Proverbs 18-21

New International Version

18 An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
    and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.

² Fools find no pleasure in understanding
    but delight in airing their own opinions.^(A)

³ When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
    and with shame comes reproach.

⁴ The words of the mouth are deep waters,^(B)
    but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.

⁵ It is not good to be partial to the wicked^(C)
    and so deprive the innocent of justice.^(D)

⁶ The lips of fools bring them strife,
    and their mouths invite a beating.^(E)

⁷ The mouths of fools are their undoing,
    and their lips are a snare^(F) to their very lives.^(G)

⁸ The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
    they go down to the inmost parts.^(H)

⁹ One who is slack in his work
    is brother to one who destroys.^(I)

¹⁰ The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;^(J)
    the righteous run to it and are safe.^(K)

¹¹ The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;^(L)
    they imagine it a wall too high to scale.

¹² Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
    but humility comes before honor.^(M)

¹³ To answer before listening—
    that is folly and shame.^(N)

¹⁴ The human spirit can endure in sickness,
    but a crushed spirit who can bear?^(O)

¹⁵ The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,^(P)
    for the ears of the wise seek it out.

¹⁶ A gift^(Q) opens the way
    and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.

¹⁷ In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,
    until someone comes forward and cross-examines.

¹⁸ Casting the lot settles disputes^(R)
    and keeps strong opponents apart.

¹⁹ A brother wronged^(S) is more unyielding than a fortified city;
    disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.

²⁰ From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
    with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.^(T)

²¹ The tongue has the power of life and death,^(U)
    and those who love it will eat its fruit.^(V)

²² He who finds a wife finds what is good^(W)
    and receives favor from the Lord.^(X)

²³ The poor plead for mercy,
    but the rich answer harshly.

²⁴ One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
    but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.^(Y)

19 Better the poor whose walk is blameless
    than a fool whose lips are perverse.^(Z)

² Desire without knowledge is not good—
    how much more will hasty feet miss the way!^(AA)

³ A person’s own folly^(AB) leads to their ruin,
    yet their heart rages against the Lord.^(AC)

⁴ Wealth attracts many friends,
    but even the closest friend of the poor person deserts them.^(AD)

⁵ A false witness^(AE) will not go unpunished,^(AF)
    and whoever pours out lies will not go free.^(AG)

⁶ Many curry favor with a ruler,^(AH)
    and everyone is the friend of one who gives gifts.^(AI)

⁷ The poor are shunned by all their relatives—
    how much more do their friends avoid them!^(AJ)
Though the poor pursue them with pleading,
    they are nowhere to be found.^[a](AK)

⁸ The one who gets wisdom loves life;
    the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper.^(AL)

⁹ A false witness will not go unpunished,
    and whoever pours out lies will perish.^(AM)

¹⁰ It is not fitting for a fool^(AN) to live in luxury—
    how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!^(AO)

¹¹ A person’s wisdom yields patience;^(AP)
    it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.

¹² A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion,^(AQ)
    but his favor is like dew^(AR) on the grass.^(AS)

¹³ A foolish child is a father’s ruin,^(AT)
    and a quarrelsome wife is like
    the constant dripping of a leaky roof.^(AU)

¹⁴ Houses and wealth are inherited from parents,^(AV)
    but a prudent wife is from the Lord.^(AW)

¹⁵ Laziness brings on deep sleep,
    and the shiftless go hungry.^(AX)

¹⁶ Whoever keeps commandments keeps their life,
    but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die.^(AY)

¹⁷ Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,^(AZ)
    and he will reward them for what they have done.^(BA)

¹⁸ Discipline your children, for in that there is hope;
    do not be a willing party to their death.^(BB)

¹⁹ A hot-tempered person must pay the penalty;
    rescue them, and you will have to do it again.

²⁰ Listen to advice and accept discipline,^(BC)
    and at the end you will be counted among the wise.^(BD)

²¹ Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
    but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.^(BE)

²² What a person desires is unfailing love^[b];
    better to be poor than a liar.

²³ The fear of the Lord leads to life;
    then one rests content, untouched by trouble.^(BF)

²⁴ A sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
    he will not even bring it back to his mouth!^(BG)

²⁵ Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence;
    rebuke the discerning,^(BH) and they will gain knowledge.^(BI)

²⁶ Whoever robs their father and drives out their mother^(BJ)
    is a child who brings shame and disgrace.

²⁷ Stop listening to instruction, my son,^(BK)
    and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

²⁸ A corrupt witness mocks at justice,
    and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.^(BL)

²⁹ Penalties are prepared for mockers,
    and beatings for the backs of fools.^(BM)

20 Wine^(BN) is a mocker^(BO) and beer a brawler;
    whoever is led astray^(BP) by them is not wise.^(BQ)

² A king’s wrath strikes terror like the roar of a lion;^(BR)
    those who anger him forfeit their lives.^(BS)

³ It is to one’s honor to avoid strife,
    but every fool^(BT) is quick to quarrel.^(BU)

⁴ Sluggards^(BV) do not plow in season;
    so at harvest time they look but find nothing.^(BW)

⁵ The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters,^(BX)
    but one who has insight draws them out.

