Proverbs 10:4-12:24

4Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.

5He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

6Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. Or righteous, / but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence

7The name of the righteous is used in blessings, See Gen. 48:20. but the name of the wicked will rot.

8The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin.

9Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.

10Whoever winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to ruin.

11The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

12Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.

13Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of one who has no sense.

14The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.

15The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor.

16The wages of the righteous is life, but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death.

17Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

18Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool.

19Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues.

20The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value.

21The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense.

22The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, without painful toil for it.

23A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes, but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.

24What the wicked dread will overtake them; what the righteous desire will be granted.

25When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.

26As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so are sluggards to those who send them.

27The fear of the LORD adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.

28The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.

29The way of the LORD is a refuge for the blameless, but it is the ruin of those who do evil.

30The righteous will never be uprooted, but the wicked will not remain in the land.

31From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be silenced. 32The lips of the righteous know what finds favor, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.

1The LORD detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him.

2When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

3The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

4Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

5The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight, but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.

6The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.

7Hopes placed in mortals die with them; all the promise of Two Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate, Syriac and Targum When the wicked die, their hope perishes; / all they expected from their power comes to nothing.

8The righteous person is rescued from trouble, and it falls on the wicked instead.

9With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the righteous escape.

10When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

11Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.

12Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense, but the one who has understanding holds their tongue.

13A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.

14For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.

15Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer, but whoever refuses to shake hands in pledge is safe.

16A kindhearted woman gains honor, but ruthless men gain only wealth.

17Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.

18A wicked person earns deceptive wages, but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.

19Truly the righteous attain life, but whoever pursues evil finds death.

20The LORD detests those whose hearts are perverse, but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.

21Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free.

22Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.

23The desire of the righteous ends only in good, but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.

24One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

25A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

26People curse the one who hoards grain, but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell.

27Whoever seeks good finds favor, but evil comes to one who searches for it.

28Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

29Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.

30The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives. 31If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

1Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.

2Good people obtain favor from the LORD, but he condemns those who devise wicked schemes.

3No one can be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.

4A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.

5The plans of the righteous are just, but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.

6The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them.

7The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous stands firm.

8A person is praised according to their prudence, and one with a warped mind is despised.

9Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant than pretend to be somebody and have no food.

10The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

11Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.

12The wicked desire the stronghold of evildoers, but the root of the righteous endures.

13Evildoers are trapped by their sinful talk, and so the innocent escape trouble.

14From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward.

15The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.

16Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.

17An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies.

18The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

19Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

20Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.

21No harm overtakes the righteous, but the wicked have their fill of trouble.

22The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

23The prudent keep their knowledge to themselves, but a fool’s heart blurts out folly.

24Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.