Proverbs 11-14

Legacy Standard Bible

11 A ^(A)deceptive balance is an abomination to Yahweh,
But a ^(B)just weight is His delight.
² When ^(C)arrogance comes, then comes disgrace,
But with the meek is wisdom.
³ The ^(D)integrity of the upright will lead them,
But the ^(E)crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.
^4 (F)Wealth will not profit in the day of wrath,
But ^(G)righteousness will deliver from death.
⁵ The ^(H)righteousness of the blameless will make his way straight,
But ^(I)the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.
⁶ The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,
But the treacherous will ^(J)be captured by their own desire.
⁷ When a wicked man dies, his ^(K)hope will perish,
And the ^(L)expectation of vigorous men perishes.
⁸ The righteous is rescued from ^[a]distress,
But the wicked ^[b]takes his place.
⁹ With his ^(M)mouth the godless man corrupts his neighbor,
But through knowledge the ^(N)righteous will be rescued.
¹⁰ When it ^(O)goes well with the righteous, the city exults,
And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.
¹¹ By the blessing of the upright a city is raised up,
But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
¹² He who despises his neighbor lacks a heart of wisdom,
But a man of discernment keeps silent.
¹³ He ^(P)who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets,
But he who is faithful in spirit ^(Q)conceals a matter.
¹⁴ Where there is no ^(R)guidance the people fall,
But in abundance of counselors there is salvation.
¹⁵ If one becomes a ^(S)guarantor for a stranger, he will surely suffer,
But he who hates ^[c]striking hands in pledge is secure.
¹⁶ A ^(T)gracious woman holds fast to glory,
But ruthless men hold fast to riches.
¹⁷ The man of ^(U)lovingkindness deals bountifully with his soul,
But the cruel man brings trouble on his flesh.
¹⁸ The wicked earns deceptive wages,
But he who ^(V)sows righteousness gets a true reward.
¹⁹ He who is steadfast in ^(W)righteousness will attain to life,
And ^(X)he who pursues evil will bring about his own death.
²⁰ Those with a crooked heart are an abomination to Yahweh,
But those of a ^(Y)blameless way are His ^(Z)delight.
^21 [d]Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished,
But the seed of the righteous will escape.
²² As a ^(AA)ring of gold in a swine’s snout
So is a beautiful woman who turns away from ^[e]discretion.
²³ The desire of the righteous is only good,
But the ^(AB)hope of the wicked is wrath.
²⁴ There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more,
And there is one who holds back what is rightly due, and yet results only in want.
²⁵ The soul ^[f]that ^(AC)blesses will be ^[g]enriched,
And he who ^(AD)waters will himself be watered.
²⁶ He who withholds grain, the ^(AE)people will curse him,
But ^(AF)blessing will be on the head of him who ^(AG)sells it.
²⁷ He who earnestly seeks good seeks favor,
But ^(AH)he who searches for evil, evil will come to him.
²⁸ He who ^(AI)trusts in his riches will fall,
But ^(AJ)the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.
²⁹ He who ^(AK)troubles his own house will ^(AL)inherit wind,
And ^(AM)the ignorant fool will be a slave to the wise of heart.
³⁰ The fruit of the righteous is ^(AN)a tree of life,
And ^(AO)he who is wise ^[h]wins souls.
³¹ If ^(AP)the righteous will be repaid in the earth,
How much more the wicked and the sinner!

