Proverbs 18-22

New King James Version

² A fool has no delight in understanding,
But in expressing his ^(A)own heart.

³ When the wicked comes, contempt comes also;
And with dishonor comes reproach.

^4 (B)The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
^(C)The wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook.

⁵ It is not good to show partiality to the wicked,
Or to overthrow the righteous in ^(D)judgment.

⁶ A fool’s lips enter into contention,
And his mouth calls for blows.
^7 (E)A fool’s mouth is his destruction,
And his lips are the snare of his ^(F)soul.
^8 (G)The words of a ^[b]talebearer are like ^[c]tasty trifles,
And they go down into the ^[d]inmost body.

⁹ He who is slothful in his work
Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.

¹⁰ The name of the Lord is a strong ^(H)tower;
The righteous run to it and are ^[e]safe.
¹¹ The rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own esteem.

^12 (I)Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty,
And before honor is humility.

¹³ He who answers a matter before he hears it,
It is folly and shame to him.

¹⁴ The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness,
But who can bear a broken spirit?

¹⁵ The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge,
And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

^16 (J)A man’s gift makes room for him,
And brings him before great men.

¹⁷ The first one to plead his cause seems right,
Until his neighbor comes and examines him.

¹⁸ Casting ^(K)lots causes contentions to cease,
And keeps the mighty apart.

¹⁹ A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city,
And contentions are like the bars of a castle.

^20 (L)A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth;
From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.

^21 (M)Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.

^22 (N)He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from the Lord.

²³ The poor man uses entreaties,
But the rich answers ^(O)roughly.

²⁴ A man who has friends ^[f]must himself be friendly,
^(P)But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

² Also it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge,
And he sins who hastens with his feet.

³ The foolishness of a man twists his way,
And his heart frets against the Lord.

^4 (R)Wealth makes many friends,
But the poor is separated from his friend.

⁵ A ^(S)false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who speaks lies will not escape.

⁶ Many entreat the favor of the nobility,
And every man is a friend to one who gives gifts.
^7 (T)All the brothers of the poor hate him;
How much more do his friends go ^(U)far from him!
He may pursue them with words, yet they ^[g]abandon him.

⁸ He who gets ^[h]wisdom loves his own soul;
He who keeps understanding ^(V)will find good.

⁹ A false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who speaks lies shall perish.

¹⁰ Luxury is not fitting for a fool,
Much less ^(W)for a servant to rule over princes.

^11 (X)The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger,
^(Y)And his glory is to overlook a transgression.

^12 (Z)The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion,
But his favor is ^(AA)like dew on the grass.

^13 (AB)A foolish son is the ruin of his father,
^(AC)And the contentions of a wife are a continual ^[i]dripping.

^14 (AD)Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers,
But ^(AE)a prudent wife is from the Lord.

^15 (AF)Laziness casts one into a deep sleep,
And an idle person will ^(AG)suffer hunger.

^16 (AH)He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul,
But he who ^[j]is careless of his ways will die.

^17 (AI)He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord,
And He will pay back what he has given.

^18 (AJ)Chasten your son while there is hope,
And do not set your heart ^[k]on his destruction.

¹⁹ A man of great wrath will suffer punishment;
For if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.

²⁰ Listen to counsel and receive instruction,
That you may be wise ^(AK)in your latter days.

²¹ There are many plans in a man’s heart,
^(AL)Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.

²² What is desired in a man is ^[l]kindness,
And a poor man is better than a liar.

^23 (AM)The fear of the Lord leads to life,
And he who has it will abide in satisfaction;
He will not be visited with evil.

^24 (AN)A lazy man buries his hand in the ^[m]bowl,
And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

²⁵ Strike a scoffer, and the simple ^(AO)will become wary;
^(AP)Rebuke one who has understanding, and he will discern knowledge.

²⁶ He who mistreats his father and chases away his mother
Is ^(AQ)a son who causes shame and brings reproach.

²⁷ Cease listening to instruction, my son,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge.

²⁸ A ^[n]disreputable witness scorns justice,
And ^(AR)the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.

²⁹ Judgments are prepared for scoffers,
^(AS)And beatings for the backs of fools.

² The ^[o]wrath of a king is like the roaring of a lion;
Whoever provokes him to anger sins against his own life.

^3 (AU)It is honorable for a man to stop striving,
Since any fool can start a quarrel.

^4 (AV)The lazy man will not plow because of winter;
^(AW)He will beg during harvest and have nothing.

⁵ Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water,
But a man of understanding will draw it out.

⁶ Most men will proclaim each his own ^[p]goodness,
But who can find a faithful man?

^7 (AX)The righteous man walks in his integrity;
^(AY)His children are blessed after him.

⁸ A king who sits on the throne of judgment
Scatters all evil with his eyes.

^9 (AZ)Who can say, “I have made my heart clean,
I am pure from my sin”?

^10 (BA)Diverse weights and diverse measures,
They are both alike, an abomination to the Lord.

¹¹ Even a child is ^(BB)known by his deeds,
Whether what he does is pure and right.

^12 (BC)The hearing ear and the seeing eye,
The Lord has made them both.

^13 (BD)Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty;
Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread.

