Proverbs 20:28-21:6

New King James Version

²⁸^(A)Mercy and truth preserve the king,
And by ^[a]lovingkindness he upholds his throne.

²⁹The glory of young men is their strength,
And ^(B)the splendor of old men is their gray head.

³⁰Blows that hurt cleanse away evil,
As do stripes the ^[b]inner depths of the heart.

21 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord,
Like the ^[c]rivers of water;
He turns it wherever He wishes.

²^(C)Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
^(D)But the Lord weighs the hearts.

³^(E)To do righteousness and justice
Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

⁴^(F)A haughty look, a proud heart,
And the ^[d]plowing of the wicked are sin.

⁵^(G)The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty,
But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.

⁶^(H)Getting treasures by a lying tongue
^[e]Is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death.

Proverbs 20:28 mercy
Proverbs 20:30 Lit. rooms of the belly
Proverbs 21:1 channels
Proverbs 21:4 Or lamp
Proverbs 21:6 LXX Pursue vanity on the snares of death; Vg. Is vain and foolish, and shall stumble on the snares of death; Tg. They shall be destroyed, and they shall fall who seek death

Proverbs 20:28-21:6

New International Version

²⁸Love and faithfulness keep a king safe;
through love^(A) his throne is made secure.^(B)

²⁹The glory of young men is their strength,
gray hair the splendor of the old.^(C)

³⁰Blows and wounds scrub^(D) away evil,
and beatings^(E) purge the inmost being.

21 In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water
that he channels toward all who please him.^(F)

²A person may think their own ways are right,
but the Lord weighs the heart.^(G)

³To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.^(H)

⁴Haughty eyes^(I) and a proud heart—
the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin.

⁵The plans of the diligent lead to profit^(J)
as surely as haste leads to poverty.

⁶A fortune made by a lying tongue
is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.^[a]^(K)

Proverbs 21:6 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts vapor for those who seek death

New King James Version (NKJV)

New International Version (NIV)