12 Whoever loves ^[i]discipline loves knowledge,
But he who hates reproof is senseless.
² A ^(AQ)good man will obtain favor from Yahweh,
But a man of evil schemes He will condemn.
³ A man will ^(AR)not be established by wickedness,
But the root of the ^(AS)righteous will not be shaken.
^4 [j]An ^(AT)excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
But she who causes shame is like ^(AU)rottenness in his bones.
⁵ The thoughts of the righteous are just,
But the guidance of the wicked is deceitful.
⁶ The ^(AV)words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
But the ^(AW)mouth of the upright will deliver them.
⁷ The ^(AX)wicked are overthrown and are no more,
But the ^(AY)house of the righteous will stand.
⁸ A man will be praised according to his insight,
But one of perverse heart 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 ^(AZ)righteous man knows the value of the life of his animal,
But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.
¹¹ He ^(BA)who cultivates his land will be satisfied with bread,
But he who pursues empty things lacks a heart of wisdom.
¹² The ^(BB)wicked man desires a stronghold of evil men,
But the root of the righteous ^(BC)gives fruit.
¹³ The snare of an evil man is in the transgression of his lips,
But the ^(BD)righteous man will come out from distress.
¹⁴ A man will be ^(BE)satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth,
And the good ^(BF)deed of a man’s hands will return to him.
¹⁵ The ^(BG)way of an ignorant fool is right in his own eyes,
But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.
¹⁶ An ^(BH)ignorant fool’s ^[k]anger is known at once,
But a prudent man conceals disgrace.
¹⁷ He who breathes out truth declares what is right,
But a false witness, deceit.
¹⁸ There is one who ^(BI)speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,
But the ^(BJ)tongue of the wise brings healing.
¹⁹ Truthful lips will be established forever,
But a ^(BK)lying tongue is only for a moment.
²⁰ Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have gladness.
^21 (BL)No misfortune befalls the righteous,
But the wicked are filled with calamity.
^22 (BM)Lying lips are an abomination to Yahweh,
But doers of faithfulness are His delight.
²³ A ^(BN)prudent man conceals knowledge,
But the heart of fools proclaims folly.
²⁴ The hand of the diligent will rule,
But ^[l]the slack hand will be ^(BO)put to forced labor.
^25 (BP)Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,
But a ^(BQ)good word makes it glad.
²⁶ The righteous is a guide to his neighbor,
But the way of the wicked makes them wander about.
²⁷ A slack handed man does not ^[m]roast his prey,
But the wealth of a man is ^(BR)precious for the diligent.
^28 (BS)In the path of righteousness is life,
And in its pathway there is no death.

13 A ^(BT)wise son accepts his father’s discipline,
But a ^(BU)scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
² From the fruit of a man’s mouth he ^(BV)eats what is good,
But the soul of the treacherous desires ^(BW)violence.
³ The one who ^(BX)guards his mouth keeps his soul;
The one who ^(BY)opens wide his lips ^[n]comes to ruin.
⁴ The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
But the soul of the diligent is enriched.
⁵ A righteous man ^(BZ)hates a lying word,
But a wicked man ^[o](CA)acts odiously and is humiliated.
⁶ Righteousness ^(CB)guards the ^[p]one whose way is blameless,
But wickedness subverts the ^[q]sinner.
⁷ There is one who ^(CC)pretends to be rich, but has nothing;
Another ^[r]pretends to be ^(CD)poor, but has great wealth.
⁸ The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,
But the poor hears no rebuke.
⁹ The ^(CE)light of the righteous is glad,
But the ^(CF)lamp of the wicked goes out.
¹⁰ With arrogance ^[s]comes only quarreling,
But with those who receive counsel is wisdom.
¹¹ Wealth obtained from empty effort dwindles,
But the one who gathers ^[t]with his hand abounds.
^12 [u]Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But desire ^[v]fulfilled is a tree of life.
¹³ The one who ^(CG)despises the word will be ^[w]in debt to it,
But the one who fears the commandment will be ^(CH)rewarded.
¹⁴ The ^[x]instruction of the wise is a ^(CI)fountain of life,
To turn aside from the ^(CJ)snares of death.
^15 (CK)Good insight gives grace,
But the way of the treacherous is ^[y]unrelenting.
¹⁶ Every ^(CL)prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool spreads out folly.
¹⁷ A wicked messenger falls into evil,
But ^(CM)a faithful envoy brings healing.
¹⁸ Poverty and disgrace come to him who ^(CN)neglects ^[z]discipline,
But he who keeps reproof will be honored.
¹⁹ Desire realized is pleasant to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil.
^20 (CO)He who walks with the wise will be wise,
But the friend of fools will suffer harm.
^21 (CP)Evil pursues sinners,
But the ^(CQ)righteous are repaid with good.
²² A good man ^(CR)leaves an inheritance to his ^[aa]children’s children,
And the ^(CS)wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
^23 (CT)Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor,
But ^[ab]it is swept away by injustice.
²⁴ He who ^(CU)holds back his ^[ac]rod hates his son,
But he who loves him ^[ad](CV)disciplines him diligently.
²⁵ The ^(CW)righteous eats to the satisfaction of his soul,
But the stomach of the ^(CX)wicked lacks.

