Proverbs 1-15
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Chapter:
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31
Footnotes:
a. Proverbs 9:18 Sheol is the place of the dead.
Footnotes:
11:21 or, seed
PIB reduced verse number chapters are derived from the World English Bible
The verse numbers that have been retained are either at the beginning of paragraphs or every 5 - 10 verses depending on the amount of text. The paragraph numbers below are designed to aid locating verses while encourage reading these in a wider context.
The following full version of Proverbs, Chapters 1 - 15, is machine readable in Chrome and Safari [Edit > Speech > Start Speaking] or Microsoft Edge [Settings and more > Read aloud]
[HINT: To find Bible verses, use Ctrl+F (PC) or command+F (Mac) and copy in a short phrase from the PIB Scripture. E.g. 2-4 words, without the book name or verse numbers.]
Proverbs 1
Proverbs 1 [1.] The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel:
to know wisdom and instruction;
to discern the words of understanding;
to receive instruction in wise dealing,
in righteousness, justice, and equity;
to give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young man:
Proverbs 1 [5.] that the wise man may hear, and increase in learning;
that the man of understanding may attain to sound counsel:
to understand a proverb, and parables,
the words and riddles of the wise.
The fear of Yahweh[a] is the beginning of knowledge;
but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
My son, listen to your father’s instruction,
and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching:
for they will be a garland to grace your head,
and chains around your neck.
Proverbs 1 [10.] My son, if sinners entice you, don’t consent.
If they say, “Come with us,
Let’s lay in wait for blood;
let’s lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
let’s swallow them up alive like Sheol,[b]
and whole, like those who go down into the pit.
We’ll find all valuable wealth.
We’ll fill our houses with plunder.
You shall cast your lot among us.
We’ll all have one purse.”
Proverbs 1 [15.] My son, don’t walk on the path with them.
Keep your foot from their path,
for their feet run to evil.
They hurry to shed blood.
For in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird:
but these lay wait for their own blood.
They lurk secretly for their own lives.
So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain.
It takes away the life of its owners.
Proverbs 1 [20.] Wisdom calls aloud in the street.
She utters her voice in the public squares.
She calls at the head of noisy places.
At the entrance of the city gates, she utters her words:
“How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?
How long will mockers delight themselves in mockery,
and fools hate knowledge?
Turn at my reproof.
Behold,[c] I will pour out my spirit on you.
I will make known my words to you.
Because I have called, and you have refused;
I have stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention;
Proverbs 1 [25.] but you have ignored all my counsel,
and wanted none of my reproof;
I also will laugh at your disaster.
I will mock when calamity overtakes you;
when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when your disaster comes on like a whirlwind;
when distress and anguish come on you.
Then will they call on me, but I will not answer.
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me;
because they hated knowledge,
and didn’t choose the fear of Yahweh.
Proverbs 1 [30.] They wanted none of my counsel.
They despised all my reproof.
Therefore they will eat of the fruit of their own way,
and be filled with their own schemes.
For the backsliding of the simple will kill them.
The careless ease of fools will destroy them.
But whoever listens to me will dwell securely,
and will be at ease, without fear of harm.”
Footnotes:
a. Proverbs 1:7 “Yahweh” is God’s proper Name, sometimes rendered “LORD” (all caps) in other translations.
b. Proverbs 1:12 Sheol is the place of the dead.
c. Proverbs 1:23 “Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.
Proverbs 2
Proverbs 2 [1.] My son, if you will receive my words,
and store up my commandments within you;
So as to turn your ear to wisdom,
and apply your heart to understanding;
Yes, if you call out for discernment,
and lift up your voice for understanding;
If you seek her as silver,
and search for her as for hidden treasures:
Proverbs 2 [5.] then you will understand the fear of Yahweh,
and find the knowledge of God.[a]
For Yahweh gives wisdom.
Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.
He lays up sound wisdom for the upright.
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity;
that he may guard the paths of justice,
and preserve the way of his saints.
Then you will understand righteousness and justice,
equity and every good path.
Proverbs 2 [10.] For wisdom will enter into your heart.
Knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
Discretion will watch over you.
