Proverbs 16

²¹Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the Lord will prevail.

⁹A man’s heart plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.

¹⁴So make up your mind not to worry beforehand how to defend yourselves.

¹⁵For I will give you speech and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.

¹³For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.

²⁴A man’s steps are from the Lord, so how can anyone understand his own way?

¹⁹But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to respond or what to say. In that hour you will be given what to say.

²⁰For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

²All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart.

⁷But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the Lord does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the Lord sees the heart.”

¹⁵So He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is prized among men is detestable before God.

¹²There is a generation of those who are pure in their own eyes and yet unwashed of their filth.

¹⁰I, the Lord, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his deeds deserve.

¹²If you say, “Behold, we did not know about this,” does not He who weighs hearts consider it? Does not the One who guards your life know? Will He not repay a man according to his deeds?

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

⁵Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will do it.

⁶in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

²²Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.

⁶Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

⁷Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

²⁸Your decisions will be carried out, and light will shine on your ways.

⁹if all this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.

²¹The people I formed for Myself will declare My praise.

²²What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction?

⁷everyone called by My name and created for My glory, whom I have indeed formed and made.”

⁸and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this they were appointed.

¹¹“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and were created.”

¹⁶There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to Him:

¹⁷haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,

¹³To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.

²¹Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape.

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;

⁶But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

¹²Look on every proud man and humble him; trample the wicked where they stand.

¹⁶A wise man fears and turns from evil, but a fool is careless and reckless.

²⁸And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

¹Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

²⁷Therefore, may my advice be pleasing to you, O king. Break away from your sins by doing what is right, and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed. Perhaps there will be an extension of your prosperity.”

⁴¹But give as alms the things that are within you, and behold, everything will be clean for you.

¹³To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.

³¹What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

²²and we will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight.

¹⁰And the dread of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that surrounded Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.

¹⁰so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

¹¹The Lord said: “Surely I will deliver you for a good purpose; surely I will intercede with your enemy in your time of trouble, in your time of distress.

²¹equip you with every good thing to do His will. And may He accomplish in us what is pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁶Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure with turmoil.

¹⁶Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many who are wicked.

⁶Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain.

⁷For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of it.

¹¹Like a partridge hatching eggs it did not lay is the man who makes a fortune unjustly. In the middle of his days his riches will desert him, and in the end he will be the fool.”

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

⁷The violence of the wicked will sweep them away because they refuse to do what is just.

¹⁰Can I forget any longer, O house of the wicked, the treasures of wickedness and the short ephah, which is accursed?

²¹Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the Lord will prevail.

²³The steps of a man are ordered by the Lord who takes delight in his journey.

¹The plans of the heart belong to man, but the reply of the tongue is from the Lord.

²⁴A man’s steps are from the Lord, so how can anyone understand his own way?

²³I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not his own; no one who walks directs his own steps.

³⁰There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the Lord.

¹Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule with justice.

²Each will be like a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in a dry land, like the shadow of a great rock in an arid land.

⁵Is this not the cup my master drinks from and uses for divination? What you have done is wicked!’”

¹⁵“What is this deed you have done?” Joseph declared. “Do you not know that a man like me can surely divine the truth?”

⁴They speak mere words; with false oaths they make covenants. So judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.

¹⁸When he is seated on his royal throne, he must write for himself a copy of this instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.

¹⁹It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by carefully observing all the words of this instruction and these statutes.

⁵Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.

⁶In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.

¹Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, but an accurate weight is His delight.

¹⁰Differing weights and unequal measures—both are detestable to the Lord.

²³Unequal weights are detestable to the Lord, and dishonest scales are no good.

¹³You shall not have two differing weights in your bag, one heavy and one light.

¹⁴You shall not have two differing measures in your house, one large and one small.

³⁵You must not use dishonest measures of length, weight, or volume.

³⁶You shall maintain honest scales and weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

⁷A merchant loves to defraud with dishonest scales in his hands.

⁵Remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.

¹⁴A king who judges the poor with fairness—his throne will be established forever.

⁹Whoever turns his ear away from hearing the law, even his prayer is detestable.

⁴⁸But the one who unknowingly does things worthy of punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from him who has been entrusted with much, even more will be demanded.

⁴The mighty King loves justice. You have established equity; You have exercised justice and righteousness in Jacob.

¹⁸Set plans by consultation, and wage war under sound guidance.

³⁵A king delights in a wise servant, but his anger falls on the shameful.

¹¹He who loves a pure heart and gracious lips will have the king for a 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.

⁶My eyes favor the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way of integrity shall minister to me.

²The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion; whoever provokes him forfeits his own life.

¹²A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

⁴If the ruler’s temper flares against you, do not abandon your post, for calmness lays great offenses to rest.

⁴I tell you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.

⁵But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear the One who, after you have been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!

¹¹An evil man seeks only rebellion; a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

³¹He announced, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders through this day!”

³²Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door to keep him out. Is not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?”

⁶May he be like rain that falls on freshly cut grass, like spring showers that water the earth.

²³They waited for me as for rain and drank in my words like spring showers.

²⁴If I smiled at them, they did not believe it; the light of my countenance was precious.

³So let us know—let us press on to know the Lord. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the earth.

²⁸You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence.’

⁶For You grant him blessings forever; You cheer him with joy in Your presence.

⁶Many ask, “Who can show us the good?” Shine the light of Your face upon us, O Lord.

¹⁰Receive my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold.

¹¹For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire compares with her.

²⁶What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

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

²¹This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”

¹⁵She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire compares with her.

¹⁶Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.

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

⁸And there will be a highway called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel it—only those who walk in the Way—and fools will not stray onto it.

¹⁶He who keeps a commandment preserves his soul, but he who is careless in his ways will die.

