Proverbs 10

¹These are the proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel,

¹⁵A rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

²⁵A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.

¹⁵My son, if your heart is wise, my own heart will indeed rejoice.

¹⁶My inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.

³A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

²⁴The father of a righteous man will greatly rejoice, and he who fathers a wise son will delight in him.

²⁵May your father and mother be glad, and may she who gave you birth rejoice!

⁴Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.

²⁸There is life in the path of righteousness, but another path leads to death.

⁶Making a fortune by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist, a deadly pursuit.

⁶They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches.

⁷No man can possibly redeem his brother or pay his ransom to God.

²¹so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

¹⁸Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the Day of the Lord’s wrath. The whole earth will be consumed by the fire of His jealousy.” For indeed, He will make a sudden end of all who dwell on the earth.

³Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

³¹Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

²⁵I once was young and now am old, yet never have I seen the righteous abandoned or their children begging for bread.

⁹Fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.

¹⁰Young lions go lacking and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

¹⁸Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the Day of the Lord’s wrath. The whole earth will be consumed by the fire of His jealousy.” For indeed, He will make a sudden end of all who dwell on the earth.

¹⁹to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

¹⁵Laziness brings on deep sleep, and an idle soul will suffer hunger.

⁴The slacker does not plow in season; at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there.

⁵The plans of the diligent bring plenty, as surely as haste leads to poverty.

⁴The slacker craves yet has nothing, but the soul of the diligent is fully satisfied.

⁶Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker; observe its ways and become wise.

⁷Without a commander, without an overseer or ruler,

²⁴The hand of the diligent will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.

⁸it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food at harvest.

²⁵The ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;

²A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share his inheritance as one of the brothers.

²⁶He who assaults his father or evicts his mother is a son who brings shame and disgrace.

⁶Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker; observe its ways and become wise.

⁴A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but she who causes shame is like decay in his bones.

²And all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the voice of the Lord your God:

²⁰A faithful man will abound with blessings, but one eager to be rich will not go unpunished.

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

²⁵but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.

¹³The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.

²⁶The people will curse the hoarder of grain, but blessing will crown the one who sells it.

⁶Surely he will never be shaken; the righteous man will be remembered forever.

⁴⁸For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed.

⁹And truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached in all the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

¹³May his descendants be cut off; may their name be blotted out from the next generation.

¹⁶And Jehoiada was buried with the kings in the City of David, because he had done what was good in Israel for God and His temple.

¹⁵May their sins always remain before the Lord, that He may cut off their memory from the earth.

²⁴Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

²⁵The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.

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

¹³Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

⁹Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will increase his learning.

³⁴Give me understanding that I may obey Your law, and follow it with all my heart.

⁵let the wise listen and gain instruction, and the discerning acquire wise counsel

¹⁸He who walks with integrity will be kept safe, but whoever is perverse in his ways will suddenly fall.

²⁶So do not be afraid of them. For there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known.

¹¹But I will walk with integrity; redeem me and be merciful to me.

¹²My feet stand on level ground; in the congregations I will bless the Lord.

¹⁵He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears against murderous plots and shuts his eyes tightly against evil—

¹⁶he will dwell on the heights; the mountain fortress will be his refuge; his food will be provided and his water assured.

⁵Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

¹In the meantime, a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling one another. Jesus began to speak first to His disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

²There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known.

¹⁹Let not my enemies gloat over me without cause, nor those who hate me without reason wink in malice.

¹³winking his eyes, speaking with his feet, and pointing with his fingers.

¹⁰So if I come, I will call attention to his malicious slander against us. And unsatisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers and forbids those who want to do so, even putting them out of the church.

⁸A wise heart will receive commandments, but foolish lips will come to ruin.

¹²Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash,

⁶A fool’s lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating.

⁷A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

¹⁴The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning one from the snares of death.

²⁹Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.

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

²¹The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of judgment.

⁴The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

⁶Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

³⁰The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.

³¹The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not falter.

⁸Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs.

⁹Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends.

¹⁸A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger calms dispute.

²⁰consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

¹What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you?

³A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!

³²He who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself.

⁴The Lord God has given Me the tongue of discipleship, to sustain the weary with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning; He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.

²³A man takes joy in a fitting reply—and how good is a timely word!

¹⁰A rebuke cuts into a man of discernment deeper than a hundred lashes cut into a fool.

¹⁰He who winks the eye causes grief, and foolish lips will come to ruin.

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

⁷A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

⁸A wise heart will receive commandments, but foolish lips will come to ruin.

³He who guards his mouth protects his life, but the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.

⁹Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will increase his learning.

¹⁰He who winks the eye causes grief, and foolish lips will come to ruin.

⁴⁴The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field.

¹¹A rich man’s wealth is his fortified city; it is like a high wall in his imagination.

⁷All the brothers of a poor man hate him—how much more do his friends avoid him! He may pursue them with pleading, but they are nowhere to be found.

²⁰The poor man is hated even by his neighbor, but many are those who love the rich.

⁷“Look at the man who did not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his wealth and strengthened himself by destruction.”

¹²For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.

²²Do not rob a poor man because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate,

²³for the Lord will take up their case and will plunder those who rob them.

²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹⁰Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their labor.

¹¹Woe to the wicked; disaster is upon them! For they will be repaid with what their hands have done.

²⁷Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”

¹⁰For God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.

¹⁸The wicked man earns an empty wage, but he who sows righteousness reaps a true reward.

¹⁹Genuine righteousness leads to life, but the pursuit of evil brings death.

⁵⁸Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always excel in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

¹⁰Discipline is harsh for him who leaves the path; he who hates correction will die.

¹²and you will say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof!