Understanding will keep you,
to deliver you from the way of evil,
from the men who speak perverse things;
who forsake the paths of uprightness,
to walk in the ways of darkness;
who rejoice to do evil,
and delight in the perverseness of evil;
Proverbs 2 [15.] who are crooked in their ways,
and wayward in their paths:
To deliver you from the strange woman,
even from the foreigner who flatters with her words;
who forsakes the friend of her youth,
and forgets the covenant of her God:
for her house leads down to death,
her paths to the departed spirits.
None who go to her return again,
neither do they attain to the paths of life:
Proverbs 2 [20.] that you may walk in the way of good men,
and keep the paths of the righteous.
For the upright will dwell in the land.
The perfect will remain in it.
But the wicked will be cut off from the land.
The treacherous will be rooted out of it.
Footnotes:
a. Proverbs 2:5 The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).
Proverbs 3
Proverbs 3 [1.] My son, don’t forget my teaching;
but let your heart keep my commandments:
for length of days, and years of life,
and peace, will they add to you.
Proverbs 3 [5.] Trust in Yahweh with all your heart,
It will be health to your body,
and nourishment to your bones.
Proverbs 3 [10.] so your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will overflow with new wine.
Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
the man who gets understanding.
For her good profit is better than getting silver,
and her return is better than fine gold.
Proverbs 3 [15.] She is more precious than rubies.
None of the things you can desire are to be compared to her.
Length of days is in her right hand.
In her left hand are riches and honor.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness.
All her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her.
Happy is everyone who retains her.
By wisdom Yahweh founded the earth.
By understanding, he established the heavens.
Proverbs 3 [20.] By his knowledge, the depths were broken up,
and the skies drop down the dew.
My son, let them not depart from your eyes.
Keep sound wisdom and discretion:
so they will be life to your soul,
and grace for your neck.
Then you shall walk in your way securely.
Your foot won’t stumble.
Proverbs 3 [25.] Don’t be afraid of sudden fear,
neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it comes:
for Yahweh will be your confidence,
and will keep your foot from being taken.
Don’t withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in the power of your hand to do it.
Don’t say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again;
tomorrow I will give it to you,”
when you have it by you.
Don’t devise evil against your neighbor,
since he dwells securely by you.
Proverbs 3 [30.] Don’t strive with a man without cause,
if he has done you no harm.
Don’t envy the man of violence.
Choose none of his ways.
For the perverse is an abomination to Yahweh,
but his friendship is with the upright.
Yahweh’s curse is in the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the habitation of the righteous.
Surely he mocks the mockers,
but he gives grace to the humble.
Proverbs 3 [35.] The wise will inherit glory,
but shame will be the promotion of fools.
Proverbs 4
Proverbs 4 [1.] Listen, sons, to a father’s instruction.
Pay attention and know understanding;
for I give you sound learning.
Don’t forsake my law.
For I was a son to my father,
tender and an only child in the sight of my mother.
He taught me, and said to me:
“Let your heart retain my words.
Keep my commandments, and live.
Proverbs 4 [5.] Get wisdom.
Get understanding.
Don’t forget, neither swerve from the words of my mouth.
Don’t forsake her, and she will preserve you.
Love her, and she will keep you.
She will give to your head a garland of grace.
She will deliver a crown of splendor to you.”
Proverbs 4 [10.] Listen, my son, and receive my sayings.
The years of your life will be many.
I have taught you in the way of wisdom.
I have led you in straight paths.
When you go, your steps will not be hampered.
When you run, you will not stumble.
Take firm hold of instruction.
Don’t let her go.
Keep her, for she is your life.
Don’t enter into the path of the wicked.
Don’t walk in the way of evil men.
Proverbs 4 [15.] Avoid it, and don’t pass by it.
Turn from it, and pass on.
For they don’t sleep, unless they do evil.
Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone fall.
For they eat the bread of wickedness,
and drink the wine of violence.
But the path of the righteous is like the dawning light,
that shines more and more until the perfect day.
The way of the wicked is like darkness.
They don’t know what they stumble over.
Proverbs 4 [20.] My son, attend to my words.
Turn your ear to my sayings.
Let them not depart from your eyes.
Keep them in the center of your heart.
For they are life to those who find them,
and health to their whole body.
Put away from yourself a perverse mouth.
Put corrupt lips far from you.
Proverbs 4 [25.] Let your eyes look straight ahead.
Fix your gaze directly before you.
Make the path of your feet level.
Let all of your ways be established.
Don’t turn to the right hand nor to the left.
Remove your foot from evil.
