Proverbs 15-17

New King James Version

^3 (D)The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Keeping watch on the evil and the good.

⁴ A ^[a]wholesome tongue is a tree of life,
But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

^5 (E)A fool despises his father’s instruction,
^(F)But he who ^[b]receives correction is prudent.

⁶ In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.

⁷ The lips of the wise ^[c]disperse knowledge,
But the heart of the fool does not do so.

^8 (G)The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
⁹ The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But He loves him who ^(H)follows righteousness.

^10 (I)Harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way,
And ^(J)he who hates correction will die.

^11 (K)Hell^[d] and ^[e]Destruction are before the Lord;
So how much more ^(L)the hearts of the sons of men.

^12 (M)A scoffer does not love one who corrects him,
Nor will he go to the wise.

^13 (N)A merry heart makes a cheerful ^[f]countenance,
But ^(O)by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

¹⁴ The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.

¹⁵ All the days of the afflicted are evil,
^(P)But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.

^16 (Q)Better is a little with the fear of the Lord,
Than great treasure with trouble.
^17 (R)Better is a dinner of ^[g]herbs where love is,
Than a fatted calf with hatred.

^18 (S)A wrathful man stirs up strife,
But he who is slow to anger allays contention.

^19 (T)The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns,
But the way of the upright is a highway.

^20 (U)A wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man despises his mother.

^21 (V)Folly is joy to him who is destitute of ^[h]discernment,
^(W)But a man of understanding walks uprightly.

^22 (X)Without counsel, plans go awry,
But in the multitude of counselors they are established.

²³ A man has joy by the answer of his mouth,
And ^(Y)a word spoken ^[i]in due season, how good it is!

^24 (Z)The way of life winds upward for the wise,
That he may ^(AA)turn away from ^[j]hell below.

^25 (AB)The Lord will destroy the house of the proud,
But ^(AC)He will establish the boundary of the widow.

^26 (AD)The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
^(AE)But the words of the pure are pleasant.

^27 (AF)He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house,
But he who hates bribes will live.

²⁸ The heart of the righteous ^(AG)studies how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.

^29 (AH)The Lord is far from the wicked,
But ^(AI)He hears the prayer of the righteous.

³⁰ The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
And a good report makes the bones ^[k]healthy.

³¹ The ear that hears the rebukes of life
Will abide among the wise.
³² He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,
But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.
^33 (AJ)The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,
And ^(AK)before honor is humility.

² All the ways of a man are pure in his own ^(AN)eyes,
But the Lord weighs the spirits.

^3 (AO)Commit^[m] your works to the Lord,
And your thoughts will be established.

⁴ The ^(AP)Lord has made all for Himself,
^(AQ)Yes, even the wicked for the day of ^[n]doom.

^5 (AR)Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
Though they join ^[o]forces, none will go unpunished.

^6 (AS)In mercy and truth
Atonement is provided for iniquity;
And ^(AT)by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.

⁷ When a man’s ways please the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

^8 (AU)Better is a little with righteousness,
Than vast revenues without justice.

^9 (AV)A man’s heart plans his way,
^(AW)But the Lord directs his steps.

¹⁰ Divination is on the lips of the king;
His mouth must not transgress in judgment.
^11 (AX)Honest weights and scales are the Lord’s;
All the weights in the bag are His ^[p]work.
¹² It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness,
For ^(AY)a throne is established by righteousness.
^13 (AZ)Righteous lips are the delight of kings,
And they love him who speaks what is right.
¹⁴ As messengers of death is the king’s wrath,
But a wise man will ^(BA)appease it.
¹⁵ In the light of the king’s face is life,
And his favor is like a ^(BB)cloud of the latter rain.

^16 (BC)How much better to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

¹⁷ The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;
He who keeps his way preserves his soul.

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before ^[q]a fall.
¹⁹ Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,
Than to divide the ^[r]spoil with the proud.

²⁰ He who heeds the word wisely will find good,
And whoever ^(BD)trusts in the Lord, happy is he.

²¹ The wise in heart will be called prudent,
And sweetness of the lips increases learning.

²² Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it.
But the correction of fools is folly.

²³ The heart of the wise teaches his mouth,
And adds learning to his lips.

²⁴ Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

²⁵ There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of ^(BE)death.

²⁶ The person who labors, labors for himself,
For his hungry mouth drives ^(BF)him on.

^27 [s]An ungodly man digs up evil,
And it is on his lips like a burning ^(BG)fire.
²⁸ A perverse man sows strife,
And ^(BH)a whisperer separates the best of friends.
²⁹ A violent man entices his neighbor,
And leads him in a way that is not good.
³⁰ He winks his eye to devise perverse things;
He ^[t]purses his lips and brings about evil.

^31 (BI)The silver-haired head is a crown of glory,
If it is found in the way of righteousness.

^32 (BJ)He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

³³ The lot is cast into the lap,
But its every decision is from the Lord.

² A wise servant will rule over ^(BL)a son who causes shame,
And will share an inheritance among the brothers.

³ The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
^(BM)But the Lord tests the hearts.

⁴ An evildoer gives heed to false lips;
A liar listens eagerly to a ^[v]spiteful tongue.

^5 (BN)He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker;
^(BO)He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.

^6 (BP)Children’s children are the crown of old men,
And the glory of children is their father.

⁷ Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool,
Much less lying lips to a prince.

⁸ A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.

^9 (BQ)He who covers a transgression seeks love,
But ^(BR)he who repeats a matter separates friends.

^10 (BS)Rebuke is more effective for a wise man
Than a hundred blows on a fool.

¹¹ An evil man seeks only rebellion;
Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

¹² Let a man meet ^(BT)a bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.

¹³ Whoever ^(BU)rewards evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.

¹⁴ The beginning of strife is like releasing water;
Therefore ^(BV)stop contention before a quarrel starts.

^15 (BW)He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.

¹⁶ Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom,
Since he has no heart for it?

^17 (BX)A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.

^18 (BY)A man devoid of ^[w]understanding ^[x]shakes hands in a pledge,
And becomes ^[y]surety for his friend.

¹⁹ He who loves transgression loves strife,
And ^(BZ)he who exalts his gate seeks destruction.

²⁰ He who has a ^[z]deceitful heart finds no good,
And he who has ^(CA)a perverse tongue falls into evil.

²¹ He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.

²² A ^(CB)merry heart ^[aa]does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones.

²³ A wicked man accepts a bribe ^[ab]behind the back
To pervert the ways of justice.

^24 (CC)Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding,
But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

²⁵ A ^(CD)foolish son is a grief to his father,
And bitterness to her who bore him.

²⁶ Also, to punish the righteous is not good,
Nor to strike princes for their uprightness.

^27 (CE)He who has knowledge spares his words,
And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.
^28 (CF)Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace;
When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.