Proverbs 21
21
1In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water
that he channels toward all who please him.
2A person may think their own ways are right,
but the Lord weighs the heart.
3To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
4Haughty eyes and a proud heart—
the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin.
5The plans of the diligent lead to profit
as surely as haste leads to poverty.
6A fortune made by a lying tongue
is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.#21:6 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts vapor for those who seek death
7The violence of the wicked will drag them away,
for they refuse to do what is right.
8The way of the guilty is devious,
but the conduct of the innocent is upright.
9Better to live on a corner of the roof
than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
10The wicked crave evil;
their neighbors get no mercy from them.
11When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom;
by paying attention to the wise they get knowledge.
12The Righteous One#21:12 Or The righteous person takes note of the house of the wicked
and brings the wicked to ruin.
13Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor
will also cry out and not be answered.
14A gift given in secret soothes anger,
and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.
15When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous
but terror to evildoers.
16Whoever strays from the path of prudence
comes to rest in the company of the dead.
17Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;
whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.
18The wicked become a ransom for the righteous,
and the unfaithful for the upright.
19Better to live in a desert
than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.
20The wise store up choice food and olive oil,
but fools gulp theirs down.
21Whoever pursues righteousness and love
finds life, prosperity#21:21 Or righteousness and honor.
22One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty
and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.
23Those who guard their mouths and their tongues
keep themselves from calamity.
24The proud and arrogant person—“Mocker” is his name—
behaves with insolent fury.
25The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him,
because his hands refuse to work.
26All day long he craves for more,
but the righteous give without sparing.
27The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable—
how much more so when brought with evil intent!
28A false witness will perish,
but a careful listener will testify successfully.
29The wicked put up a bold front,
but the upright give thought to their ways.
30There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan
that can succeed against the Lord.
31The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but victory rests with the Lord.
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Proverbs 21: NIV
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
Proverbs 21
21
1A king’s heart is channeled water in the hand of the Lord;
God directs it where he pleases.#“Channeled water” in Is 32:2 and Prv 5:16 is water that fertilizes arid land. It takes great skill to direct water, whether it be water to fertilize fields or cosmic floods harnessed at creation, for water is powerful and seems to have a mind of its own. It also requires great skill to direct the heart of a king, for it is inscrutable and beyond ordinary human control.
2All your ways may be straight in your own eyes,
but it is the Lord who weighs hearts.#Prv 16:2.
3To do what is right and just#1 Sm 15:22; Hos 6:6.
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.#External rites or sacrifices do not please God unless accompanied by internal worship and right moral conduct; cf. 15:8; 21:27; Is 1:11–15; Am 5:22; Mal 1:12.
4Haughty eyes and a proud heart—
the lamp of the wicked will fail.#Heart and eyes depict, respectively, the inner and the outer person. “Haughty eyes” peering out from a “proud heart” show a thoroughly arrogant person. How can such a person flourish! Their lamp, which signifies life, will go out.
5The plans of the diligent end in profit,
but those of the hasty end in loss.#The antitheses are diligent and impetuous. The metaphor characterizing each type is taken from the world of commerce. Planning is important; bustle leads to waste.
6Trying to get rich by lying
is chasing a bubble over deadly snares.
7The violence of the wicked will sweep them away,
because they refuse to do what is right.
8One’s path may be winding and unfamiliar,
but one’s conduct is blameless and right.#One cannot always read others’ hearts from their behavior. Unconventional conduct need not indicate evil motives.
9It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop
than in a mansion with a quarrelsome woman.#In Proverbs, two great obstacles to a happy household are foolish children and quarrelsome spouses. The nagging wife is also mentioned in 19:13 and 27:15; 25:24 is a duplicate. #Prv 21:19; 25:24; 27:15; Sir 25:23.
10The soul of the wicked desires evil;
their neighbor finds no pity in their eyes.
11When scoffers are punished the naive become wise;
when the wise succeed, they gain knowledge.#Prv 19:25.
12The Righteous One appraises the house of the wicked,
bringing down the wicked to ruin.#It is difficult to ascertain the subject of the saying. Some hold it is the Lord, the “Righteous One,” who is normally the executor of justice in Proverbs. Others believe it is the just person who is the agent of divine justice. “Righteous One” is a title for God in Is 24:16. The best argument for making God the subject of the verb is that elsewhere in Proverbs righteous human beings never do anything to the wicked; only God does.
13Those who shut their ears to the cry of the poor
will themselves call out and not be answered.
14A secret gift allays anger,
and a present concealed, violent wrath.#Proverbs offers several remedies for anger—a soft word (15:1), patience, and a bribe. The last remedy implies a certain disdain for the disordered passion of anger, for it can be so easily assuaged by a discreetly offered “gift.”
15When justice is done it is a joy for the just,
downfall for evildoers.#The second line is a duplicate of 10:29b. #Prv 10:29.
16Whoever strays from the way of good sense
will abide in the assembly of the shades.#Assembly of the shades: those who dwell in Sheol.
17The lover of pleasure will suffer want;
the lover of wine and perfume will never be rich.
18The wicked serve as ransom for the just,
and the faithless for the upright.#In this bold paradox, the ransom that protects the righteous is the wicked person who attracts, like a lightning rod, the divine wrath that might have been directed at the righteous. #Prv 11:8.
19It is better to dwell in a wilderness
than with a quarrelsome wife and trouble.
20Precious treasure and oil are in the house of the wise,
but the fool consumes them.
21Whoever pursues justice and kindness
will find life and honor.#The paradox is that one comes upon something other than what one pursued. The way to (long and healthy) life and honor is the vigorous pursuit of virtue.
22The wise person storms the city of the mighty,
and overthrows the stronghold in which they trust.
23Those who guard mouth and tongue
guard themselves#Themselves: see note on 13:3. To guard your “self” (lit., “throat,” the moist and breathing center of the body, by metonymy, “life”), you must guard your tongue. Speech in Proverbs is the quintessential human activity and often has a meaning broader than speech alone; it can stand for all human activity. Acting rightly is the best way to protect yourself from evil. from trouble.#Prv 13:3.
24Proud, boastful—scoffer is the name:
those who act with overbearing pride.
25The desire of sluggards will slay them,
for their hands refuse to work.#Desire, or appetite, is the impulse toward food and drink (see Ps 42:3) which spurs animals and human beings into action. But sluggards cannot lift hand to mouth; they bury their hand in the dish (19:24), and so their appetite is thwarted.
26Some are consumed with avarice all the day,
but the just give unsparingly.
27The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination,
the more so when they offer it with bad intent.#Prv 15:8; Sir 34:21–23.
28The false witness will perish,#Prv 19:5, 9.
but one who listens will give lasting testimony.
29The face of the wicked hardens,
but the upright maintains a straight course.#The wicked cannot deter the righteous from walking the straight path, i.e., from practicing virtue.
30No wisdom, no understanding,
no counsel prevail against the Lord.
31The horse is equipped for the day of battle,
but victory is the Lord’s.
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