Proverbs 5
Proverbs 5 [1.] My son, pay attention to my wisdom.
Turn your ear to my understanding:
that you may maintain discretion,
that your lips may preserve knowledge.
Proverbs 5 [5.] Her feet go down to death.
Her steps lead straight to Sheol.[a]
She gives no thought to the way of life.
Her ways are crooked, and she doesn’t know it.
Now therefore, my sons, listen to me.
Don’t depart from the words of my mouth.
Remove your way far from her.
Don’t come near the door of her house,
lest you give your honor to others,
and your years to the cruel one;
Proverbs 5 [10.] lest strangers feast on your wealth,
and your labors enrich another man’s house.
You will groan at your latter end,
when your flesh and your body are consumed,
and say, “How I have hated instruction,
and my heart despised reproof;
neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers,
nor turned my ear to those who instructed me!
I have come to the brink of utter ruin,
among the gathered assembly.”
Proverbs 5 [15.] Drink water out of your own cistern,
Should your springs overflow in the streets,
streams of water in the public squares?
Let them be for yourself alone,
not for strangers with you.
Let your spring be blessed.
Rejoice in the wife of your youth.
A loving doe and a graceful deer—
let her breasts satisfy you at all times.
Be captivated always with her love.
Proverbs 5 [20.] For why should you, my son, be captivated with an adulteress?
Why embrace the bosom of another?
For the ways of man are before Yahweh’s eyes.
He examines all his paths.
The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare him.
The cords of his sin hold him firmly.
He will die for lack of instruction.
In the greatness of his folly, he will go astray.
Proverbs 6
Proverbs 6 [1.] My son, if you have become collateral for your neighbor,
if you have struck your hands in pledge for a stranger;
You are trapped by the words of your mouth.
You are ensnared with the words of your mouth.
Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself,
since you have come into the hand of your neighbor.
Go, humble yourself.
Press your plea with your neighbor.
Give no sleep to your eyes,
nor slumber to your eyelids.
Proverbs 6 [5.] Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
Go to the ant, you sluggard.
Consider her ways, and be wise;
which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,
provides her bread in the summer,
and gathers her food in the harvest.
How long will you sleep, sluggard?
When will you arise out of your sleep?
Proverbs 6 [10.] A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to sleep:
so your poverty will come as a robber,
and your scarcity as an armed man.
A worthless person, a man of iniquity,
is he who walks with a perverse mouth;
who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet,
who motions with his fingers;
in whose heart is perverseness,
who devises evil continually,
who always sows discord.
Proverbs 6 [15.] Therefore his calamity will come suddenly.
He will be broken suddenly, and that without remedy.
There are six things which Yahweh hates;
yes, seven which are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood;
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are swift in running to mischief,
a false witness who utters lies,
and he who sows discord among brothers.
Proverbs 6 [20.] My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching.
Bind them continually on your heart.
Tie them around your neck.
When you walk, it will lead you.
When you sleep, it will watch over you.
When you awake, it will talk with you.
Proverbs 6 [25.] Don’t lust after her beauty in your heart,
For a prostitute reduces you to a piece of bread.
The adulteress hunts for your precious life.
Can a man scoop fire into his lap,
and his clothes not be burned?
Or can one walk on hot coals,
and his feet not be scorched?
So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife.
Whoever touches her will not be unpunished.
Proverbs 6 [30.] Men don’t despise a thief,
He shall give all the wealth of his house.
He who commits adultery with a woman is void of understanding.
He who does it destroys his own soul.
He will get wounds and dishonor.
His reproach will not be wiped away.
For jealousy arouses the fury of the husband.
He won’t spare in the day of vengeance.
Proverbs 6 [35.] He won’t regard any ransom,
neither will he rest content, though you give many gifts.
Proverbs 7
Proverbs 7 [1.] My son, keep my words.
Lay up my commandments within you.
Keep my commandments and live!
Guard my teaching as the apple of your eye.
Bind them on your fingers.
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Tell wisdom, “You are my sister.”
Call understanding your relative,
Proverbs 7 [5.] that they may keep you from the strange woman,
from the foreigner who flatters with her words.
For at the window of my house,
I looked out through my lattice.
I saw among the simple ones.
I discerned among the youths a young man void of understanding,
passing through the street near her corner,
he went the way to her house,
in the twilight, in the evening of the day,
in the middle of the night and in the darkness.
