Proverbs 15-18

American Standard Version

16 The plans of the heart belong to man;
But the answer of the tongue is from Jehovah.
² All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes;
But Jehovah weigheth the spirits.
^3 [k]Commit thy works unto Jehovah,
And thy purposes shall be established.
⁴ Jehovah hath made everything for ^[l]its own end;
Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
⁵ Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to Jehovah:
Though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.
⁶ By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for;
And by the fear of Jehovah men depart from evil.
⁷ When a man’s ways please Jehovah,
He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
⁸ Better is a little, with righteousness,
Than great revenues with injustice.
⁹ A man’s heart deviseth his way;
But Jehovah directeth his steps.
^10 [m]A divine sentence is in the lips of the king;
His mouth shall not transgress in judgment.
¹¹ A just balance and scales are Jehovah’s;
All the weights of the bag are his work.
¹² It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness;
For the throne is established by righteousness.
¹³ Righteous lips are the delight of kings;
And they love him that speaketh right.
¹⁴ The wrath of a king is as messengers of death;
But a wise man will pacify it.
¹⁵ In the light of the king’s countenance is life;
And his favor is as a cloud of the latter rain.
¹⁶ How much better is it to get wisdom than gold!
Yea, to get understanding is rather to be chosen than silver.
¹⁷ The highway of the upright is to depart from evil:
He that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.
¹⁸ Pride goeth before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before a fall.
¹⁹ Better it is to be of a lowly spirit with the ^[n]poor,
Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
²⁰ He that ^[o]giveth heed unto the word shall find good;
And whoso trusteth in Jehovah, happy is he.
²¹ The wise in heart shall be called prudent;
And the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.
²² Understanding is a well-spring of life unto him that hath it;
But the correction of fools is their folly.
²³ The heart of the wise instructeth his mouth,
And addeth learning to his lips.
²⁴ Pleasant words are as a honeycomb,
Sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
²⁵ There is a way which ^[p]seemeth right unto a man,
But the end thereof are the ways of death.
²⁶ The appetite of the laboring man laboreth for him;
For his mouth urgeth him thereto.
²⁷ A worthless man ^[q]deviseth mischief;
And in his lips there is as a scorching fire.
²⁸ A perverse man scattereth abroad strife;
And a whisperer ^[r]separateth chief friends.
²⁹ A man of violence enticeth his neighbor,
And leadeth him in a way that is not good.
^30 [s]He that shutteth his eyes, it is to devise perverse things:
He that compresseth his lips bringeth evil to pass.
³¹ The hoary head is a crown of ^[t]glory;
^[u]It shall be found in the way of righteousness.
³² He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty;
And he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city.
³³ The lot is cast into the lap;
But the whole disposing thereof is of Jehovah.
17 Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith,
Than a house full of ^[v]feasting with strife.
² A servant that dealeth wisely shall have rule over a son that ^[w]causeth shame,
And shall have part in the inheritance among the brethren.
³ The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold;
But Jehovah trieth the hearts.
⁴ An evil-doer giveth heed to wicked lips;
And ^[x]a liar giveth ear to a mischievous tongue.
⁵ Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker;
And he that is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished.
⁶ Children’s children are the crown of old men;
And the glory of children are their fathers.
^7 [y]Excellent speech becometh not a fool;
Much less do lying lips a prince.
⁸ A bribe is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it;
Whithersoever ^[z]it turneth, ^[aa]it ^[ab]prospereth.
⁹ He that covereth a transgression seeketh love;
But he that harpeth on a matter separateth chief friends.
¹⁰ A rebuke entereth deeper into one that hath understanding
Than a hundred stripes into a fool.
^11 [ac]An evil man seeketh only rebellion;
Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
¹² Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man,
Rather than a fool in his folly.
¹³ Whoso rewardeth evil for good,
Evil shall not depart from his house.
¹⁴ The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water:
Therefore leave off contention, before there is quarrelling.
¹⁵ He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to Jehovah.
¹⁶ Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,
Seeing he hath no ^[ad]understanding?
¹⁷ A friend loveth at all times;
And ^[ae]a brother is born for adversity.
¹⁸ A man void of ^[af]understanding striketh hands,
And becometh surety in the presence of his neighbor.
^19 [ag]He loveth transgression that loveth strife:
He that raiseth high his gate seeketh destruction.
²⁰ He that hath a wayward heart findeth no good;
And he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into ^[ah]mischief.
²¹ He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow;
And the father of a fool hath no joy.
²² A cheerful heart ^[ai]is a good medicine;
But a broken spirit drieth up the bones.
²³ A wicked man receiveth a bribe out of the bosom,
To pervert the ways of justice.
²⁴ Wisdom is before the face of him that hath understanding;
But the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.
²⁵ A foolish son is a grief to his father,
And bitterness to her that bare him.
²⁶ Also to ^[aj]punish the righteous is not good,
Nor to smite the noble for their uprightness.
²⁷ He ^[ak]that spareth his words hath knowledge;
And he that is of a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
²⁸ Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise;
^[al]When he shutteth his lips, he is esteemed as prudent.
18 He that separateth himself seeketh his own desire,
And ^[am]rageth against all sound wisdom.
² A fool hath no delight in understanding,
But only that his heart may reveal itself.
³ When the wicked cometh, there cometh also contempt,
And with ignominy cometh reproach.
⁴ The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters;
^[an]The wellspring of wisdom is as a flowing brook.
⁵ To respect the person of the wicked is not good,
^[ao]Nor to turn aside the righteous in judgment.
⁶ A fool’s lips ^[ap]enter into contention,
And his mouth calleth for stripes.
⁷ A fool’s mouth is his destruction,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.
⁸ The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels,
And they go down into the innermost parts.
⁹ He also that is slack in his work
Is brother to him that is a destroyer.
¹⁰ The name of Jehovah is a strong tower;
The righteous runneth into it, and ^[aq]is safe.
¹¹ The rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
And as a high wall in his own imagination.
¹² Before destruction the heart of man is haughty;
And before honor goeth humility.
¹³ He that giveth answer before he heareth,
It is folly and shame unto him.
¹⁴ The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity;
But a broken spirit who can ^[ar]bear?
¹⁵ The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge;
And the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.
¹⁶ A man’s gift maketh room for him,
And bringeth him before great men.
¹⁷ He that pleadeth his cause first seemeth just;
But his neighbor cometh and searcheth him out.
¹⁸ The lot causeth contentions to cease,
And parteth between the mighty.
¹⁹ A brother ^[as]offended is harder to be won than a strong city;
And such contentions are like the bars of a castle.
²⁰ A man’s belly shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth;
With the increase of his lips shall he be satisfied.
²¹ Death and life are in the power of the tongue;
And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
²² Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing,
And obtaineth favor of Jehovah.
²³ The poor useth entreaties;
But the rich answereth roughly.
^24 [at]He that maketh many friends doeth it to his own destruction;
But there is a ^[au]friend that sticketh closer than a brother.