Proverbs 18
Contrast the Upright and the Wicked
1He who separates himself seeks his own desire,He ▼
▼ Lit breaks out
,
bquarrels against all sound wisdom.2A fool does not delight in understanding,
But only cin revealing his own ▼
▼ Lit heart
mind.3When a wicked man comes, contempt also comes,
And with dishonor comes scorn.
4The words of a man’s mouth are edeep waters;
▼
▼ Or A bubbling brook, a fountain of wisdom
The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.5To gshow partiality to the wicked is not good,
Nor to hthrust aside the righteous in judgment.
6A fool’s lips ▼
▼ Lit come with
bring strife,And his mouth calls for jblows.
7A kfool’s mouth is his ruin,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.
8The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels,
And they go down into the ▼
▼ Lit chambers of the belly
innermost parts of the body.9He also who is mslack in his work
nIs brother to him who destroys.
10The oname of the Lord is a pstrong tower;
The righteous runs into it and qis ▼
▼ Lit set on high
safe.11A srich man’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own imagination.
12 tBefore destruction the heart of man is haughty,
But uhumility goes before honor.
13He who vgives an answer before he hears,
It is folly and shame to him.
14The wspirit of a man can endure his sickness,
But as for a xbroken spirit who can bear it?
15The ▼
▼ Lit heart
,
zmind of the prudent acquires knowledge,And the aaear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16A man’s abgift makes room for him
And brings him before great men.
17The first ▼
▼ Lit in his plea
to plead his case seems right,Until ▼
▼ Lit his neighbor
another comes and examines him.18The cast aelot puts an end to strife
And ▼
▼ Lit makes a division
decides between the mighty ones.19A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city,
And contentions are like the bars of a citadel.
20With the ▼
▼ I.e. speech
,
ahfruit of a man’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied;aiHe will be satisfied with the product of his lips.
21 ajDeath and life are in the ▼
▼ Lit hand
power of the tongue,And those who love it will eat its alfruit.
22He who finds a amwife finds a good thing
And anobtains favor from the Lord.
23The aopoor man utters supplications,
But the aprich man aqanswers roughly.
24A man of too many friends comes to ▼
▼ Lit be broken in pieces
ruin,But there is asa ▼
▼ Or lover
friend who sticks closer than a brother.
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