Proverbs 7 [10.] Behold, there a woman met him with the attire of a prostitute,
and with crafty intent.
She is loud and defiant.
Her feet don’t stay in her house.
Now she is in the streets, now in the squares,
and lurking at every corner.
So she caught him, and kissed him.
With an impudent face she said to him:
“Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me.
Today I have paid my vows.
Proverbs 7 [15.] Therefore I came out to meet you,
to diligently seek your face,
and I have found you.
I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry,
with striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.
I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
Come, let’s take our fill of loving until the morning.
Let’s solace ourselves with loving.
For my husband isn’t at home.
He has gone on a long journey.
Proverbs 7 [20.] He has taken a bag of money with him.
He will come home at the full moon.”
With persuasive words, she led him astray.
With the flattering of her lips, she seduced him.
He followed her immediately,
as an ox goes to the slaughter,
as a fool stepping into a noose.
Until an arrow strikes through his liver,
as a bird hurries to the snare,
and doesn’t know that it will cost his life.
Now therefore, sons, listen to me.
Pay attention to the words of my mouth.
Proverbs 7 [25.] Don’t let your heart turn to her ways.
Don’t go astray in her paths,
for she has thrown down many wounded.
Yes, all her slain are a mighty army.
Her house is the way to Sheol,[a]
going down to the rooms of death.
Footnotes:
a. Proverbs 7:27 Sheol is the place of the dead.
Footnotes:
a. Proverbs 7:27 Sheol is the place of the dead.
Proverbs 8
Proverbs 8 [1.] Doesn’t wisdom cry out?
Doesn’t understanding raise her voice?
On the top of high places by the way,
where the paths meet, she stands.
Beside the gates, at the entry of the city,
at the entry doors, she cries aloud:
“To you men, I call!
I send my voice to the sons of mankind.
Proverbs 8 [5.] You simple, understand prudence.
You fools, be of an understanding heart.
Hear, for I will speak excellent things.
The opening of my lips is for right things.
For my mouth speaks truth.
Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
All the words of my mouth are in righteousness.
There is nothing crooked or perverse in them.
They are all plain to him who understands,
right to those who find knowledge.
Proverbs 8 [10.] Receive my instruction rather than silver;
knowledge rather than choice gold.
“I, wisdom, have made prudence my dwelling.
Find out knowledge and discretion.
The fear of Yahweh is to hate evil.
I hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth.
Counsel and sound knowledge are mine.
I have understanding and power.
Proverbs 8 [15.] By me kings reign,
With me are riches, honor,
enduring wealth, and prosperity.
My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold;
my yield than choice silver.
Proverbs 8 [20.] I walk in the way of righteousness,
in the middle of the paths of justice;
That I may give wealth to those who love me.
I fill their treasuries.
“Yahweh possessed me in the beginning of his work,
before his deeds of old.
I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning,
before the earth existed.
When there were no depths, I was born,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
Proverbs 8 [25.] Before the mountains were settled in place,
before the hills, I was born;
while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields,
nor the beginning of the dust of the world.
When he established the heavens, I was there;
when he set a circle on the surface of the deep,
when he established the clouds above,
when the springs of the deep became strong,
when he gave to the sea its boundary,
that the waters should not violate his commandment,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth;
Proverbs 8 [30.] then I was the craftsman by his side.
I was a delight day by day,
always rejoicing before him,
Rejoicing in his whole world.
My delight was with the sons of men.
Proverbs 9
Proverbs 9 [1.] Wisdom has built her house.
She has carved out her seven pillars.
She has prepared her meat.
She has mixed her wine.
She has also set her table.
She has sent out her maidens.
She cries from the highest places of the city:
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
As for him who is void of understanding, she says to him,
Proverbs 9 [5.] “Come, eat some of my bread,
Drink some of the wine which I have mixed!
Leave your simple ways, and live.
Walk in the way of understanding.”
He who corrects a mocker invites insult.
He who reproves a wicked man invites abuse.
Don’t reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you.
Reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
Instruct a wise man, and he will be still wiser.
Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
Proverbs 9 [10.] The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom.
The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
For by me your days will be multiplied.
The years of your life will be increased.
If you are wise, you are wise for yourself.
If you mock, you alone will bear it.
The foolish woman is loud,
Undisciplined, and knows nothing.