¹⁴ “It is ^[q]good for nothing,” cries the buyer;
But when he has gone his way, then he boasts.

¹⁵ There is gold and a multitude of rubies,
But ^(BE)the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

^16 (BF)Take the garment of one who is surety for a stranger,
And hold it as a pledge when it is for a seductress.

^17 (BG)Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.

^18 (BH)Plans are established by counsel;
^(BI)By wise counsel wage war.

^19 (BJ)He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets;
Therefore do not associate with one ^(BK)who flatters with his lips.

^20 (BL)Whoever curses his father or his mother,
^(BM)His lamp will be put out in deep darkness.

^21 (BN)An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning
^(BO)Will not be blessed at the end.

^22 (BP)Do not say, “I will ^[r]recompense evil”;
^(BQ)Wait for the Lord, and He will save you.

²³ Diverse weights are an abomination to the Lord,
And dishonest scales are not good.

²⁴ A man’s steps are of the Lord;
How then can a man understand his own way?

²⁵ It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy,
And afterward to reconsider his vows.

^26 (BR)A wise king sifts out the wicked,
And brings the threshing wheel over them.

^27 (BS)The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord,
Searching all the ^[s]inner depths of his heart.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

⁷ The violence of the wicked will ^[y]destroy them,
Because they refuse to do justice.

⁸ The way of ^[z]a guilty man is perverse;
But as for the pure, his work is right.

⁹ Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop,
Than in a house shared with ^(CB)a contentious woman.

^10 (CC)The soul of the wicked desires evil;
His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.

¹¹ When the scoffer is punished, the simple is made wise;
But when the ^(CD)wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.

¹² The righteous God wisely considers the house of the wicked,
Overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness.

^13 (CE)Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor
Will also cry himself and not be heard.

¹⁴ A gift in secret pacifies anger,
And a bribe ^[aa]behind the back, strong wrath.

¹⁵ It is a joy for the just to do justice,
But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.

¹⁶ A man who wanders from the way of understanding
Will rest in the assembly of the ^(CF)dead.

¹⁷ He who loves pleasure will be a poor man;
He who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

¹⁸ The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous,
And the unfaithful for the upright.

¹⁹ Better to dwell ^[ab]in the wilderness,
Than with a contentious and angry woman.

^20 (CG)There is desirable treasure,
And oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man squanders it.

^21 (CH)He who follows righteousness and mercy
Finds life, righteousness, and honor.

²² A ^(CI)wise man ^[ac]scales the city of the mighty,
And brings down the trusted stronghold.

^23 (CJ)Whoever guards his mouth and tongue
Keeps his soul from troubles.

²⁴ A proud and haughty man—“Scoffer” is his name;
He acts with arrogant pride.

²⁵ The ^(CK)desire of the lazy man kills him,
For his hands refuse to labor.
²⁶ He covets greedily all day long,
But the righteous ^(CL)gives and does not spare.

^27 (CM)The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
How much more when he brings it with wicked intent!

²⁸ A false witness shall perish,
But the man who hears him will speak endlessly.

²⁹ A wicked man hardens his face,
But as for the upright, he ^[ad]establishes his way.

^30 (CN)There is no wisdom or understanding
Or counsel against the Lord.

³¹ The horse is prepared for the day of battle,
But ^(CO)deliverance is of the Lord.

² The ^(CQ)rich and the poor have this in common,
The ^(CR)Lord is the maker of them all.

³ A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself,
But the simple pass on and are ^(CS)punished.

⁴ By humility and the fear of the Lord
Are riches and honor and life.

⁵ Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
He who guards his soul will be far from them.

^6 (CT)Train up a child in the way he should go,
^[ae]And when he is old he will not depart from it.

⁷ The ^(CU)rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower is servant to the lender.

⁸ He who sows iniquity will reap ^(CV)sorrow,^[af]
And the rod of his anger will fail.

^9 (CW)He who has a ^[ag]generous eye will be ^(CX)blessed,
For he gives of his bread to the poor.

^10 (CY)Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave;
Yes, strife and reproach will cease.

^11 (CZ)He who loves purity of heart
And has grace on his lips,
The king will be his friend.

¹² The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge,
But He overthrows the words of the faithless.

^13 (DA)The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside!
I shall be slain in the streets!”

^14 (DB)The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit;
^(DC)He who is abhorred by the Lord will fall there.

¹⁵ Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
^(DD)The rod of correction will drive it far from him.

¹⁶ He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches,
And he who gives to the rich, will surely come to poverty.

²² Do not rob the ^(DG)poor because he is poor,
Nor oppress the afflicted at the gate;
^23 (DH)For the Lord will plead their cause,
And plunder the soul of those who plunder them.

²⁴ Make no friendship with an angry man,
And with a ^(DI)furious man do not go,
²⁵ Lest you learn his ways
And set a snare for your soul.

^26 (DJ)Do not be one of those who ^[ai]shakes hands in a pledge,
One of those who is ^[aj]surety for debts;
²⁷ If you have nothing with which to pay,
Why should he take away your bed from under you?

^28 (DK)Do not remove the ancient ^[ak]landmark
Which your fathers have set.

²⁹ Do you see a man who ^[al]excels in his work?
He will stand before kings;
He will not stand before ^[am]unknown men.