²⁸But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

⁵For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge;

⁶and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;

²³For this commandment is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way to life,

¹⁸She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who lay hold of her are blessed.

²⁴A hateful man disguises himself with his speech, but he lays up deceit in his heart.

²⁵When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart.

²¹His speech is smooth as butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are swords unsheathed.

²⁷When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pulled him aside into the gateway, as if to speak to him privately, and there Joab stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner died on account of the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel.

²³Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal-hazor near Ephraim, he invited all the sons of the king.

²⁴And he went to the king and said, “Your servant has just hired shearers. Will the king and his servants please come with me?”

³who has no slander on his tongue, who does no harm to his neighbor, who casts no scorn on his friend,

⁵Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; the one with haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not endure.

¹⁹My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,

²We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body.

²⁷A man of knowledge restrains his words, and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit.

²⁸Even a fool is considered wise if he keeps silent, and discerning when he holds his tongue.

¹³The beginning of his talk is folly, and the end of his speech is evil madness.

¹⁴Yet the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming, and who can tell him what will come after him?

³As a dream comes through many cares, so the speech of a fool comes with many words.

¹For the choirmaster. For Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. I said, “I will watch my ways so that I will not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle as long as the wicked are present.”

⁹The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

¹⁸Speaking rashly is like a piercing sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

⁵Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time.

⁴A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

³⁴You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

³⁵The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure.

¹⁹My fruit is better than gold, pure gold, and my harvest surpasses choice silver.

⁶My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.

¹⁶Why should the fool have money in his hand with no intention of buying wisdom?

¹⁹When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

²⁹For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the Lord.

³Surely you have instructed many, and have strengthened their feeble hands.

⁴Your words have steadied those who stumbled; you have braced the knees that were buckling.

⁹Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also taught the people knowledge; he pondered, searched out, and arranged many proverbs.

¹⁰The Teacher searched to find delightful sayings and to record accurate words of truth.

³⁸He blesses them, and they multiply greatly; He does not let their herds diminish.

¹²Now Isaac sowed seed in the land, and that very year he reaped a hundredfold. And the Lord blessed him,

⁷The Lord sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts.

⁸He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s, and upon them He has set the world.

³⁵“The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, camels and donkeys.

²I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

²²Surely those He blesses will inherit the land, but the cursed will be destroyed.

²¹Folly is joy to one who lacks judgment, but a man of understanding walks a straight path.

⁹Fools mock the making of amends, but goodwill is found among the upright.

¹⁴from those who enjoy doing evil and rejoice in the twistedness of evil,

¹⁸Like a madman shooting firebrands and deadly arrows,

¹⁹so is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”

⁹Rejoice, O young man, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.

¹⁹He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.

⁴So I will choose their punishment and I will bring terror upon them, because I called and no one answered, I spoke and no one listened. But they did evil in My sight and chose that in which I did not delight.”

⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

²¹Sounds of terror fill his ears; in his prosperity the destroyer attacks him.

¹⁴And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

¹⁵And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we already possess what we have asked of Him.

⁴Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵who lends his money without interest and refuses a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.

⁹Before your pots can feel the burning thorns—whether green or dry—He will sweep them away.

³A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.

²⁴Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

²⁵The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.

²⁰built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.

¹⁸And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

¹³Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters.

⁶Like cutting off one’s own feet or drinking violence is the sending of a message by the hand of a fool.

²⁶‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed.

¹¹Do not let your zeal subside; keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

²⁰Like one who removes a garment on a cold day or vinegar poured on a wound is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

¹²Then you will not be sluggish, but will imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

¹¹For through wisdom your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life.

²for they will add length to your days, years and peace to your life.

¹⁶With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”

³²It will be paid in full before his time, and his branch will not flourish.

³³He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an olive tree that sheds its blossoms.

¹⁵Will you stay on the ancient path that wicked men have trod?

¹⁶They were snatched away before their time, and their foundations were swept away by a flood.

¹¹Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

¹²Who is the man who delights in life, who desires to see good days?

¹³Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so the hope of the godless will perish.

²⁴You guide me with Your counsel, and later receive me in glory.

²⁵Whom have I in heaven but You? And on earth I desire no one besides You.

¹³Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

⁷When the wicked man dies, his hope perishes, and the hope of his strength vanishes.

¹⁶Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who by grace has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope,

¹²Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer.

¹⁵Justice executed is a joy to the righteous, but a terror to the workers of iniquity.

⁸But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow wickedness, there will be wrath and anger.

⁹There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, first for the Jew, then for the Greek;

¹³I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

³¹But those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.

²⁰But the wicked and enemies of the Lord will perish like the glory of the fields. They will vanish; like smoke they will fade away.

⁷They go from strength to strength, until each appears before God in Zion.

²²Surely those He blesses will inherit the land, but the cursed will be destroyed.

¹A song of ascents. Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion. It cannot be moved; it abides forever.

²⁸For the Lord loves justice and will not forsake His saints. They are preserved forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off.

²⁹The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.

⁹For the evildoers will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

¹⁰Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.

²¹For the upright will inhabit the land, and the blameless will remain in it;

²²but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be uprooted.

²⁵When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are secure forever.

³⁰The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.

¹³Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.

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

²¹The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of judgment.

¹¹But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by Him will exult, for the mouths of liars will be shut.

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

³What will He do to you, and what will be added to you, O deceitful tongue?

⁴Sharp arrows will come from the warrior, with burning coals of the broom tree!

¹¹By the blessing of the upright a city is built up, but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.

²⁸The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil.

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

¹⁸Speaking rashly is like a piercing sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

¹²to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perversity,

⁶A fool’s lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating.

⁷A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.