Proverbs 18-21

English Standard Version

18 Whoever ^(A)isolates himself seeks his own desire;
    he breaks out against all sound judgment.
² A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
    but only ^(B)in expressing his opinion.
³ When wickedness comes, contempt comes also,
    and with dishonor comes disgrace.
⁴ The words of a man's mouth are ^(C)deep waters;
    the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
⁵ It is not good to ^(D)be partial to^[a] the wicked
    or to ^(E)deprive the righteous of justice.
⁶ A fool's lips walk into a fight,
    and his mouth invites ^(F)a beating.
^7 (G)A fool's mouth is his ruin,
    and his lips are a snare to his soul.
^8 (H)The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
    they go down into ^(I)the inner parts of the body.
⁹ Whoever is slack in his work
    is a ^(J)brother to him who destroys.
^10 (K)The name of the Lord is ^(L)a strong tower;
    the righteous man runs into it and ^(M)is safe.
^11 (N)A rich man's wealth is his strong city,
    and like a high wall in his imagination.
^12 (O)Before destruction a man's heart is haughty,
    but ^(P)humility comes before honor.
¹³ If one gives an answer ^(Q)before he hears,
    it is his folly and shame.
¹⁴ A man's spirit will endure sickness,
    but ^(R)a crushed spirit who can bear?
¹⁵ An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,
    and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
¹⁶ A man's ^(S)gift makes room for him
    and brings him before the great.
¹⁷ The one who states his case first seems right,
    until the other comes and examines him.
^18 (T)The lot puts an end to quarrels
    and decides between powerful contenders.
¹⁹ A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city,
    and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
^20 (U)From the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach is satisfied;
    he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.
^21 (V)Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
    and those who love it will eat its fruits.
²² He who finds ^(W)a wife finds ^(X)a good thing
    and ^(Y)obtains favor ^(Z)from the Lord.
²³ The poor use entreaties,
    but ^(AA)the rich answer roughly.
²⁴ A man of many companions may come to ruin,
    but ^(AB)there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
19 ^(AC)Better is a poor person who ^(AD)walks in his integrity
    than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
² Desire^[b] without knowledge is not good,
    and whoever ^(AE)makes haste with his feet misses his way.
³ When a man's folly ^(AF)brings his way to ruin,
    his heart ^(AG)rages against the Lord.
^4 (AH)Wealth brings many new friends,
    ^(AI)but a poor man is deserted by his friend.
^5 (AJ)A false witness will not go unpunished,
    and he who ^(AK)breathes out lies will not escape.
⁶ Many seek the favor of a generous man,^[c]
    and everyone is a friend to a man who gives ^(AL)gifts.
^7 (AM)All a poor man's brothers hate him;
    ^(AN)how much more do his friends go far from him!
He pursues them with words, but does not have them.^[d]
8 (AO)Whoever gets sense loves his own soul;
    he who keeps understanding will ^(AP)discover good.
^9 (AQ)A false witness will not go unpunished,
    and he who ^(AR)breathes out lies will perish.
^10 (AS)It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury,
    much less for ^(AT)a slave to rule over princes.
^11 (AU)Good sense makes one slow to anger,
    and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
¹² A king's wrath is like ^(AV)the growling of a lion,
    but his ^(AW)favor is like ^(AX)dew on the grass.
^13 (AY)A foolish son is ruin to his father,
    and ^(AZ)a wife's quarreling is ^(BA)a continual dripping of rain.
^14 (BB)House and wealth are inherited from fathers,
    but a prudent wife is ^(BC)from the Lord.
^15 (BD)Slothfulness casts into ^(BE)a deep sleep,
    and ^(BF)an idle person will suffer hunger.
¹⁶ Whoever ^(BG)keeps the commandment keeps his life;
    he who despises his ways will die.
^17 (BH)Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,
    and he ^(BI)will repay him for his ^(BJ)deed.
^18 (BK)Discipline your son, for there is hope;
    do not set your heart on ^(BL)putting him to death.
¹⁹ A man of great wrath will pay the penalty,
    for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.
²⁰ Listen to advice and accept instruction,
    that you may gain wisdom in ^(BM)the future.
^21 (BN)Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
    but ^(BO)it is the purpose of the Lord ^(BP)that will stand.
²² What is desired in a man is steadfast love,
    and a poor man is better than a liar.
²³ The fear of the Lord ^(BQ)leads to life,
    and whoever has it rests ^(BR)satisfied;
    he will ^(BS)not be visited by harm.
^24 (BT)The sluggard buries his hand in ^(BU)the dish
    and will not even bring it back to his mouth.
^25 (BV)Strike ^(BW)a scoffer, and the simple will ^(BX)learn prudence;
    ^(BY)reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.
²⁶ He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother
    is ^(BZ)a son who brings shame and reproach.
²⁷ Cease to hear instruction, my son,
    ^(CA)and you will stray from the words of knowledge.
²⁸ A worthless witness mocks at justice,
    and the mouth of the wicked ^(CB)devours iniquity.
²⁹ Condemnation is ready for ^(CC)scoffers,
    and ^(CD)beating for the backs of fools.
20 ^(CE)Wine is a mocker, ^(CF)strong drink a brawler,
    and whoever ^(CG)is led astray by it is not wise.^[e]
2 The terror of a king is like ^(CH)the growling of a lion;
    whoever provokes him to anger ^(CI)forfeits his life.
