Proverbs 12

red bookmark icon blue bookmark icon gold bookmark icon

The Proverbs of Solomon

10 cThe proverbs of Solomon.

dA wise son makes a glad father,

ebut a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.

fTreasures gained by wickedness do not profit,

gbut righteousness delivers from death.

hThe Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,

ibut he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

A slack hand jcauses poverty,

kbut the hand of the diligent makes rich.

He who lgathers in summer is a prudent son,

but he who sleeps in harvest is ma son who brings shame.

Blessings are on the head of the righteous,

but nthe mouth of the wicked conceals violence.1

oThe memory of the righteous is a blessing,

but pthe name of the wicked will rot.

qThe wise of heart will receive commandments,

but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

rWhoever walks in integrity walks securely,

but he who makes his ways crooked swill be found out.

10  Whoever twinks the eye causes trouble,

and a babbling fool will come to ruin.

11  uThe mouth of the righteous is va fountain of life,

but the mouth of the wicked nconceals violence.

12  Hatred stirs up strife,

but wlove covers all offenses.

13  On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,

but xa rod is for the back of him who ylacks sense.

14  The wise zlay up knowledge,

but athe mouth of a fool brings ruin near.

15  bA rich man’s wealth is his strong city;

the poverty of the poor is their ruin.

16  The wage of the righteous leads cto life,

the gain of the wicked to sin.

17  Whoever heeds instruction is on dthe path to life,

but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.

18  The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,

and whoever utters slander is a fool.

19  eWhen words are many, transgression is not lacking,

fbut whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

20  The tongue of the righteous is gchoice silver;

the heart of the wicked is of little worth.

21  The lips of the righteous feed many,

but fools die for hlack of sense.

22  iThe blessing of the Lord makes rich,

and he adds no sorrow with it.2

23  Doing wrong is jlike a joke to a fool,

but kwisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.

24  lWhat the wicked dreads mwill come upon him,

but nthe desire of the righteous will be granted.

25  When othe tempest passes, the wicked is no more,

but pthe righteous is established forever.

26  Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,

so is the sluggard to those who send him.

27  qThe fear of the Lord prolongs life,

rbut the years of the wicked will be short.

28  sThe hope of the righteous brings joy,

tbut the expectation of the wicked will perish.

29  uThe way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless,

but destruction to evildoers.

30  vThe righteous will never be removed,

but wthe wicked will not dwell in the land.

31  xThe mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,

but the perverse tongue will be cut off.

32  The lips of the righteous yknow what is acceptable,

but the mouth of the wicked, zwhat is perverse.

11  aA false balance is an abomination to the Lord,

bbut a just weight is his delight.

cWhen pride comes, then comes disgrace,

but with dthe humble is wisdom.

eThe integrity of the upright guides them,

fbut the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

gRiches do not profit in the day of wrath,

hbut righteousness delivers from death.

The righteousness of the blameless ikeeps his way straight,

but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.

hThe righteousness of the upright delivers them,

but the treacherous jare taken captive by their lust.

When the wicked dies, his khope will perish,

and lthe expectation of wealth1 perishes too.

mThe righteous is delivered from trouble,

and the wicked walks into it instead.

With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,

but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

10  nWhen it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,

and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.

11  By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,

but oby the mouth of the wicked pit is overthrown.

12  Whoever qbelittles his neighbor lacks sense,

but a man of understanding remains silent.

13  Whoever rgoes about slandering reveals secrets,

but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.

14  Where there is sno guidance, a people falls,

sbut in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

15  tWhoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm,

but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure.

16  uA gracious woman gets honor,

and vviolent men get riches.

17  wA man who is kind benefits himself,

but a cruel man hurts himself.

18  The wicked earns deceptive wages,

but one who xsows righteousness gets a sure reward.

19  Whoever is steadfast in righteousness ywill live,

but zhe who pursues evil will die.

20  Those of acrooked heart are ban abomination to the Lord,

but those of cblameless ways are dhis delight.

21  eBe assured, fan evil person will not go unpunished,

but gthe offspring of the righteous will be delivered.

22  Like ha gold ring in a pig’s snout

is a beautiful woman without discretion.

23  The desire of the righteous ends only in good,

ithe expectation of the wicked in wrath.

24  jOne gives kfreely, yet grows all the richer;

another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.

25  lWhoever brings blessing mwill be enriched,

and none who waters will himself be watered.

26  oThe people curse him who holds back grain,

but pa blessing is on the head of him who qsells it.

27  Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,2

but evil comes to rhim who searches for it.

28  Whoever strusts in his riches will fall,

but the righteous will tflourish like a green leaf.

29  Whoever utroubles his own household will vinherit the wind,

and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

30  The fruit of the righteous is wa tree of life,

and whoever xcaptures souls is wise.

31  If ythe righteous is repaid on earth,

how much more the wicked and the sinner!

12  Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

but he who zhates reproof is astupid.

A good man bobtains favor from the Lord,

but a man of evil devices he condemns.

No one is established by wickedness,

but the root of cthe righteous will never be moved.

dAn excellent wife is ethe crown of her husband,

but she who fbrings shame is like grottenness in his bones.

hThe thoughts of the righteous are just;

the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.

The words of the wicked ilie in wait for blood,

but jthe mouth of the upright delivers them.

kThe wicked are loverthrown and are no more,

mbut the house of the righteous will stand.

A man is commended according to his good sense,

but one of twisted mind is ndespised.

Better to be lowly and have a servant

than to play the great man and lack bread.

10  oWhoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,

but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.

11  pWhoever works his land qwill have plenty of bread,

rbut he who follows sworthless pursuits lacks sense.

12  Whoever is wicked covets tthe spoil of evildoers,

but the root of the righteous bears fruit.

