Proverbs 21
21
1 THE KING'S heart is in the hand of the Lord, as are the watercourses; He turns it whichever way He wills.
2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs and tries the hearts. [Prov. 24:12; Luke 16:15.]
3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. [I Sam. 15:22; Prov. 15:8; Isa. 1:11; Hos. 6:6; Mic. 6:7, 8.]
4 Haughtiness of eyes and a proud heart, even the tillage of the wicked or the lamp [of joy] to them [whatever it may be], are sin [in the eyes of God].
5 The thoughts of the [steadily] diligent tend only to plenteousness, but everyone who is impatient and hasty hastens only to want.
6 Securing treasures by a lying tongue is a vapor driven to and fro; those who seek them seek death.
7 The violence of the wicked shall sweep them away, because they refuse to do justice.
8 The way of the guilty is exceedingly crooked, but as for the pure, his work is right and his conduct is straight.
9 It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop [on the flat oriental roof, exposed to all kinds of weather] than in a house shared with a nagging, quarrelsome, and faultfinding woman.
10 The soul or life of the wicked craves and seeks evil; his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes. [James 2:16.]
11 When the scoffer is punished, the fool gets a lesson in being wise; but men of [godly] Wisdom and good sense learn by being instructed.
12 The [uncompromisingly] righteous man considers well the house of the wicked–how the wicked are cast down to ruin.
13 Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor will cry out himself and not be heard. [Matt. 18:30-34; James 2:13.]
14 A gift in secret pacifies and turns away anger, and a bribe in the lap, strong wrath.
15 When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous (the upright, in right standing with God), but to the evildoers it is dismay, calamity, and ruin.
16 A man who wanders out of the way of understanding shall abide in the congregation of the spirits (of the dead).
17 He who loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
18 The wicked become a ransom for the [uncompromisingly] righteous, and the treacherous for the upright [because the wicked themselves fall into the traps and pits they have dug for the good].
19 It is better to dwell in a desert land than with a contentious woman and with vexation.
20 There are precious treasures and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a self-confident and foolish man swallows it up and wastes it.
21 He who earnestly seeks after and craves righteousness, mercy, and loving-kindness will find life in addition to righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God) and honor. [Prov. 15:9; Matt. 5:6.]
22 A wise man scales the city walls of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.
23 He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from troubles. [Prov. 12:13; 13:3; 18:21; James 3:2.]
24 The proud and haughty man–Scoffer is his name–deals and acts with overbearing pride.
25 The desire of the slothful kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.
26 He covets greedily all the day long, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous gives and does not withhold. [II Cor. 9:6-10.]
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is exceedingly disgusting and abhorrent [to the Lord]–how much more when he brings it with evil intention?
28 A false witness will perish, but the word of a man who hears attentively will endure and go unchallenged.
29 A wicked man puts on the bold, unfeeling face [of guilt], but as for the upright, he considers, directs, and establishes his way [with the confidence of integrity].
30 There is no [human] wisdom or understanding or counsel [that can prevail] against the Lord.
31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance and victory are of the Lord.
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Proverbs 21: AMPC
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1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
Proverbs 21
21
1The Lord directs the king's decisions like a stream of water that he sends whichever way he wants.
2People think that whatever they do is fine, but the Lord looks at their motives.
3Doing what's right and fair pleases the Lord more than sacrifices.
4Pride and arrogance are the sins the wicked live by.#21:4. Literally, “Proud eyes and arrogant heart the lamp of the wicked sin.”
5Those who plan ahead and work hard will have plenty, while those who act rashly end up poor.
6Money made by lies is like smoke in the wind—a chase that ends in death.
7The destruction#21:7. Or “violence.” caused by the wicked will destroy them, for they refuse to do what's right.
8Guilty people live crooked lives, but the innocent follow straight paths.
9It's better to live in a corner of a housetop than to share a whole house with an argumentative wife.
10Evil people love to do wrong, they don't care what pain they cause anyone.
11When a mocker is punished, an immature person can learn wisdom. When the wise are educated, they gain knowledge.
12The God of justice#21:12. Literally, “the righteous one.” This is taken to refer to God particularly because of the second line. sees what happens in the homes of the wicked, and brings the wicked down in disaster.
13If you refuse to hear the cries of the poor, your cries won't be heard either.
14A gift given in secret calms down anger, and a hidden bribe soothes furious rage.
15When justice is done, the good are happy, but it brings terror to those who do evil.
16Anyone who wanders away from the path of understanding ends up with the dead.
17If you love pleasure you'll become poor; if you love wine and olive oil#21:17. The extensive use of wine and olive oil was associated with luxury. you won't ever be rich.
18The wicked pay the price and not the good; those who are deceitful and not those who live right.#21:18. The exact intention of this verse is unclear, but seems to be similar to the thought in 11:8.
19It's better to live in a desert than with an argumentative and bad-tempered wife.
20The wise hold on to their wealth and olive oil, but stupid people use up everything they have.
21If you pursue goodness and trustworthy love, you'll find life, prosperity, and honor.
22The wise can overcome a city belonging to strong warriors, and tear down the fortress they trusted to protect them.
23If you watch what you say, you can save yourself a lot of trouble.
24A proud, conceited, mocker—that's the name of those who act with insolent arrogance.
25Slackers die hungry because they refuse to work.
26Some people only want more and more all the time, but the good give generously.
27The sacrifices given by the wicked are obnoxious, worse still when they're offered with evil motives.
28The lies of a false witness vanish away, but the words of a reliable witness will stand.
29The wicked act as bold as brass, but those who live right consider carefully what they're doing.
30Whatever wisdom, understanding, or guidance you may have is nothing before the Lord.
31You can get your horse ready for battle, but the victory is the Lord's.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com