16 (A)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 [a]a fall.
19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,
Than to divide the [b]spoil with the proud.

20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good,
And whoever (B)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 (C)death.

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

27 [c]An ungodly man digs up evil,
And it is on his lips like a burning (E)fire.
28 A perverse man sows strife,
And (F)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 [d]purses his lips and brings about evil.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:18 stumbling
  2. Proverbs 16:19 plunder
  3. Proverbs 16:27 Lit. A man of Belial
  4. Proverbs 16:30 Lit. compresses

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