13  An evil man is ensnared uby the transgression of his lips,1

vbut the righteous escapes from trouble.

14  From the fruit of his mouth wa man is satisfied with good,

xand the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.

15  yThe way of a fool is right in his own eyes,

but a wise man listens to advice.

16  zThe vexation of a fool is known at once,

but the prudent ignores an insult.

17  aWhoever speaks2 the truth gives honest evidence,

but ba false witness utters deceit.

18  cThere is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,

but the tongue of the wise brings dhealing.

19  Truthful lips endure forever,

but ea lying tongue is but for a moment.

20  Deceit is in the heart of fthose who devise evil,

but those who plan peace have joy.

21  gNo ill befalls the righteous,

but the wicked are filled with trouble.

22  hLying lips are ian abomination to the Lord,

jbut those who act faithfully are his delight.

23  kA prudent man conceals knowledge,

kbut the heart of fools proclaims folly.

24  lThe hand of the diligent will rule,

while the slothful will be mput to forced labor.

25  nAnxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down,

but a good word makes him glad.

26  One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor,3

but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

27  oWhoever is slothful will not roast his game,

but the diligent man will get precious wealth.4

28  pIn the path of righteousness is life,

and in its pathway there is no death.

13  A wise son hears his father’s instruction,

but qa scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

From the fruit of his mouth a man reats what is good,

but the desire of the treacherous sis for violence.

tWhoever guards his mouth preserves his life;

uhe who opens wide his lips vcomes to ruin.

wThe soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,

while the soul of the diligent xis richly supplied.

The righteous hates falsehood,

but the wicked brings shame1 and disgrace.

yRighteousness guards him whose zway is blameless,

but sin overthrows the wicked.

aOne pretends to be rich,2 yet has nothing;

banother pretends to be poor,3 yet has great wealth.

The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,

but a poor man chears no threat.

dThe light of the righteous rejoices,

but ethe lamp of the wicked will be put out.

10  fBy insolence comes nothing but strife,

but with those who take advice is wisdom.

11  gWealth gained hastily4 will dwindle,

but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

12  Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

hbut a desire fulfilled is ia tree of life.

13  Whoever jdespises kthe word5 brings destruction on himself,

but he who reveres the commandment6 will be lrewarded.

14  The teaching of the wise is ma fountain of life,

that one may nturn away from the snares of death.

15  oGood sense wins pfavor,

but the way of the treacherous is their ruin.7

16  qEvery prudent man acts with knowledge,

rbut a fool flaunts his folly.

17  A wicked messenger falls into trouble,

but sa faithful envoy brings healing.

18  Poverty and disgrace come to him who tignores instruction,

ubut whoever vheeds reproof is honored.

19  wA desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,

but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.

20  Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,

but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

21  xDisaster8 pursues sinners,

ybut the righteous are rewarded with good.

22  zA good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,

but athe sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.

23  The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food,

but it is swept away through binjustice.

24  cWhoever spares the rod hates his son,

but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.9

25  dThe righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,

but the belly of the wicked suffers want.

14  eThe wisest of women fbuilds her house,

but folly with her own hands gtears it down.

Whoever hwalks in uprightness fears the Lord,

but he who is idevious in his ways despises him.

By the mouth of a fool comes ja rod for his back,1

kbut the lips of the wise will preserve them.

Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,

but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.

lA faithful witness does not lie,

but ma false witness breathes out lies.

nA scoffer seeks wisdom oin vain,

but pknowledge is easy for a man of understanding.

Leave the presence of a fool,

for there you do not meet words of knowledge.

The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,

but the folly of fools is deceiving.

qFools mock at the guilt offering,

but the upright enjoy acceptance.2

10  The heart knows its own rbitterness,

and no stranger shares its joy.

11  sThe house of the wicked will be destroyed,

but the tent of the upright will flourish.

12  tThere is a way that seems right to a man,

but uits end is the way to death.3

13  Even in laughter the heart may ache,

and vthe end of joy may be wgrief.

14  The backslider in heart will be xfilled with the fruit of his ways,

and ya good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.

15  zThe simple believes everything,

but the prudent gives thought to his steps.

16  aOne who is wise is cautious4 and bturns away from evil,

but a fool is reckless and careless.

17  A man of cquick temper acts foolishly,

and a man of evil devices is hated.

18  The simple inherit folly,

but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

19  dThe evil bow down before the good,

the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

20  eThe poor is disliked even by his neighbor,

fbut the rich has many friends.

21  Whoever gdespises his neighbor is a sinner,

but hblessed is he who is generous to the poor.

22  Do they not go astray who idevise evil?

Those who devise good meet5 jsteadfast love and faithfulness.

23  In all toil there is profit,

but mere talk ktends only to poverty.

24  The crown of the wise is their wealth,

but the folly of fools brings folly.

25  A truthful witness saves lives,

but one who lbreathes out lies is deceitful.

26  In the fear of the Lord one has mstrong confidence,

and nhis children will have oa refuge.

27  The fear of the Lord is pa fountain of life,

that one may qturn away from the snares of death.

28  In ra multitude of people is the glory of a king,

but without people a prince is ruined.

29  Whoever is sslow to anger has great understanding,

but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

30  A tranquil6 heart gives tlife to the flesh,

but uenvy7 makes vthe bones rot.

31  Whoever oppresses a poor man winsults his xMaker,

ybut he who is generous to the needy honors him.

32  zThe wicked is overthrown through his evildoing,

but athe righteous finds refuge in his death.

33  Wisdom brests in the heart of a man of understanding,

but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools.8

34  Righteousness exalts a nation,

but sin is a reproach to any people.

35  A servant who deals wisely has cthe king’s favor,

but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.