Beginning
Contrast of the Righteous and the Wicked
10 The (A)proverbs of Solomon.
(B)A wise son makes a father glad,
But (C)a foolish son is a grief to his mother.
2 [a](D)Ill-gotten gains do not profit,
But righteousness delivers from death.
3 The Lord (E)will not allow the [b]righteous to hunger,
But He (F)will [c]reject the craving of the wicked.
4 Poor is he who works with a negligent hand,
But the (G)hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely,
But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully.
6 (H)Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
But (I)the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
7 The (J)memory of the righteous is blessed,
But (K)the name of the wicked will rot.
8 The (L)wise of heart will receive commands,
But [d]a babbling fool will be [e]ruined.
9 He (M)who walks in integrity walks securely,
But (N)he who perverts his ways will be found out.
10 He (O)who winks the eye causes trouble,
And [f](P)a babbling fool will be [g]ruined.
11 The (Q)mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
But (R)the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
But (S)love covers all transgressions.
13 On (T)the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found,
But (U)a rod is for the back of him who lacks [h]understanding.
14 Wise men (V)store up knowledge,
But with (W)the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.
15 The (X)rich man’s wealth is his [i]fortress,
The (Y)ruin of the poor is their poverty.
16 The [j](Z)wages of the righteous is life,
The income of the wicked, punishment.
17 He (AA)is on the path of life who heeds instruction,
But he who ignores reproof goes astray.
18 He (AB)who conceals hatred has lying lips,
And he who spreads slander is a fool.
19 When there are (AC)many words, transgression is unavoidable,
But (AD)he who restrains his lips is wise.
20 The tongue of the righteous is as (AE)choice silver,
The heart of the wicked is worth little.
21 The (AF)lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools (AG)die for lack of [k]understanding.
22 It is the (AH)blessing of the Lord that makes rich,
And He adds no sorrow to it.
23 Doing wickedness is like (AI)sport to a fool,
And so is wisdom to a man of understanding.
24 What (AJ)the wicked fears will come upon him,
But the (AK)desire of the righteous will be granted.
25 When the (AL)whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more,
But the (AM)righteous has an everlasting foundation.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the (AN)lazy one to those who send him.
27 The (AO)fear of the Lord prolongs [l]life,
But the (AP)years of the wicked will be shortened.
28 The (AQ)hope of the righteous is gladness,
But the (AR)expectation of the wicked perishes.
29 The (AS)way of the Lord is a stronghold to the upright,
But (AT)ruin to the workers of iniquity.
30 The (AU)righteous will never be shaken,
But (AV)the wicked will not dwell in the land.
31 The (AW)mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom,
But the (AX)perverted tongue will be cut out.
32 The lips of the righteous bring forth (AY)what is acceptable,
But the (AZ)mouth of the wicked what is perverted.
Contrast the Upright and the Wicked
11 A (BA)false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
But a (BB)just weight is His delight.
2 When (BC)pride comes, then comes dishonor,
But with the humble is wisdom.
3 The (BD)integrity of the upright will guide them,
But the (BE)crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.
4 (BF)Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
But (BG)righteousness delivers from death.
5 The (BH)righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way,
But (BI)the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,
But the treacherous will (BJ)be caught by their own greed.
7 When a wicked man dies, his (BK)expectation will perish,
And the (BL)hope of strong men perishes.
8 The righteous is delivered from trouble,
But the wicked [m]takes his place.
9 With his (BM)mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor,
But through knowledge the (BN)righteous will be delivered.
10 When it (BO)goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.
11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
12 He who despises his neighbor lacks [n]sense,
But a man of understanding keeps silent.
13 He (BP)who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets,
But he who is [o]trustworthy (BQ)conceals a matter.
14 Where there is no (BR)guidance the people fall,
But in abundance of counselors there is [p]victory.
15 He who is (BS)guarantor for a stranger will surely suffer for it,
But he who hates [q]being a guarantor is secure.
16 A (BT)gracious woman attains honor,
And ruthless men attain riches.
17 The (BU)merciful man does [r]himself good,
But the cruel man [s]does himself harm.
18 The wicked earns deceptive wages,
But he who (BV)sows righteousness gets a true reward.
19 He who is steadfast in (BW)righteousness will attain to life,
And (BX)he who pursues evil will bring about his own death.
20 The perverse in heart are an abomination to the Lord,
But the (BY)blameless in their [t]walk are His (BZ)delight.
21 [u]Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished,
But the [v]descendants of the righteous will be delivered.
22 As a (CA)ring of gold in a swine’s snout
So is a beautiful woman who lacks [w]discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous is only good,
But the (CB)expectation of the wicked is wrath.
24 There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more,
And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want.
25 The [x](CC)generous man will be [y]prosperous,
And he who (CD)waters will himself be watered.
26 He who withholds grain, the (CE)people will curse him,
But (CF)blessing will be on the head of him who (CG)sells it.
27 He who diligently seeks good seeks favor,
But (CH)he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.
28 He who (CI)trusts in his riches will fall,
But (CJ)the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.
29 He who (CK)troubles his own house will (CL)inherit wind,
And (CM)the foolish will be servant to the wisehearted.
30 The fruit of the righteous is (CN)a tree of life,
And (CO)he who is wise [z]wins souls.
31 If (CP)the righteous will be rewarded in the earth,
How much more the wicked and the sinner!
Contrast the Upright and the Wicked
12 Whoever loves [aa]discipline loves knowledge,
But he who hates reproof is stupid.
2 A (CQ)good man will obtain favor from the Lord,
But He will condemn a man [ab]who devises evil.
3 A man will (CR)not be established by wickedness,
But the root of the (CS)righteous will not be moved.
4 An [ac](CT)excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
But she who shames him is like (CU)rottenness in his bones.
5 The thoughts of the righteous are just,
But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
6 The (CV)words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
But the (CW)mouth of the upright will deliver them.
7 The (CX)wicked are overthrown and are no more,
But the (CY)house of the righteous will stand.
8 A man will be praised according to his insight,
But one of perverse [ad]mind will be despised.
9 Better is he who is lightly esteemed and has a servant
Than he who honors himself and lacks bread.
10 A (CZ)righteous man has regard for the life of his animal,
But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.
11 He (DA)who tills his land will have plenty of bread,
But he who pursues worthless things lacks [ae]sense.
12 The (DB)wicked man desires the [af]booty of evil men,
But the root of the righteous (DC)yields fruit.
13 [ag]An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
But the (DD)righteous will escape from trouble.
14 A man will be (DE)satisfied with good by the fruit of his [ah]words,
And the (DF)deeds of a man’s hands will return to him.
15 The (DG)way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.
16 A (DH)fool’s anger is known at once,
But a prudent man conceals dishonor.
17 He who [ai]speaks truth tells what is right,
But a false witness, deceit.
18 There is one who (DI)speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,
But the (DJ)tongue of the wise brings healing.
19 Truthful lips will be established forever,
But a (DK)lying tongue is only for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.
21 (DL)No harm befalls the righteous,
But the wicked are filled with trouble.
22 (DM)Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
But those who deal faithfully are His delight.
23 A (DN)prudent man conceals knowledge,
But the heart of fools proclaims folly.
24 The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the [aj]slack hand will be (DO)put to forced labor.
25 (DP)Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,
But a (DQ)good word makes it glad.
26 The righteous is a guide to his neighbor,
But the way of the wicked leads them astray.
27 A [ak]lazy man does not [al]roast his prey,
But the (DR)precious possession of a man is diligence.
28 (DS)In the way of righteousness is life,
And in its pathway there is no death.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.