⁹He who walks in integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out.

²¹keep yourselves in the love of God as you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life.

¹⁰Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

¹⁰not stealing from them, but showing all good faith, so that in every respect they will adorn the teaching about God our Savior.

¹¹For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to everyone.

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

¹¹The proud look of man will be humbled, and the loftiness of men brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

¹²For the Day of the Lord of Hosts will come against all the proud and lofty, against all that is exalted—it will be humbled—

¹²Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.

³The pride of your heart has deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks whose habitation is the heights, who say in your heart, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’

⁴Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, even from there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.

²³A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.

⁶He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same condemnation as the devil.

³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁶Though the Lord is on high, He attends to the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar.

¹⁵For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and humble in spirit, to restore the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite.

⁹The enemy declared, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.’

¹⁸The Lord is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit.

¹³But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’

¹⁴I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

⁷But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.

⁸He is like a tree planted by the waters that sends out its roots toward the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes, and its leaves are always green. It does not worry in a year of drought, nor does it cease to produce fruit.

¹⁸Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore He rises to show you compassion, for the Lord is a just God. Blessed are all who wait for Him.

¹²Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in your rebellion, when His wrath ignites in an instant. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

³You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind, because he trusts in You.

⁴Trust in the Lord forever, because God the Lord is the Rock eternal.

⁸Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

⁵Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God,

²³The heart of the wise man instructs his mouth and adds persuasiveness to his lips.

²⁴Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

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.

⁷The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but not so the hearts of fools.

⁹Oil and incense bring joy to the heart, and the counsel of a friend is sweetness to the soul.

¹⁷But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.

²²All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked.

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

⁶³The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

¹⁴Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

²⁴Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.

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

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

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

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.

¹⁷Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise—apply your mind to my knowledge—

¹⁸for it is pleasing when you keep them within you and they are constantly on your lips.

¹⁶Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

¹For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies.” A Maskil of the sons of Korah. A love song. My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses to the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.

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.

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

¹³Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste.

¹⁴Know therefore that wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, there is a future for you, and your hope will never be cut off.

²²For they are life to those who find them, and health to the whole body.

¹¹A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

¹²Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.

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

⁸This will bring healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.

¹²There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

¹⁵The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to counsel.

⁵Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you—unless you fail the test?

²⁶A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the ways of the wicked lead them astray.

⁴⁷“Have you also been deceived?” replied the Pharisees.

⁴⁸“Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him?

¹⁵For you said, “We have made a covenant with death; we have fashioned an agreement with Sheol. When the overwhelming scourge passes through it will not touch us, because we have made lies our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.”

¹⁶So this is what the Lord God says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken.

⁷All a man’s labor is for his mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied.

²³There is profit in all labor, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

¹²If you are wise, you are wise to your own advantage; but if you scoff, you alone will bear the consequences.

⁸nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. Instead, in labor and toil, we worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you.

⁹Not that we lack this right, but we wanted to offer ourselves as an example for you to imitate.

¹¹and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you.

¹²Then you will behave properly toward outsiders, without being dependent on anyone.

⁶The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

¹⁴With deceit in his heart he devises evil; he continually sows discord.

¹⁸Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of deceit and pull sin along with cart ropes,

¹⁴from such men, O Lord, by Your hand—from men of the world whose portion is in this life. May You fill the bellies of Your treasured ones and satisfy their sons, so they leave their abundance to their children.

¹⁵As for me, I will behold Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied in Your presence.

²Your tongue devises destruction like a sharpened razor, O worker of deceit.

³You love evil more than good, falsehood more than speaking truth. Selah

¹⁷Now consider carefully what you must do, because disaster looms over our master and all his household. For he is such a scoundrel that nobody can speak to him!”

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

¹⁴But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth.

¹⁵Such wisdom does not come from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.

²⁹They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips,

⁸The words of a gossip are like choice morsels that go down into the inmost being.

¹⁴With deceit in his heart he devises evil; he continually sows discord.

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

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

¹³from those who leave the straight paths to walk in the ways of darkness,

¹⁷Therefore, beloved, since you already know these things, be on your guard so that you will not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure standing.

²⁶A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the ways of the wicked lead them astray.

³¹Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways;

¹⁰My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them.

¹¹If they say, “Come along, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause,

¹³He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would sin by doing as he suggested, so they could give me a bad name in order to discredit me.

¹²A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth,

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

¹⁵For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’

²⁷A worthless man digs up evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.

¹⁰Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

⁷so much that he promised with an oath to give to her whatever she asked.

⁸Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”

²³“Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has He done?” But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!”

²⁴When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “You bear the responsibility.”

²⁹The glory of young men is their strength, and gray hair is the splendor of the old.

³²You are to rise in the presence of the elderly, honor the aged, and fear your God. I am the Lord.

¹My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments;

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

⁶Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of a son is his father.

²Now here is the king walking before you, and I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day.

³Here I am. Bear witness against me before the Lord and before His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore it to you.”

¹³Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take a warning.

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

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

²⁸Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who does not control his temper.

²⁹A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.

¹¹A man’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense.

²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

¹⁸Casting the lot ends quarrels and separates strong opponents.

⁷“Come!” said the sailors to one another. “Let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity that is upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

²⁶Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias. So he was added to the eleven apostles.

²⁶Many seek the ruler’s favor, but a man receives justice from the Lord.

⁴¹So Saul said to the Lord, the God of Israel, “Why have You not answered Your servant this day? If the fault is with me or my son Jonathan, respond with Urim, but if the fault is with the men of Israel, respond with Thummim.” And Jonathan and Saul were selected, but the people were cleared of the charge.

⁴²Then Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan was selected.

¹Now the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in the holy city of Jerusalem, while the remaining nine were to dwell in their own towns.