Proverbs 15
15
God Doesn’t Miss a Thing
1A gentle response defuses anger,
but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.
2Knowledge flows like spring water from the wise;
fools are leaky faucets, dripping nonsense.
3 God doesn’t miss a thing—
he’s alert to good and evil alike.
4Kind words heal and help;
cutting words wound and maim.
5Moral dropouts won’t listen to their elders;
welcoming correction is a mark of good sense.
6The lives of God-loyal people flourish;
a misspent life is soon bankrupt.
7Perceptive words spread knowledge;
fools are hollow—there’s nothing to them.
8 God can’t stand pious poses,
but he delights in genuine prayers.
9A life frittered away disgusts God;
he loves those who run straight for the finish line.
10It’s a school of hard knocks for those who leave God’s path,
a dead-end street for those who hate God’s rules.
11Even hell holds no secrets from God—
do you think he can’t read human hearts?
Life Ascends to the Heights
12Know-it-alls don’t like being told what to do;
they avoid the company of wise men and women.
13A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face;
a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day.
14An intelligent person is always eager to take in more truth;
fools feed on fast-food fads and fancies.
15A miserable heart means a miserable life;
a cheerful heart fills the day with song.
16A simple life in the Fear-of-God
is better than a rich life with a ton of headaches.
17Better a bread crust shared in love
than a slab of prime rib served in hate.
18Hot tempers start fights;
a calm, cool spirit keeps the peace.
19The path of lazy people is overgrown with briers;
the diligent walk down a smooth road.
20Intelligent children make their parents proud;
lazy students embarrass their parents.
21The empty-headed treat life as a plaything;
the perceptive grasp its meaning and make a go of it.
22Refuse good advice and watch your plans fail;
take good counsel and watch them succeed.
23Congenial conversation—what a pleasure!
The right word at the right time—beautiful!
24Life ascends to the heights for the thoughtful—
it’s a clean about-face from descent into hell.
25 God smashes the pretensions of the arrogant;
he stands with those who have no standing.
26 God can’t stand evil scheming,
but he puts words of grace and beauty on display.
27A greedy and grasping person destroys community;
those who refuse to exploit live and let live.
28Prayerful answers come from God-loyal people;
the wicked are sewers of abuse.
29 God keeps his distance from the wicked;
he closely attends to the prayers of God-loyal people.
30A twinkle in the eye means joy in the heart,
and good news makes you feel fit as a fiddle.
31Listen to good advice if you want to live well,
an honored guest among wise men and women.
32An undisciplined, self-willed life is puny;
an obedient, God-willed life is spacious.
33Fear-of-God is a school in skilled living—
first you learn humility, then you experience glory.
Currently Selected:
Proverbs 15: MSG
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
Proverbs 15
15
1A gentle answer turns away rage,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
2The tongues of wise people give good expression to knowledge,
but the mouths of fools pour out a flood of stupidity.
3The eyes of the Lord are everywhere.
They watch evil people and good people.
4A soothing tongue is a tree of life,
but a deceitful tongue breaks the spirit.
5A stubborn fool despises his father’s discipline,
but whoever appreciates a warning shows good sense.
6Great treasure is in the house of a righteous person,
but trouble comes along with the income of a wicked person.
7The lips of wise people spread knowledge,
but a foolish attitude does not.
8A sacrifice brought by wicked people is disgusting to the Lord,
but the prayers of decent people please him.
9The way of wicked people is disgusting to the Lord,
but he loves those who pursue righteousness.
10Discipline is a terrible ⌞burden⌟ to anyone who leaves the ⌞right⌟ path.
Anyone who hates a warning will die.
11If Sheol and Abaddon lie open in front of the Lord
how much more the human heart!
12A mocker does not appreciate a warning.
He will not go to wise people.
13A joyful heart makes a cheerful face,
but with a heartache comes depression.
14The mind of a person who has understanding searches for knowledge,
but the mouths of fools feed on stupidity.
15Every day is a terrible day for a miserable person,
but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.
16Better to have a little with the fear of the Lord
than great treasure and turmoil.
17Better to have a dish of vegetables where there is love
than juicy steaks where there is hate.
18A hothead stirs up a fight,
but one who holds his temper calms disputes.
19The path of lazy people is like a thorny hedge,
but the road of decent people is an ⌞open⌟ highway.
A Wise Son Brings Blessings to Others
20A wise son makes his father happy,
but a foolish child despises its mother.
21Stupidity is fun to the one without much sense,
but a person who has understanding forges straight ahead.
22Without advice plans go wrong,
but with many advisers they succeed.
23A person is delighted to hear an answer from his own mouth,
and a timely word—oh, how good!
24The path of life for a wise person leads upward
in order to turn him away from hell below.
25The Lord tears down the house of an arrogant person,
but he protects the property of widows.
26The thoughts of evil people are disgusting to the Lord,
but pleasant words are pure to him.
27Whoever is greedy for unjust gain brings trouble to his family,
but whoever hates bribes will live.
28The heart of a righteous person carefully considers how to answer,
but the mouths of wicked people pour out a flood of evil things.
29The Lord is far from wicked people,
but he hears the prayers of righteous people.
30A twinkle in the eye delights the heart.
Good news refreshes the body.
31The ear that listens to a life-giving warning
will be at home among wise people.
32Whoever ignores discipline despises himself,
but the person who listens to warning gains understanding.
33The fear of the Lord is discipline ⌞leading to⌟ wisdom,
and humility comes before honor.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.