Lakehoma Church of Christ

20:1 Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler;
whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

² A king's wrath strikes terror like the roar of a lion;
those who anger him forfeit their lives.

³ It is to one's honor to avoid strife,
but every fool is quick to quarrel.

⁴ Sluggards do not plow in season;
so at harvest time they look but find nothing.

⁵ The purposes of a person's heart are deep waters,
but one who has insight draws them out.

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

⁷ The righteous lead blameless lives;
blessed are their children after them.

⁸ When a king sits on his throne to judge,
he winnows out all evil with his eyes.

⁹ Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure;
I am clean and without sin"?

¹⁰ Differing weights and differing measures-
the Lord detests them both.

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

¹² Ears that hear and eyes that see-
the Lord has made them both.

¹³ Do not love sleep or you will grow poor;
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 if it is done for an outsider.

¹⁷ Food gained by fraud tastes sweet,
but one ends up with a mouth full of gravel.

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

¹⁹ A gossip betrays a confidence;
so avoid anyone who talks too much.

²⁰ If someone curses their father or mother,
their lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.

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!"
Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you.

²³ The Lord detests differing weights,
and dishonest scales do not please him.

²⁴ A person's steps are directed by the Lord.
How then can anyone understand their own way?

²⁵ It is a trap to dedicate something rashly
and only later to consider one's vows.

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

²⁷ The human spirit is^[a] the lamp of the Lord
that sheds light on one's inmost being.

²⁸ Love and faithfulness keep a king safe;
through love his throne is made secure.

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

³⁰ Blows and wounds scrub away evil,
and beatings purge the inmost being.

1. Proverbs 20:27 Or A person's words are

19:1 Better the poor whose walk is blameless
than a fool whose lips are perverse.

² Desire without knowledge is not good-
how much more will hasty feet miss the way!

³ A person's own folly leads to their ruin,
yet their heart rages against the Lord.

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

⁵ A false witness will not go unpunished,
and whoever pours out lies will not go free.

⁶ Many curry favor with a ruler,
and everyone is the friend of one who gives gifts.

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

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

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

¹⁰ It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury-
how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!

¹¹ A person's wisdom yields patience;
it is to one's glory to overlook an offense.

¹² A king's rage is like the roar of a lion,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.

¹³ A foolish child is a father's ruin,
and a quarrelsome wife is like
the constant dripping of a leaky roof.

¹⁴ Houses and wealth are inherited from parents,
but a prudent wife is from the Lord.

¹⁵ Laziness brings on deep sleep,
and the shiftless go hungry.

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

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

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

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,
and at the end you will be counted among the wise.

²¹ Many are the plans in a person's heart,
but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.

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.

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

²⁵ Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence;
rebuke the discerning, and they will gain knowledge.

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

²⁷ Stop listening to instruction, my son,
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.

²⁹ Penalties are prepared for mockers,
and beatings for the backs of fools.

1. Proverbs 19:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
2. Proverbs 19:22 Or Greed is a person's shame

18:1 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.

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.

17:1 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
than a house full of feasting, with strife.

² A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son
and will share the inheritance as one of the family.

³ The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
but the Lord tests the heart.

⁴ A wicked person listens to deceitful lips;
a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

⁵ Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker;
whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.

⁶ Children's children are a crown to the aged,
and parents are the pride of their children.

⁷ Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool-
how much worse lying lips to a ruler!

⁸ A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it;
they think success will come at every turn.

⁹ Whoever would foster love covers over an offense,
but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

¹⁰ A rebuke impresses a discerning person
more than a hundred lashes a fool.

¹¹ Evildoers foster rebellion against God;
the messenger of death will be sent against them.

¹² Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than a fool bent on folly.

¹³ Evil will never leave the house
of one who pays back evil for good.

¹⁴ Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

¹⁵ Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent -
the Lord detests them both.

¹⁶ Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom,
when they are not able to understand it?

¹⁷ A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

¹⁸ One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge
and puts up security for a neighbor.

¹⁹ Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin;
whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.

²⁰ One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper;
one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.

²¹ To have a fool for a child brings grief;
there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.

²² A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

²³ The wicked accept bribes in secret
to pervert the course of justice.

²⁴ A discerning person keeps wisdom in view,
but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth.

²⁵ A foolish son brings grief to his father
and bitterness to the mother who bore him.

²⁶ If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good,
surely to flog honest officials is not right.

²⁷ The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,
and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.

²⁸ Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
and discerning if they hold their tongues.

16 To humans belong the plans of the heart,
but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.

² All a person's ways seem pure to them,
but motives are weighed by the Lord.

³ Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.

⁴ The Lord works out everything to its proper end -
even the wicked for a day of disaster.

⁵ The Lord detests all the proud of heart.
Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.

⁶ Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.

⁷ When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone's way,
he causes their enemies to make peace with them.

⁸ Better a little with righteousness
than much gain with injustice.

⁹ In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.

¹⁰ The lips of a king speak as an oracle,
and his mouth does not betray justice.

¹¹ Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord;
all the weights in the bag are of his making.

¹² Kings detest wrongdoing,
for a throne is established through righteousness.

¹³ Kings take pleasure in honest lips;
they value the one who speaks what is right.

¹⁴ A king's wrath is a messenger of death,
but the wise will appease it.

¹⁵ When a king's face brightens, it means life;
his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.

¹⁶ How much better to get wisdom than gold,
to get insight rather than silver!

¹⁷ The highway of the upright avoids evil;
those who guard their ways preserve their lives.

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.

¹⁹ Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed
than to share plunder with the proud.

²⁰ Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,^[a]
and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.