She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat in the high places of the city,
Proverbs 9 [15.] To call to those who pass by,
who go straight on their ways,
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here.”
as for him who is void of understanding, she says to him,
“Stolen water is sweet.
Food eaten in secret is pleasant.”
But he doesn’t know that the departed spirits are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.[a]
Footnotes:
a. Proverbs 9:18 Sheol is the place of the dead.
Proverbs 10
Proverbs 10 [1.] The proverbs of Solomon.
A wise son makes a glad father;
but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.
Treasures of wickedness profit nothing,
but righteousness delivers from death.
Yahweh will not allow the soul of the righteous to go hungry,
but he thrusts away the desire of the wicked.
He becomes poor who works with a lazy hand,
but the hand of the diligent brings wealth.
Proverbs 10 [5.] He who gathers in summer is a wise son,
but he who sleeps during the harvest is a son who causes shame.
Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
The memory of the righteous is blessed,
but the name of the wicked will rot.
The wise in heart accept commandments,
but a chattering fool will fall.
He who walks blamelessly walks surely,
Proverbs 10 [10.] One winking with the eye causes sorrow,
but a chattering fool will fall.
The mouth of the righteous is a spring of life,
but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
Hatred stirs up strife,
but love covers all wrongs.
Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has discernment,
but a rod is for the back of him who is void of understanding.
Wise men lay up knowledge,
but the mouth of the foolish is near ruin.
Proverbs 10 [15.] The rich man’s wealth is his strong city.
The destruction of the poor is their poverty.
The labor of the righteous leads to life.
The increase of the wicked leads to sin.
He is in the way of life who heeds correction,
but he who forsakes reproof leads others astray.
He who hides hatred has lying lips.
He who utters a slander is a fool.
Proverbs 10 [20.] The tongue of the righteous is like choice silver.
The heart of the wicked is of little worth.
The lips of the righteous feed many,
but the foolish die for lack of understanding.
Yahweh’s blessing brings wealth,
and he adds no trouble to it.
It is a fool’s pleasure to do wickedness,
but wisdom is a man of understanding’s pleasure.
What the wicked fear, will overtake them,
but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
Proverbs 10 [25.] When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more;
but the righteous stand firm forever.
As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes,
so is the sluggard to those who send him.
The fear of Yahweh prolongs days,
but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
The prospect of the righteous is joy,
but the hope of the wicked will perish.
The way of Yahweh is a stronghold to the upright,
but it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity.
Proverbs 10 [30.] The righteous will never be removed,
but the wicked will not dwell in the land.
The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom,
but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,
but the mouth of the wicked is perverse.
Proverbs 11
Proverbs 11 [1.] A false balance is an abomination to Yahweh,
The integrity of the upright shall guide them,
but the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.
Riches don’t profit in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.
Proverbs 11 [5.] The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way,
but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.
The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them,
but the unfaithful will be trapped by evil desires.
When a wicked man dies, hope perishes,
and expectation of power comes to nothing.
A righteous person is delivered out of trouble,
and the wicked takes his place.
With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor,
but the righteous will be delivered through knowledge.
Proverbs 11 [10.] When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices.
When the wicked perish, there is shouting.
By the blessing of the upright, the city is exalted,
but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
One who despises his neighbor is void of wisdom,
but a man of understanding holds his peace.
Proverbs 11 [15.] He who is collateral for a stranger will suffer for it,
but he who refuses pledges of collateral is secure.
A gracious woman obtains honor,
but violent men obtain riches.
The merciful man does good to his own soul,
but he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.
Wicked people earn deceitful wages,
but one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.
He who is truly righteous gets life.
He who pursues evil gets death.
Proverbs 11 [20.] Those who are perverse in heart are an abomination to Yahweh,
but those whose ways are blameless are his delight.
Most certainly, the evil man will not be unpunished,
but the offspring[a] of the righteous will be delivered.
Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout,
is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.
The desire of the righteous is only good.
The expectation of the wicked is wrath.
Proverbs 11 [25.] The liberal soul shall be made fat.
He who waters shall be watered also himself.
People curse someone who withholds grain,
but blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.
He who diligently seeks good seeks favor,
but he who searches after evil, it shall come to him.
He who trusts in his riches will fall,
but the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf.
He who troubles his own house shall inherit the wind.
The foolish shall be servant to the wise of heart.
