Proverbs 12-14

Amplified Bible

12 Whoever loves instruction and discipline loves knowledge,
But he who hates reproof and correction is stupid.
² 
A good man will obtain favor from the Lord,
But He will condemn a man who devises evil.
³ 
A man will not be established by wickedness,
But the root of the [consistently] righteous will not be moved.
⁴ 
A virtuous and excellent wife [worthy of honor] is the crown of her husband,
But she who shames him [with her foolishness] is like rottenness in his bones.^(A)
5 
The thoughts and purposes of the [consistently] righteous are just (honest, reliable),
But the counsels and schemes of the wicked are deceitful.
⁶ 
The [malevolent] words of the wicked lie in wait for [innocent] blood [to slander],
But the mouth of the upright will rescue and protect them.
⁷ 
The wicked are overthrown [by their evil] and are no more,
But the house of the [consistently] righteous will stand [securely].
⁸ 
A man will be commended according to his insight and sound judgment,
But the one who is of a perverse mind will be despised.
^9 
[a]Better is he who is lightly esteemed and has a servant,
Than he who [boastfully] honors himself [pretending to be what he is not] and lacks bread.
¹⁰ 
A righteous man has kind regard for the life of his animal,
But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.^(B)
11 
He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,
But he who follows worthless things lacks common sense and good judgment.
¹² 
The wicked desire the plunder of evil men,
But the root of the righteous yields richer fruit.
¹³ 
An evil man is [dangerously] ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
But the righteous will escape from trouble.
¹⁴ 
A man will be satisfied with good from the fruit of his words,
And the deeds of a man’s hands will return to him [as a harvest].
¹⁵ 
The way of the [arrogant] fool [who rejects God’s wisdom] is right in his own eyes,
But a wise and prudent man is he who listens to counsel.^(C)
16 
The [arrogant] fool’s anger is quickly known [because he lacks self-control and common sense],
But a prudent man ignores an insult.
¹⁷ 
He who speaks truth [when he testifies] tells what is right,
But a false witness utters deceit [in court].
¹⁸ 
There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise brings healing.
¹⁹ 
Truthful lips will be established forever,
But a lying tongue is [credited] only for a moment.
²⁰ 
Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.
²¹ 
No harm befalls the righteous,
But the wicked are filled with trouble.^(D)
22 
Lying lips are extremely disgusting to the Lord,
But those who deal faithfully are His delight.^(E)
23 
A shrewd man is reluctant to display his knowledge [until the proper time],
But the heart of [over-confident] fools proclaims foolishness.^(F)
24 
The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the negligent and lazy will be put to forced labor.
²⁵ 
Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,
But a good (encouraging) word makes it glad.^(G)
26 
The righteous man is a guide to his neighbor,
But the way of the wicked leads them astray.
²⁷ 
The lazy man does not catch and roast his prey,
But the precious possession of a [wise] man is diligence [because he recognizes opportunities and seizes them].
²⁸ 
In the way of righteousness is life,
And in its pathway there is no death [but immortality—eternal life].^(H)

13 A wise son heeds and accepts [and is the result of] his father’s discipline and instruction,
But a scoffer does not listen to reprimand and does not learn from his errors.
² 
From the fruit of his mouth a [wise] man enjoys good,
But the desire of the treacherous is for violence.
³ 
The one who guards his mouth [thinking before he speaks] protects his life;
The one who opens his lips wide [and chatters without thinking] comes to ruin.
⁴ 
The soul (appetite) of the lazy person craves and gets nothing [for lethargy overcomes ambition],
But the soul (appetite) of the diligent [who works willingly] is rich and abundantly supplied.^(I)
5 
A righteous man hates lies,
But a wicked man is loathsome, and he acts shamefully.
⁶ 
Righteousness (being in right standing with God) guards the one whose way is blameless,
But wickedness undermines and overthrows the sinner.
⁷ 
There is one who pretends to be rich, yet has nothing at all;
Another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.^(J)
8 
The ransom for a man’s life is his wealth,
But the poor man does not even have to listen to a rebuke or threats [from the envious].
⁹ 
The light of the righteous [within him—grows brighter and] rejoices,
But the lamp of the wicked [is a temporary light and] goes out.
¹⁰ 
Through pride and presumption come nothing but strife,
But [skillful and godly] wisdom is with those who welcome [well-advised] counsel.
¹¹ 
Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles,
But he who gathers gradually by [honest] labor will increase [his riches].
¹² 
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But when desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.
¹³ 
Whoever despises the word and counsel [of God] brings destruction upon himself,
But he who [reverently] fears and respects the commandment [of God] will be rewarded.
¹⁴ 
The teaching of the wise is a fountain and source of life,
So that one may avoid the snares of death.
¹⁵ 
Good understanding wins favor [from others],
But the way of the unfaithful is hard [like barren, dry soil].
¹⁶ 
Every prudent and self-disciplined man acts with knowledge,
But a [closed-minded] fool [who refuses to learn] displays his foolishness [for all to see].
¹⁷ 
A wicked messenger falls into hardship,
But a faithful ambassador brings healing.
¹⁸ 
Poverty and shame will come to him who refuses instruction and discipline,
But he who accepts and learns from reproof or censure is honored.
¹⁹ 
Desire realized is sweet to the soul;
But it is detestable to fools to turn away from evil [which they have planned].
²⁰ 
He who walks [as a companion] with wise men will be wise,
But the companions of [conceited, dull-witted] fools [are fools themselves and] will experience harm.^(K)
21 
Adversity pursues sinners,
But the [consistently] upright will be rewarded with prosperity.
²² 
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for [the hands of] the righteous.
²³ 
Abundant food is in the fallow (uncultivated) ground of the poor,
But [without protection] it is swept away by injustice.
²⁴ 
He who withholds the rod [of discipline] hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines and trains him diligently and appropriately [with wisdom and love].^(L)
25 
The [consistently] righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,
But the stomach of the wicked is in need [of bread].