⁶ Many claim to have unfailing love,
    but a faithful person who can find?^(BY)

⁷ The righteous lead blameless lives;^(BZ)
    blessed are their children after them.^(CA)

⁸ When a king sits on his throne to judge,^(CB)
    he winnows out all evil with his eyes.^(CC)

⁹ Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure;^(CD)
    I am clean and without sin”?^(CE)

¹⁰ Differing weights and differing measures—
    the Lord detests them both.^(CF)

¹¹ Even small children are known by their actions,
    so is their conduct really pure^(CG) and upright?

¹² Ears that hear and eyes that see—
    the Lord has made them both.^(CH)

¹³ Do not love sleep or you will grow poor;^(CI)
    stay awake and you will have food to spare.

¹⁴ “It’s no good, it’s no good!” says the buyer—
    then goes off and boasts about the purchase.

¹⁵ Gold there is, and rubies in abundance,
    but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.

¹⁶ Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;
    hold it in pledge^(CJ) if it is done for an outsider.^(CK)

¹⁷ Food gained by fraud tastes sweet,^(CL)
    but one ends up with a mouth full of gravel.^(CM)

¹⁸ Plans are established by seeking advice;
    so if you wage war, obtain guidance.^(CN)

¹⁹ A gossip betrays a confidence;^(CO)
    so avoid anyone who talks too much.

²⁰ If someone curses their father or mother,^(CP)
    their lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.^(CQ)

²¹ An inheritance claimed too soon
    will not be blessed at the end.

²² Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!”^(CR)
    Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you.^(CS)

²³ The Lord detests differing weights,
    and dishonest scales do not please him.^(CT)

²⁴ A person’s steps are directed^(CU) by the Lord.^(CV)
    How then can anyone understand their own way?^(CW)

²⁵ It is a trap to dedicate something rashly
    and only later to consider one’s vows.^(CX)

²⁶ A wise king winnows out the wicked;
    he drives the threshing wheel over them.^(CY)

²⁷ The human spirit is^[c] the lamp of the Lord^(CZ)
    that sheds light on one’s inmost being.^(DA)

²⁸ Love and faithfulness keep a king safe;
    through love^(DB) his throne is made secure.^(DC)

²⁹ The glory of young men is their strength,
    gray hair the splendor of the old.^(DD)

³⁰ Blows and wounds scrub^(DE) away evil,
    and beatings^(DF) purge the inmost being.

21 In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water
    that he channels toward all who please him.^(DG)

² A person may think their own ways are right,
    but the Lord weighs the heart.^(DH)

³ To do what is right and just
    is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.^(DI)

⁴ Haughty eyes^(DJ) and a proud heart—
    the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin.

⁵ The plans of the diligent lead to profit^(DK)
    as surely as haste leads to poverty.

⁶ A fortune made by a lying tongue
    is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.^[d](DL)

⁷ The violence of the wicked will drag them away,^(DM)
    for they refuse to do what is right.

⁸ The way of the guilty is devious,^(DN)
    but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

⁹ Better to live on a corner of the roof
    than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.^(DO)

¹⁰ The wicked crave evil;
    their neighbors get no mercy from them.

¹¹ When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom;
    by paying attention to the wise they get knowledge.^(DP)

¹² The Righteous One^[e] takes note of the house of the wicked
    and brings the wicked to ruin.^(DQ)

¹³ Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor
    will also cry out^(DR) and not be answered.^(DS)

¹⁴ A gift given in secret soothes anger,
    and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.^(DT)

¹⁵ When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous
    but terror to evildoers.^(DU)

¹⁶ Whoever strays from the path of prudence
    comes to rest in the company of the dead.^(DV)

¹⁷ Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;
    whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.^(DW)

¹⁸ The wicked become a ransom^(DX) for the righteous,
    and the unfaithful for the upright.

¹⁹ Better to live in a desert
    than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.^(DY)

²⁰ The wise store up choice food and olive oil,
    but fools gulp theirs down.

²¹ Whoever pursues righteousness and love
    finds life, prosperity^[f](DZ) and honor.^(EA)

²² One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty^(EB)
    and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.

²³ Those who guard their mouths^(EC) and their tongues
    keep themselves from calamity.^(ED)

²⁴ The proud and arrogant person^(EE)—“Mocker” is his name—
    behaves with insolent fury.

²⁵ The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him,^(EF)
    because his hands refuse to work.
²⁶ All day long he craves for more,
    but the righteous^(EG) give without sparing.^(EH)

²⁷ The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable^(EI)—
    how much more so when brought with evil intent!^(EJ)

²⁸ A false witness^(EK) will perish,^(EL)
    but a careful listener will testify successfully.

²⁹ The wicked put up a bold front,
    but the upright give thought to their ways.^(EM)

³⁰ There is no wisdom,^(EN) no insight, no plan
    that can succeed against the Lord.^(EO)

³¹ The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
    but victory rests with the Lord.^(EP)