²¹ The wise in heart are called discerning,
and gracious words promote instruction.^[b]

²² Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent,
but folly brings punishment to fools.

²³ The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent,
and their lips promote instruction.^[c]

²⁴ Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

²⁵ There is a way that appears to be right,
but in the end it leads to death.

²⁶ The appetite of laborers works for them;
their hunger drives them on.

²⁷ A scoundrel plots evil,
and on their lips it is like a scorching fire.

²⁸ A perverse person stirs up conflict,
and a gossip separates close friends.

²⁹ A violent person entices their neighbor
and leads them down a path that is not good.

³⁰ Whoever winks with their eye is plotting perversity;
whoever purses their lips is bent on evil.

³¹ Gray hair is a crown of splendor;
it is attained in the way of righteousness.

³² Better a patient person than a warrior,
one with self-control than one who takes a city.

³³ The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the Lord.

1. Proverbs 16:20 Or whoever speaks prudently finds what is good
2. Proverbs 16:21 Or words make a person persuasive
3. Proverbs 16:23 Or prudent / and make their lips persuasive

13 A wise son heeds his father's instruction,
but a mocker does not respond to rebukes.

² From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things,
but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence.

³ Those who guard their lips preserve their lives,
but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.

⁴ A sluggard's appetite is never filled,
but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.

⁵ The righteous hate what is false,
but the wicked make themselves a stench
and bring shame on themselves.

⁶ Righteousness guards the person of integrity,
but wickedness overthrows the sinner.

⁷ One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;
another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

⁸ A person's riches may ransom their life,
but the poor cannot respond to threatening rebukes.

⁹ The light of the righteous shines brightly,
but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.

¹⁰ Where there is strife, there is pride,
but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

¹¹ Dishonest money dwindles away,
but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.

¹² Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

¹³ Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it,
but whoever respects a command is rewarded.

¹⁴ The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
turning a person from the snares of death.

¹⁵ Good judgment wins favor,
but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction.^[a]

¹⁶ All who are prudent act with^[b] knowledge,
but fools expose their folly.

¹⁷ A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
but a trustworthy envoy brings healing.

¹⁸ Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame,
but whoever heeds correction is honored.

¹⁹ A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul,
but fools detest turning from evil.

²⁰ Walk with the wise and become wise,
for a companion of fools suffers harm.

²¹ Trouble pursues the sinner,
but the righteous are rewarded with good things.

²² A good person leaves an inheritance for their children's children,
but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous.

²³ An unplowed field produces food for the poor,
but injustice sweeps it away.

²⁴ Whoever spares the rod hates their children,
but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.

²⁵ The righteous eat to their hearts' content,
but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry.

1. Proverbs 13:15 Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
2. Proverbs 13:16 Or prudent protect themselves through

12 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but whoever hates correction is stupid.

² Good people obtain favor from the Lord,
but he condemns those who devise wicked schemes.

³ No one can be established through wickedness,
but the righteous cannot be uprooted.

⁴ A wife of noble character is her husband's crown,
but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.

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.

⁷ The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
but the house of the righteous stands firm.

⁸ A person is praised according to their prudence,
and one with a warped 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,
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.

¹² The wicked desire the stronghold of evildoers,
but the root of the righteous endures.

¹³ Evildoers are trapped by their sinful talk,
and so the innocent escape trouble.

¹⁴ From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things,
and the work of their hands brings them reward.

¹⁵ The way of fools seems right to them,
but the wise listen to advice.

¹⁶ Fools show their annoyance at once,
but the prudent overlook an insult.

¹⁷ An honest witness tells the truth,
but a false witness tells lies.

¹⁸ The words of the reckless pierce like swords,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

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.

²¹ No harm overtakes the righteous,
but the wicked have their fill of trouble.

²² The Lord detests lying lips,
but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

²³ The prudent keep their knowledge to themselves,
but a fool's heart blurts out folly.

²⁴ Diligent hands will rule,
but laziness ends in forced labor.

²⁵ Anxiety weighs down the heart,
but a kind word cheers it up.

²⁶ The righteous choose their friends carefully,
but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

²⁷ The lazy do not roast^[a] any game,
but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.

²⁸ In the way of righteousness there is life;
along that path is immortality.

1. Proverbs 12:27 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

11 The Lord detests dishonest scales,
but accurate weights find favor with him.

² When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom.

³ The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

⁴ Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.

⁵ The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight,
but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.

⁶ The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.

⁷ Hopes placed in mortals die with them;
all the promise of^[a] their power comes to nothing.

⁸ The righteous person is rescued from trouble,
and it falls on the wicked instead.

⁹ With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors,
but through knowledge the righteous escape.

¹⁰ When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices;
when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

¹¹ Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.

¹² Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense,
but the one who has understanding holds their tongue.

¹³ A gossip betrays a confidence,
but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.

¹⁴ For lack of guidance a nation falls,
but victory is won through many advisers.

¹⁵ Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer,
but whoever refuses to shake hands in pledge is safe.

¹⁶ A kindhearted woman gains honor,
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.

¹⁹ Truly the righteous attain life,
but whoever pursues evil finds death.

²⁰ The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse,
but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.

²¹ Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished,
but those who are righteous will go free.

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.

²⁵ A generous person will prosper;
whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

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.

²⁸ Those who trust in their riches will fall,
but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

²⁹ Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise.

³⁰ The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and the one who is wise saves lives.

³¹ If the righteous receive their due on earth,
how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

1. Proverbs 11:7 Two Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate, Syriac and TargumWhen the wicked die, their hope perishes; / all they expected from