14 The wise woman builds her house [on a foundation of godly precepts, and her household thrives],
But the foolish one [who lacks spiritual insight] tears it down with her own hands [by ignoring godly principles].
² 
He who walks in uprightness [reverently] fears the Lord [and obeys and worships Him with profound respect],
But he who is devious in his ways despises Him.
³ 
In the mouth of the [arrogant] ^[b]fool [who rejects God] is a rod for his back,
But the lips of the wise [when they speak with godly wisdom] will protect them.
⁴ 
Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
But much revenue [because of good crops] comes by the strength of the ox.
⁵ 
A faithful and trustworthy witness will not lie,
But a false witness speaks lies.
⁶ 
A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none [for his ears are closed to wisdom],
But knowledge is easy for one who understands [because he is willing to learn].
⁷ 
Leave the presence of a [shortsighted] fool,
For you will not find knowledge or hear godly wisdom from his lips.
⁸ 
The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way,
But the foolishness of [shortsighted] fools is deceit.
⁹ 
Fools mock sin [but sin mocks the fools],
But among the upright there is good will and the favor and blessing of God.^(M)
10 
The heart knows its own bitterness,
And no stranger shares its joy.
¹¹ 
The house of the wicked will be overthrown,
But the tent of the upright will thrive.
¹² 
There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him,
But its end is the way of death.
¹³ 
Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,
And the end of joy may be grief.
¹⁴ 
The backslider in heart will have his fill with his own [rotten] ways,
But a good man will be satisfied with his ways [the godly thought and action which his heart pursues and in which he delights].
¹⁵ 
The naive or inexperienced person [is easily misled and] believes every word he hears,
But the prudent man [is discreet and astute and] considers well where he is going.
¹⁶ 
A wise man suspects danger and cautiously avoids evil,
But the fool is arrogant and careless.
¹⁷ 
A quick-tempered man acts foolishly and without self-control,
And a man of wicked schemes is hated.
¹⁸ 
The naive [are unsophisticated and easy to exploit and] inherit foolishness,
But the sensible [are thoughtful and far-sighted and] are crowned with knowledge.
¹⁹ 
The evil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked [will bow down] at the gates of the righteous.
²⁰ 
The poor man is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.
²¹ 
He who despises his neighbor sins [against God and his fellow man],
But happy [blessed and favored by God] is he who is gracious and merciful to the poor.
²² 
Do they not go astray who devise evil and wander from the way of righteousness?
But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.
²³ 
In all labor there is profit,
But mere talk leads only to poverty.
²⁴ 
The crown of the wise is their wealth [of wisdom],
But the foolishness of [closed-minded] fools is [nothing but] folly.
²⁵ 
A truthful witness saves lives,
But he who speaks lies is treacherous.
²⁶ 
In the [reverent] fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And His children will [always] have a place of refuge.
²⁷ 
The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that leads to obedience and worship] is a fountain of life,
So that one may avoid the snares of death.^(N)
28 
In a multitude of people is a king’s glory,
But in a lack of people is a [pretentious] prince’s ruin.
²⁹ 
He who is slow to anger has great understanding [and profits from his self-control],
But he who is quick-tempered exposes and exalts his foolishness [for all to see].^(O)
30 
A calm and peaceful and tranquil heart is life and health to the body,
But passion and envy are like rottenness to the bones.
³¹ 
He who oppresses the poor taunts and insults his Maker,
But he who is kind and merciful and gracious to the needy honors Him.^(P)
32 
The wicked is overthrown through his wrongdoing,
But the righteous has hope and confidence and a refuge [with God] even in death.
³³ 
Wisdom rests [silently] in the heart of one who has understanding,
But what is in the heart of [shortsighted] fools is made known.^(Q)
34 
Righteousness [moral and spiritual integrity and virtuous character] exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.
³⁵ 
The king’s favor and good will are toward a servant who acts wisely and discreetly,
But his anger and wrath are toward him who acts shamefully.^(R)