Proverbs 9-12
New International Version
Invitations of Wisdom and Folly
9 Wisdom has built(A) her house;
she has set up[a] its seven pillars.
2 She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;(B)
she has also set her table.(C)
3 She has sent out her servants, and she calls(D)
from the highest point of the city,(E)
4 “Let all who are simple(F) come to my house!”
To those who have no sense(G) she says,
5 “Come,(H) eat my food
and drink the wine I have mixed.(I)
6 Leave your simple ways and you will live;(J)
walk in the way of insight.”(K)
7 Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults;
whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse.(L)
8 Do not rebuke mockers(M) or they will hate you;
rebuke the wise and they will love you.(N)
9 Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still;
teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.(O)
10 The fear of the Lord(P) is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One(Q) is understanding.(R)
11 For through wisdom[b] your days will be many,
and years will be added to your life.(S)
12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;
if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.
13 Folly is an unruly woman;(T)
she is simple and knows nothing.(U)
14 She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat at the highest point of the city,(V)
15 calling out(W) to those who pass by,
who go straight on their way,
16 “Let all who are simple come to my house!”
To those who have no sense(X) she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet;
food eaten in secret is delicious!(Y)”
18 But little do they know that the dead are there,
that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.(Z)
Proverbs of Solomon
10 The proverbs(AA) of Solomon:(AB)
A wise son brings joy to his father,(AC)
but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.
5 He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son,
but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.(AJ)
6 Blessings crown the head of the righteous,
but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.[c](AK)
7 The name of the righteous(AL) is used in blessings,[d]
but the name of the wicked(AM) will rot.(AN)
8 The wise in heart accept commands,
but a chattering fool comes to ruin.(AO)
9 Whoever walks in integrity(AP) walks securely,(AQ)
but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.(AR)
10 Whoever winks maliciously(AS) causes grief,
and a chattering fool comes to ruin.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,(AT)
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.(AU)
12 Hatred stirs up conflict,
but love covers over all wrongs.(AV)
13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,(AW)
but a rod is for the back of one who has no sense.(AX)
17 Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life,(BE)
but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.
18 Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips(BF)
and spreads slander is a fool.
19 Sin is not ended by multiplying words,
but the prudent hold their tongues.(BG)
20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
but the heart of the wicked is of little value.
21 The lips of the righteous nourish many,
but fools die for lack of sense.(BH)
23 A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes,(BL)
but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.
28 The prospect of the righteous is joy,
but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.(BV)
29 The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless,
but it is the ruin of those who do evil.(BW)
30 The righteous will never be uprooted,
but the wicked will not remain in the land.(BX)
31 From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom,(BY)
but a perverse tongue(BZ) will be silenced.
32 The lips of the righteous know what finds favor,(CA)
but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.(CB)
3 The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.(CG)
5 The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight,(CK)
but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.(CL)
6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.(CM)
7 Hopes placed in mortals die with them;(CN)
all the promise of[e] their power comes to nothing.(CO)
8 The righteous person is rescued from trouble,
and it falls on the wicked instead.(CP)
9 With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors,
but through knowledge the righteous escape.(CQ)
10 When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices;(CR)
when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.(CS)
11 Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,(CT)
but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.(CU)
12 Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense,(CV)
but the one who has understanding holds their tongue.(CW)
15 Whoever puts up security(DB) for a stranger will surely suffer,
but whoever refuses to shake hands in pledge is safe.(DC)
16 A kindhearted woman gains honor,(DD)
but ruthless men gain only wealth.
17 Those who are kind benefit themselves,
but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.
18 A wicked person earns deceptive wages,
but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.(DE)
20 The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse,(DH)
but he delights(DI) in those whose ways are blameless.(DJ)
21 Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished,
but those who are righteous will go free.(DK)
22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.
24 One person gives freely, yet gains even more;
another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.
26 People curse the one who hoards grain,
but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell.
27 Whoever seeks good finds favor,
but evil comes to one who searches for it.(DN)
28 Those who trust in their riches will fall,(DO)
but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.(DP)
29 Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise.(DQ)
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,(DR)
and the one who is wise saves lives.
31 If the righteous receive their due(DS) on earth,
how much more the ungodly and the sinner!
12 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but whoever hates correction is stupid.(DT)
3 No one can be established through wickedness,
but the righteous cannot be uprooted.(DW)
4 A wife of noble character(DX) is her husband’s crown,
but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.(DY)
5 The plans of the righteous are just,
but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.
6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
but the speech of the upright rescues them.(DZ)
8 A person is praised according to their prudence,
and one with a warped(EC) mind is despised.
9 Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant
than pretend to be somebody and have no food.
10 The righteous care for the needs of their animals,(ED)
but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.
11 Those who work their land will have abundant food,
but those who chase fantasies have no sense.(EE)
12 The wicked desire the stronghold of evildoers,
but the root of the righteous endures.
14 From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things,(EH)
and the work of their hands brings them reward.(EI)
17 An honest witness tells the truth,
but a false witness tells lies.(EO)
19 Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.
20 Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil,
but those who promote peace have joy.(ER)
21 No harm overtakes the righteous,(ES)
but the wicked have their fill of trouble.
24 Diligent hands will rule,
but laziness ends in forced labor.(EY)
25 Anxiety weighs down the heart,(EZ)
but a kind word cheers it up.
26 The righteous choose their friends carefully,
but the way of the wicked leads them astray.(FA)
27 The lazy do not roast[f] any game,
but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.
28 In the way of righteousness there is life;(FB)
along that path is immortality.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 9:1 Septuagint, Syriac and Targum; Hebrew has hewn out
- Proverbs 9:11 Septuagint, Syriac and Targum; Hebrew me
- Proverbs 10:6 Or righteous, / but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence
- Proverbs 10:7 See Gen. 48:20.
- Proverbs 11:7 Two Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate, Syriac and Targum When the wicked die, their hope perishes; / all they expected from
- Proverbs 12:27 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
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