14 The ^[ae](CY)wise woman builds her house,
But the woman of folly tears it down with her own hands.
² He who ^(CZ)walks in his uprightness fears Yahweh,
But he who is ^(DA)devious in his ways despises Him.
³ In the mouth of the ignorant fool is a rod of lofty pride,
But ^(DB)the lips of the wise will keep them.
⁴ Where no oxen are, the manger is clean,
But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.
⁵ A ^(DC)faithful witness will not lie,
But a ^(DD)false witness ^(DE)breathes out lies.
⁶ A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none,
But knowledge is easy to one who has understanding.
⁷ Leave the ^(DF)presence of a fool,
As you have not known lips of knowledge there.
⁸ The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But ^(DG)the folly of fools is deceit.
⁹ Ignorant fools scoff at guilt,
But ^(DH)among the upright there is favor.
¹⁰ The heart knows its own ^(DI)bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its gladness.
¹¹ The ^(DJ)house of the wicked will be destroyed,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
¹² There ^(DK)is a way which seems right to a man,
But its ^(DL)end is the way of death.
¹³ Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,
And the ^(DM)end of joy may be grief.
¹⁴ The one who turns back in his heart will be satisfied with his ^(DN)ways,
But a good man will ^(DO)be satisfied ^[af]with his.
¹⁵ The simple believes everything,
But the prudent one discerns his steps.
¹⁶ A wise man fears and ^(DP)turns away from evil,
But a fool gets angry and feels secure.
¹⁷ A quick-tempered man acts in folly,
And a man of evil schemes is hated.
¹⁸ The simple inherit folly,
But the prudent are ^[ag]crowned with knowledge.
¹⁹ The ^(DQ)evil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
²⁰ The ^(DR)poor is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.
²¹ He who ^(DS)despises his neighbor sins,
But how ^(DT)blessed is he who is gracious to the ^[ah]poor.
²² Will they not wander in error who ^(DU)devise evil?
But lovingkindness and truth will be to those who devise good.
²³ In all painful labor there is profit,
But mere words from the lips lead only to want.
²⁴ The ^(DV)crown of the wise is their riches,
But the folly of fools is folly.
²⁵ A truthful witness delivers souls,
But he who ^(DW)breathes out lies is deceitful.
²⁶ In the ^[ai](DX)fear of Yahweh there is strong security,
And ^[aj]his children will have refuge.
²⁷ The ^[ak]fear of Yahweh is a fountain of life,
To turn aside from the snares of death.
²⁸ In a multitude of people is a king’s splendor,
But in the dearth of people is a prince’s ruin.
²⁹ He who is ^(DY)slow to anger has great discernment,
But he who is ^[al]quick-tempered raises up folly.
³⁰ A ^[am](DZ)tranquil heart is life to the body,
But jealousy is ^(EA)rottenness to the bones.
³¹ He ^(EB)who oppresses the poor reproaches ^(EC)his Maker,
But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.
³² The wicked is ^(ED)thrust down by his own evil,
But the ^(EE)righteous takes refuge even in his death.
³³ Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding,
But in the midst of fools it is merely made known.
³⁴ Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.
³⁵ The king’s favor is toward a ^(EF)servant who acts insightfully,
But his fury is toward him who acts shamefully.