Proverbs 18
18
1An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.
2Fools find no pleasure in understanding
but delight in airing their own opinions.
3When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
and with shame comes reproach.
4The words of the mouth are deep waters,
but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.
5It is not good to be partial to the wicked
and so deprive the innocent of justice.
6The lips of fools bring them strife,
and their mouths invite a beating.
7The mouths of fools are their undoing,
and their lips are a snare to their very lives.
8The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to the inmost parts.
9One who is slack in his work
is brother to one who destroys.
10The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.
11The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;
they imagine it a wall too high to scale.
12Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
but humility comes before honour.
13To answer before listening –
that is folly and shame.
14The human spirit can endure in times of illness,
but a crushed spirit who can bear?
15The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,
for the ears of the wise seek it out.
16A gift opens the way
and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.
17In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,
until someone comes forward and cross-examines.
18Casting the lot settles disputes
and keeps strong opponents apart.
19A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city;
disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.
20From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.
21The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.
22He who finds a wife finds what is good
and receives favour from the Lord.
23The poor plead for mercy,
but the rich answer harshly.
24One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
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Proverbs 18: NIVUK
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®
Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
Proverbs 18
18
1 Whoever has a will to withdraw from a friend, seeks occasions; he shall be reproached at all times.
2 The foolish do not accept words of prudence, unless you say what is already turning in his heart.
3 The impious, when he has arrived within the depths of sin, thinks little of it. But ill repute and disgrace follow him.
4 Words from the mouth of a man are deep waters. And the fountain of wisdom is a torrent overflowing.
5 It is not good to accept the character of the impious, so as to turn away from true judgment.
6 The lips of the foolish meddle in disputes. And his mouth provokes conflicts.
7 The mouth of the foolish is his destruction, and his own lips are the ruin of his soul.
8 The words of the double-tongued seem simple. And they reach even to the interior of the gut. Fear casts down the lazy, but the souls of the effeminate shall go hungry.
9 Whoever is dissolute and slack in his work is the brother of him who wastes his own works.
10 The name of the Lord is very strong tower. The just one rushes to it, and he shall be exalted.
11 The substance of the wealthy is the city of his strength, and it is like a strong wall encircling him.
12 The heart of a man is exalted before it is crushed and humbled before it is glorified.
13 Whoever responds before he listens, demonstrates himself to be foolish and deserving of confusion.
14 The spirit of a man sustains his weakness. Yet who can sustain a spirit that is easily angered?
15 A prudent heart shall possess knowledge. And the ear of the wise seeks doctrine.
16 A man's gift expands his way and makes space for him before leaders.
17 The just is the first accuser of himself; his friend arrives and shall investigate him.
18 Casting a lot suppresses contentions and passes judgment, even among the powerful.
19 A brother who is helped by a brother is like a reinforced city, and judgments are like the bars of cities.
20 From the fruit of a man's mouth shall his belly be filled. And the harvest of his own lips shall satisfy him.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Whoever values it shall eat from its fruits.
22 He who has found a good wife has found goodness, and he shall draw contentment from the Lord. He who expels a good wife expels goodness. But he who holds on to an adulteress is foolish and impious.
23 The poor will speak with supplications. And the rich will express themselves roughly.
24 A man amiable to society shall be more friendly than a brother.
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