Proverbs 21
21
1 Streams of water are the heart#Or “mind” of a king in the hand of Yahweh;
wherever#Literally “upon all that” he will desire, he will turn.
2Every way of a man is upright in his own eyes,
but Yahweh weighs hearts.#Or “minds”
3Doing righteousness and justice is more acceptable
to Yahweh than sacrifice.
4Haughtiness of the eyes and pride of heart,
the lamp of the wicked are sin.
5The plans of the diligent only lead to abundance,
but all who are hasty, only to want.
6He who makes treasure by a lying tongue
is a fleeting vapor and seeker#Hebrew “seekers” of death.
7The violence of the wicked will sweep them away,
for they refuse to do justice.
8Crooked is the way of a man and a foreigner,
but the pure is upright in his conduct.
9Better to dwell on the corner of a roof
than to share a house with a woman#Or “wife” of contention.
10The soul#Or “soul, life, throat” of the wicked desires evil;
his neighbor will not find mercy in his eyes.
11With the punishment of a scoffer, the simple will become wise,
and with the instruction of the wise, he will obtain knowledge.
12The righteous observes the house of the wicked;
he throws the wicked to ruin.
13He who closes his ear from the cry of the poor,
he also will cry out and not be heard.
14A gift in secret#Hebrew “the secret” will avert anger,#Literally “nostril”
and a concealed bribe,#Literally “bribe in the bosom” strong wrath.
15It is a joy to the righteous to do justice,
but dismay to those who do evil.
16Whoever wanders from the way of understanding,
in the assembly of the dead#Or “Rephaim” he will rest.
17A man of want is he who loves pleasure;
he who loves wine and oil#Or “fat” will not become rich.
18A ransom for the righteous is the wicked,
and the faithless instead of the upright.
19Better to live in a land of wilderness
than with a wife of quarrels and provocation.
20Precious treasure and oil are in the house of the wise,
but the foolish person#Or “foolish of mankind” will devour them.#Literally “it”
21He who pursues righteousness and kindness
will find life, righteousness, and honor.
22To a city of warriors, the wise ascends,
and he will bring down the stronghold—its object of trust.
23He who guards his mouth and his tongue,
he guards his life#Or “soul,” or “inner self” from danger.
24The proud, haughty one: “scoffer” is his name;
he acts with arrogance of pride.
25The craving of a lazy person will kill him,
for his hands refuse to work.#Or “make”
26All day#Literally “All the day” he craves a craving,
but the righteous will give and not hold back.
27The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
how much more when he brings it in divisiveness!
28A false witness will perish,
but a man who listens will testify with#Hebrew “to the” success.
29A wicked man is strong in his countenance,#Literally “his face”
but the upright will appoint his paths.
30There is no wisdom, nor understanding,
nor counsel to oppose Yahweh.
31A horse is prepared for the day of battle,
but to Yahweh belongs the victory.
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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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