³ It is an honor for a man to ^(CJ)keep aloof from strife,
    but every fool will be quarreling.
^4 (CK)The sluggard does not plow in the autumn;
    ^(CL)he will seek at harvest and have nothing.
⁵ The purpose in a man's heart is like ^(CM)deep water,
    but a man of understanding will draw it out.
⁶ Many a man ^(CN)proclaims his own steadfast love,
    but ^(CO)a faithful man who can find?
⁷ The righteous who ^(CP)walks in his integrity—
    ^(CQ)blessed are his children after him!
^8 (CR)A king who sits on the throne of judgment
    ^(CS)winnows all evil with his eyes.
^9 (CT)Who can say, “I have made my heart pure;
    I am clean from my sin”?
^10 (CU)Unequal^[f] weights and unequal measures
    are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
¹¹ Even a child ^(CV)makes himself known by his acts,
    by whether his conduct is pure and upright.^[g]
12 (CW)The hearing ear and the seeing eye,
    ^(CX)the Lord has made them both.
^13 (CY)Love not sleep, lest you ^(CZ)come to poverty;
    open your eyes, and you will have ^(DA)plenty of bread.
¹⁴ “Bad, bad,” says the buyer,
    but when he goes away, then he boasts.
¹⁵ There is gold and abundance of ^(DB)costly stones,
    ^(DC)but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.
^16 (DD)Take a man's garment when he has put up security for a stranger,
    and ^(DE)hold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners.^[h]
17 (DF)Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,
    but afterward his mouth will be full of ^(DG)gravel.
^18 (DH)Plans are established by counsel;
    by ^(DI)wise guidance ^(DJ)wage war.
¹⁹ Whoever ^(DK)goes about slandering reveals secrets;
    therefore do not associate with ^(DL)a simple babbler.^[i]
20 (DM)If one curses his father or his mother,
    ^(DN)his lamp will be put out in utter darkness.
^21 (DO)An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning
    will not be blessed in the end.
²² Do not say, ^(DP)“I will repay evil”;
    ^(DQ)wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.
^23 (DR)Unequal weights are an abomination to the Lord,
    and ^(DS)false scales are not good.
²⁴ A man's ^(DT)steps are from the Lord;
    how then can man understand his way?
²⁵ It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,”
    and to reflect only ^(DU)after making vows.
²⁶ A wise king ^(DV)winnows the wicked
    and drives ^(DW)the wheel over them.
^27 (DX)The spirit^[j] of man is the lamp of the Lord,
    ^(DY)searching all ^(DZ)his innermost parts.
^28 (EA)Steadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king,
    and by steadfast love his ^(EB)throne is upheld.
²⁹ The glory of young men is their strength,
    but ^(EC)the splendor of old men is their gray hair.
^30 (ED)Blows that wound cleanse away evil;
    strokes make clean ^(EE)the innermost parts.
21 The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
    he ^(EF)turns it wherever he will.
^2 (EG)Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
    but the Lord ^(EH)weighs the heart.
^3 (EI)To do righteousness and justice
    is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
^4 (EJ)Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
    ^(EK)the lamp^[k] of the wicked, are sin.
⁵ The plans of ^(EL)the diligent lead surely to abundance,
    but everyone who is ^(EM)hasty comes ^(EN)only to poverty.
^6 (EO)The getting of treasures by a lying tongue
    is a ^(EP)fleeting ^(EQ)vapor and a ^(ER)snare of death.^[l]
7 The violence of the wicked will ^(ES)sweep them away,
    because they refuse to do what is just.
⁸ The way of the guilty ^(ET)is crooked,
    but the conduct of the pure is upright.
⁹ It is ^(EU)better to live in a corner of the housetop
    than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
¹⁰ The soul of the wicked desires evil;
    his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.
¹¹ When ^(EV)a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise;
    when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.
¹² The Righteous One ^(EW)observes the house of the wicked;
    he throws the wicked down to ruin.
^13 (EX)Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor
    will himself call out and not be answered.
^14 (EY)A gift in secret averts anger,
    and a concealed bribe,^[m] strong wrath.
¹⁵ When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous
    ^(EZ)but terror to evildoers.
¹⁶ One who wanders from the way of good sense
    ^(FA)will rest in the assembly of the dead.
¹⁷ Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man;
    he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
^18 (FB)The wicked is a ^(FC)ransom for the righteous,
    and the traitor for the upright.
¹⁹ It is ^(FD)better to live in a desert land
    than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.
^20 (FE)Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man's dwelling,
    but a foolish man ^(FF)devours it.
²¹ Whoever ^(FG)pursues righteousness and kindness
    will find ^(FH)life, righteousness, and honor.
^22 (FI)A wise man scales the city of the mighty
    and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.
^23 (FJ)Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue
    ^(FK)keeps himself out of ^(FL)trouble.
^24 (FM)“Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man
    who acts with arrogant pride.
²⁵ The desire of ^(FN)the sluggard kills him,
    for his hands refuse to labor.
²⁶ All day long he craves and craves,
    but the righteous ^(FO)gives and does not hold back.
^27 (FP)The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
    how much more ^(FQ)when he brings it with evil intent.
^28 (FR)A false witness will perish,
    but the word of a man who hears will endure.
²⁹ A wicked man puts on a bold face,
    but the upright ^(FS)gives thought to^[n] his ways.
^30 (FT)No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel
    can avail against the Lord.
^31 (FU)The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
    but ^(FV)the victory belongs to the Lord.