorway.
³⁵ For the one who finds me finds life^(AF)
and obtains favor from the Lord,^(AG)
36 but the one who misses me^[h] harms himself;^(AH)
all who hate me love death.”^(AI)

¹⁰ “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,^(AU)
and the knowledge of the Holy One^(AV) is understanding.
¹¹ For by me your days will be many,
and years will be added to your life.
¹² If you are wise, you are wise for your own benefit;^(AW)
if you mock, you alone will bear the consequences.”

¹³ Folly is a rowdy woman;^(AX)
she is gullible and knows nothing.^(AY)
14 She sits by the doorway of her house,
on a seat at the highest point of the city,
¹⁵ calling to those who pass by,
who go straight ahead on their paths:^(AZ)
16 “Whoever is inexperienced, enter here!”
To the one who lacks sense, she says,
¹⁷ “Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten secretly is tasty!” ^(BA)
18 But he doesn’t know that the departed spirits are there,^(BB)
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.^(BC)

² Ill-gotten gains do not profit anyone,
but righteousness rescues from death.^(BF)

³ The Lord will not let the righteous go hungry,^(BG)
but he denies the wicked what they crave.^(BH)

⁴ Idle hands make one poor,
but diligent hands bring riches.^(BI)

⁵ The son who gathers during summer is prudent;
the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful.^(BJ)

⁶ Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.^(BK)

⁷ The remembrance of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.^(BL)

⁸ A wise heart accepts commands,^(BM)
but foolish lips will be destroyed.

⁹ The one who lives with integrity lives securely,^(BN)
but whoever perverts his ways will be found out.^(BO)

¹⁰ A sly wink of the eye^(BP) causes grief,
and foolish lips will be destroyed.

¹¹ The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,^(BQ)
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.^(BR)

¹² Hatred stirs up conflicts,
but love covers all offenses.^(BS)

¹³ Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
but a rod is for the back of the one who lacks sense.^(BT)

¹⁴ The wise store up knowledge,
but the mouth of the fool hastens destruction.^(BU)

¹⁵ The wealth of the rich is his fortified city;^(BV)
the poverty of the poor is their destruction.

¹⁶ The reward of the righteous is life;
the wages of the wicked is punishment.^(BW)

¹⁷ The one who follows instruction is on the path to life,
but the one who rejects correction goes astray.^(BX)

¹⁸ The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,
and whoever spreads slander is a fool.^(BY)

¹⁹ When there are many words, sin is unavoidable,
but the one who controls his lips is prudent.^(BZ)

²⁰ The tongue of the righteous is pure silver;
the heart of the wicked is of little value.^(CA)

²¹ The lips of the righteous feed many,
but fools die for lack of sense.^(CB)

²² The Lord’s blessing enriches,^(CC)
and he adds no painful effort to it.^[j](CD)

²³ As shameful conduct is pleasure for a fool,^(CE)
so wisdom is for a person of understanding.

²⁴ What the wicked dreads will come to him,^(CF)
but what the righteous desire will be given to them.^(CG)

²⁵ When the whirlwind passes,
the wicked are no more,^(CH)
but the righteous are secure forever.^(CI)

²⁶ Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,^(CJ)
so the slacker is to the one who sends him on an errand.

²⁷ The fear of the Lord prolongs life,^[k](CK)
but the years of the wicked are cut short.^(CL)

²⁸ The hope of the righteous is joy,^(CM)
but the expectation of the wicked will perish.^(CN)

²⁹ The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the honorable,
but destruction awaits evildoers.^(CO)

³⁰ The righteous will never be shaken,
but the wicked will not remain on the earth.^(CP)

³¹ The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom,^(CQ)
but a perverse tongue will be cut out.^(CR)

³² The lips of the righteous know what is appropriate,^(CS)
but the mouth of the wicked, only what is perverse.^(CT)

11 Dishonest scales are detestable to the Lord,^(CU)
but an accurate weight is his delight.^(CV)

² When arrogance comes, disgrace follows,
but with humility comes wisdom.^(CW)

³ The integrity of the upright guides them,^(CX)
but the perversity of the treacherous destroys them.^(CY)

⁴ Wealth is not profitable on a day of wrath,
but righteousness rescues from death.^(CZ)

⁵ The righteousness of the blameless clears his path,
but the wicked person will fall because of his wickedness.

⁶ The righteousness of the upright rescues them,
but the treacherous are trapped by their own desires.^(DA)

⁷ When the wicked person dies,
his expectation comes to nothing,
and hope placed in wealth^[l][m] vanishes.^(DB)

⁸ The righteous one is rescued from trouble;
in his place, the wicked one goes in.^(DC)

⁹ With his mouth the ungodly destroys his neighbor,
but through knowledge the righteous are rescued.

¹⁰ When the righteous thrive, a city rejoices;^(DD)
when the wicked die, there is joyful shouting.^(DE)

¹¹ A city is built up by the blessing of the upright,^(DF)
but it is torn down by the mouth of the wicked.^(DG)

¹² Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks sense,
but a person with understanding keeps silent.^(DH)

¹³ A gossip goes around revealing a secret,
but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.^(DI)

¹⁴ Without guidance, a people will fall,
but with many counselors there is deliverance.^(DJ)

¹⁵ If someone puts up security for a stranger,
he will suffer for it,^(DK)
but the one who hates such agreements is protected.

¹⁶ A gracious woman gains honor,
but violent^[n] people gain only riches.

¹⁷ A kind man benefits himself,^(DL)
but a cruel person brings ruin on himself.^(DM)

¹⁸ The wicked person earns an empty wage,
but the one who sows righteousness, a true reward.^(DN)

¹⁹ Genuine righteousness leads to life,^(DO)
but pursuing evil leads to death.^(DP)

²⁰ Those with twisted minds are detestable to the Lord,
but those with blameless conduct are his delight.^(DQ)

²¹ Be assured^[o] that a wicked person
will not go unpunished,^(DR)
but the offspring of the righteous will escape.

²² A beautiful woman who rejects good sense
is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.^(DS)

²³ The desire of the righteous turns out well,^(DT)
but the hope of the wicked leads to wrath.^(DU)

²⁴ One person gives freely,
yet gains more;^(DV)
another withholds what is right,
only to become poor.^(DW)

²⁵ A generous person will be enriched,^(DX)
and the one who gives a drink of water
will receive water.^(DY)

²⁶ People will curse^(DZ) anyone who hoards grain,
but a blessing will come to the one who sells it.^(EA)

²⁷ The one who searches for what is good^(EB) seeks favor,
but if someone looks for trouble, it will come to him.^(EC)

²⁸ Anyone trusting in his riches will fall,^(ED)
but the righteous will flourish like foliage.^(EE)

²⁹ The one who brings ruin on his household^(EF)
will inherit the wind,^(EG)
and a fool will be a slave
to someone whose heart is wise.

³⁰ The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,^(EH)
but a cunning person takes lives.^(EI)

³¹ If the righteous will be repaid on earth,
how much more the wicked and sinful.^(EJ)