Study

18. Proverbs of Solomon

    ² Fools find no pleasure in understanding
   but delight in airing their own opinions.

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

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

    ⁵ It is not good to be partial to the wicked
   and so deprive the innocent of justice.

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

    ⁷ The mouths of fools are their undoing,
   and their lips are a snare to their very lives.

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

    ⁹ One who is slack in his work
   is brother to one who destroys.

    ¹⁰ The name of the LORD is a fortified tower;
   the righteous run to it and are safe.

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

    ¹² Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
   but humility comes before honor.

    ¹³ To answer before listening—
   that is folly and shame.

    ¹⁴ The human spirit can endure in sickness,
   but a crushed spirit who can bear?

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

    ¹⁶ A gift 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
   and keeps strong opponents apart.

    ¹⁹ A brother wronged 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.

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

    ²² He who finds a wife finds what is good
   and receives favor from the LORD.

    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.