Proverbs 11 [30.] The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life.
He who is wise wins souls.
Behold, the righteous shall be repaid in the earth;
how much more the wicked and the sinner!
Footnotes:
11:21 or, seed
Proverbs 12
Proverbs 12 [1.] Whoever loves correction loves knowledge,
but he who hates reproof is stupid.
A good man shall obtain favor from Yahweh,
but he will condemn a man of wicked devices.
A man shall not be established by wickedness,
but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.
A worthy woman is the crown of her husband,
but a disgraceful wife is as rottenness in his bones.
Proverbs 12 [5.] The thoughts of the righteous are just,
but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.
The words of the wicked are about lying in wait for blood,
but the speech of the upright rescues them.
The wicked are overthrown, and are no more,
but the house of the righteous shall stand.
A man shall be commended according to his wisdom,
but he who has a warped mind shall be despised.
Better is he who is lightly esteemed, and has a servant,
than he who honors himself, and lacks bread.
Proverbs 12 [10.] A righteous man respects the life of his animal,
He who tills his land shall have plenty of bread,
but he who chases fantasies is void of understanding.
The wicked desires the plunder of evil men,
but the root of the righteous flourishes.
An evil man is trapped by sinfulness of lips,
but the righteous shall come out of trouble.
A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth.
The work of a man’s hands shall be rewarded to him.
Proverbs 12 [15.] The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
but he who is wise listens to counsel.
A fool shows his annoyance the same day,
but one who overlooks an insult is prudent.
He who is truthful testifies honestly,
but a false witness lies.
There is one who speaks rashly like the piercing of a sword,
but the tongue of the wise heals.
Truth’s lips will be established forever,
but a lying tongue is only momentary.
Proverbs 12 [20.] Deceit is in the heart of those who plot evil,
but joy comes to the promoters of peace.
No mischief shall happen to the righteous,
but the wicked shall be filled with evil.
A prudent man keeps his knowledge,
but the hearts of fools proclaim foolishness.
The hands of the diligent ones shall rule,
but laziness ends in slave labor.
Proverbs 12 [25.] Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,
but a kind word makes it glad.
A righteous person is cautious in friendship,
but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
The slothful man doesn’t roast his game,
but the possessions of diligent men are prized.
In the way of righteousness is life;
in its path there is no death.
Proverbs 13
Proverbs 13 [1.] A wise son listens to his father’s instruction,
but a scoffer doesn’t listen to rebuke.
By the fruit of his lips, a man enjoys good things;
but the unfaithful crave violence.
He who guards his mouth guards his soul.
One who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
The soul of the sluggard desires, and has nothing,
but the desire of the diligent shall be fully satisfied.
Proverbs 13 [5.] A righteous man hates lies,
but a wicked man brings shame and disgrace.
Righteousness guards the way of integrity,
but wickedness overthrows the sinner.
There are some who pretend to be rich, yet have nothing.
There are some who pretend to be poor, yet have great wealth.
The ransom of a man’s life is his riches,
but the poor hear no threats.
The light of the righteous shines brightly,
but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.
Proverbs 13 [10.] Pride only breeds quarrels,
but with ones who take advice is wisdom.
Wealth gained dishonestly dwindles away,
but he who gathers by hand makes it grow.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but when longing is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.
Whoever despises instruction will pay for it,
but he who respects a command will be rewarded.
The teaching of the wise is a spring of life,
to turn from the snares of death.
Proverbs 13 [15.] Good understanding wins favor;
Every prudent man acts from knowledge,
but a fool exposes folly.
A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
but a trustworthy envoy gains healing.
Poverty and shame come to him who refuses discipline,
but he who heeds correction shall be honored.
Longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul,
but fools detest turning from evil.
Proverbs 13 [20.] One who walks with wise men grows wise,
Misfortune pursues sinners,
but prosperity rewards the righteous.
An abundance of food is in poor people’s fields,
but injustice sweeps it away.
One who spares the rod hates his son,
but one who loves him is careful to discipline him.
Proverbs 13 [25.] The righteous one eats to the satisfying of his soul,
but the belly of the wicked goes hungry.
Proverbs 14
Proverbs 14 [1.] Every wise woman builds her house,
but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands.
He who walks in his uprightness fears Yahweh,
but he who is perverse in his ways despises him.
