A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a mocker does not respond to rebukes. From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things, but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence. Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin. A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. The righteous hate what is false, but the wicked make themselves a stench and bring shame on themselves. Righteousness guards the person of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner. One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. A person’s riches may ransom their life, but the poor cannot respond to threatening rebukes. The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out. Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it, but whoever respects a command is rewarded. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death.
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30 Days
Daily Bible Reading—September 2025. Build consistent interaction with Scripture! Each day you'll find background, key verses for meditation, and reflection questions to help you dive deeper into Scripture. Prayers prompted by the day's passage will help you connect with God and others. Journey with us this month!
Proverbs is one of the most practical books in the Bible. It’s not a list of promises to lean on, but principles to live by—wisdom for our words, our work, our relationships, and our choices. Over the next 30 days, we’ll walk through Proverbs one chapter at a time, uncovering what it looks like to live wisely in the everyday.
God told King Solomon, “I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.” God did as He said, making Solomon the wisest man to ever live. Solomon shared this godly wisdom in the Book of Proverbs. One of the 11 books in the Hebrew Bible known as the Ketuvim, Hebrew for “writings,” Proverbs is part of the “wisdom tradition,” which includes Job and Ecclesiastes. We pray you will be blessed by this wisdom, as applicable today as it was in the days of the Bible.
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