Proverbs 4:1

Admonition to Follow Righteousness and Avoid Wickedness

4:1 Listen, children, to a father’s instruction,

and pay attention so that you may gain discernment.

Proverbs 14:1-35

14:1 Every wise woman builds her household,

but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.

14:2 The one who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,

but the one who is perverted in his ways despises him.

14:3 In the speech of a fool is a rod for his back,

but the words of the wise protect them.

14:4 Where there are no oxen, the feeding trough is clean,

but an abundant harvest is produced by strong oxen.

14:5 A truthful witness does not lie,

but a false witness breathes out lies.

14:6 The scorner seeks wisdom but finds none,

but understanding is easy for a discerning person.

14:7 Leave the presence of a foolish person,

or you will not understand wise counsel.

14:8 The wisdom of the shrewd person is to discern his way,

but the folly of fools is deception.

14:9 Fools mock at reparation,

but among the upright there is favor.

14:10 The heart knows its own bitterness,

and with its joy no one else can share.

14:11 The household of the wicked will be destroyed,

but the tent of the upright will flourish.

14:12 There is a way that seems right to a person,

but its end is the way that leads to death.

14:13 Even in laughter the heart may ache,

and the end of joy may be grief.

14:14 The backslider will be paid back from his own ways,

but a good person will be rewarded for his.

14:15 A naive person believes everything,

but the shrewd person discerns his steps.

14:16 A wise person is cautious and turns from evil,

but a fool throws off restraint and is overconfident.

14:17 A person who has a quick temper does foolish things,

and a person with crafty schemes is hated.

14:18 The naive inherit folly,

but the shrewd are crowned with knowledge.

14:19 Those who are evil will bow before those who are good,

and the wicked will bow at the gates of the righteous.

14:20 A poor person is disliked even by his neighbors,

but those who love the rich are many.

14:21 The one who despises his neighbor sins,

but whoever is kind to the needy is blessed.

14:22 Do not those who devise evil go astray?

But those who plan good exhibit faithful covenant love.

14:23 In all hard work there is profit,

but merely talking about it only brings poverty.

14:24 The crown of the wise is their riches,

but the folly of fools is folly.

14:25 A truthful witness rescues lives,

but the one who breathes lies brings deception.

14:26 In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence,

and it will be a refuge for his children.

14:27 The fear of the Lord is like a life-giving fountain,

to turn people from deadly snares.

14:28 A king’s glory is the abundance of people,

but the lack of subjects is the ruin of a ruler.

14:29 The one who is slow to anger has great understanding,

but the one who has a quick temper exalts folly.

14:30 A tranquil spirit revives the body,

but envy is rottenness to the bones.

14:31 The one who oppresses the poor insults his Creator,

but whoever shows favor to the needy honors him.

14:32 The wicked will be thrown down in his trouble,

but the righteous have refuge even in the threat of death.

14:33 Wisdom rests in the heart of the discerning;

it is known even in the heart of fools.

14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation,

but sin is a disgrace to any people.

14:35 The king shows favor to a wise servant,

but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.

Proverbs 18:1-24

18:1 One who has isolated himself seeks his own desires;

he rejects all sound judgment.

18:2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding

but only in disclosing what is on his mind.

18:3 When a wicked person arrives, contempt shows up with him,

and with shame comes a reproach.

18:4 The words of a person’s mouth are like deep waters,

and the fountain of wisdom is like a flowing brook.

18:5 It is terrible to show partiality to the wicked,

by depriving a righteous man of justice.

18:6 The lips of a fool enter into strife,

and his mouth invites a flogging.

18:7 The mouth of a fool is his ruin,

and his lips are a snare for his life.

18:8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;

they go down into the person’s innermost being.

18:9 The one who is slack in his work

is a brother to one who destroys.

18:10 The name of the Lord is like a strong tower;

the righteous person runs to it and is set safely on high.

18:11 The wealth of a rich person is like a strong city,

and it is like a high wall in his imagination.

18:12 Before destruction the heart of a person is proud,

but humility comes before honor.

18:13 The one who gives an answer before he listens –

that is his folly and his shame.

18:14 A person’s spirit sustains him through sickness –

but who can bear a crushed spirit?

18:15 The discerning person acquires knowledge,

and the wise person seeks knowledge.

18:16 A person’s gift makes room for him,

and leads him before important people.

18:17 The first to state his case seems right,

until his opponent begins to cross-examine him.

18:18 A toss of a coin ends disputes,

and settles the issue between strong opponents.

18:19 A relative offended is harder to reach than a strong city,

and disputes are like the barred gates of a fortified citadel.

18:20 From the fruit of a person’s mouth his stomach is satisfied,

with the product of his lips is he satisfied.

18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

and those who love its use will eat its fruit.

18:22 The one who finds a wife finds what is enjoyable,

and receives a pleasurable gift from the Lord.

18:23 A poor person makes supplications,

but a rich man answers harshly.

18:24 A person who has friends may be harmed by them,

but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.