The fool’s talk brings a rod to his back,
but the lips of the wise protect them.
Where no oxen are, the crib is clean,
but much increase is by the strength of the ox.
Proverbs 14 [5.] A truthful witness will not lie,
but a false witness pours out lies.
A scoffer seeks wisdom, and doesn’t find it,
but knowledge comes easily to a discerning person.
Fools mock at making atonement for sins,
but among the upright there is good will.
Proverbs 14 [10.] The heart knows its own bitterness and joy;
The house of the wicked will be overthrown,
but the tent of the upright will flourish.
There is a way which seems right to a man,
but in the end it leads to death.
Even in laughter the heart may be sorrowful,
and mirth may end in heaviness.
The unfaithful will be repaid for his own ways;
likewise a good man will be rewarded for his ways.
Proverbs 14 [15.] A simple man believes everything,
but the prudent man carefully considers his ways.
He who is quick to become angry will commit folly,
and a crafty man is hated.
The evil bow down before the good,
and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
Proverbs 14 [20.] The poor person is shunned even by his own neighbor,
but the rich person has many friends.
He who despises his neighbor sins,
but blessed is he who has pity on the poor.
Don’t they go astray who plot evil?
But love and faithfulness belong to those who plan good.
In all hard work there is profit,
but the talk of the lips leads only to poverty.
The crown of the wise is their riches,
but the folly of fools crowns them with folly.
Proverbs 14 [25.] A truthful witness saves souls,
In the multitude of people is the king’s glory,
but in the lack of people is the destruction of the prince.
He who is slow to anger has great understanding,
but he who has a quick temper displays folly.
Proverbs 14 [30.] The life of the body is a heart at peace,
but envy rots the bones.
He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for his Maker,
but he who is kind to the needy honors him.
The wicked is brought down in his calamity,
but in death, the righteous has a refuge.
Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding,
and is even made known in the inward part of fools.
Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a disgrace to any people.
Proverbs 14 [35.] The king’s favor is toward a servant who deals wisely,
but his wrath is toward one who causes shame.
Proverbs 15
Proverbs 15 [1.] A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but the mouth of fools gush out folly.
Yahweh’s eyes are everywhere,
keeping watch on the evil and the good.
A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
but deceit in it crushes the spirit.
Proverbs 15 [5.] A fool despises his father’s correction,
but he who heeds reproof shows prudence.
In the house of the righteous is much treasure,
but the income of the wicked brings trouble.
The lips of the wise spread knowledge;
not so with the heart of fools.
Proverbs 15 [10.] There is stern discipline for one who forsakes the way:
whoever hates reproof shall die.
Sheol[a] and Abaddon are before Yahweh—
how much more then the hearts of the children of men!
A scoffer doesn’t love to be reproved;
he will not go to the wise.
A glad heart makes a cheerful face;
but an aching heart breaks the spirit.
The heart of one who has understanding seeks knowledge,
but the mouths of fools feed on folly.
Proverbs 15 [15.] All the days of the afflicted are wretched,
but one who has a cheerful heart enjoys a continual feast.
Better is little, with the fear of Yahweh,
than great treasure with trouble.
Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is,
than a fattened calf with hatred.
A wrathful man stirs up contention,
but one who is slow to anger appeases strife.
The way of the sluggard is like a thorn patch,
but the path of the upright is a highway.
Proverbs 15 [20.] A wise son makes a father glad,
but a foolish man despises his mother.
Joy comes to a man with the reply of his mouth.
How good is a word at the right time!
The path of life leads upward for the wise,
to keep him from going downward to Sheol.[b]
Proverbs 15 [25.] Yahweh will uproot the house of the proud,
but he will keep the widow’s borders intact.
Yahweh detests the thoughts of the wicked,
but the thoughts of the pure are pleasing.
The heart of the righteous weighs answers,
but the mouth of the wicked gushes out evil.
Yahweh is far from the wicked,
but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
Proverbs 15 [30.] The light of the eyes rejoices the heart.
Good news gives health to the bones.
The ear that listens to reproof lives,
and will be at home among the wise.
He who refuses correction despises his own soul,
but he who listens to reproof gets understanding.
The fear of Yahweh teaches wisdom.
Before honor is humility.
Footnotes:
a. Proverbs 15:11 Sheol is the place of the dead.
b. Proverbs 15:24 Sheol is the place of the dead.