The Wise Sayings of Solomon

An Honest Life Is Immortal

10 Wise son, glad father;
    stupid son, sad mother.

Ill-gotten gain gets you nowhere;
    an honest life is immortal.

God won’t starve an honest soul,
    but he frustrates the appetites of the wicked.

Sloth makes you poor;
    diligence brings wealth.

Make hay while the sun shines—that’s smart;
    go fishing during harvest—that’s stupid.

Blessings accrue on a good and honest life,
    but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.

A good and honest life is a blessed memorial;
    a wicked life leaves a rotten stench.

A wise heart takes orders;
    an empty head will come unglued.

Honesty lives confident and carefree,
    but Shifty is sure to be exposed.

10 An evasive eye is a sign of trouble ahead,
    but an open, face-to-face meeting results in peace.

11 The mouth of a good person is a deep, life-giving well,
    but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.

12 Hatred starts fights,
    but love pulls a quilt over the bickering.

13 You’ll find wisdom on the lips of a person of insight,
    but the shortsighted needs a slap in the face.

14 The wise accumulate knowledge—a true treasure;
    know-it-alls talk too much—a sheer waste.

The Road to Life Is a Disciplined Life

15 The wealth of the rich is their security;
    the poverty of the indigent is their ruin.

16 The wage of a good person is exuberant life;
    an evil person ends up with nothing but sin.

17 The road to life is a disciplined life;
    ignore correction and you’re lost for good.

18 Liars secretly hoard hatred;
    fools openly spread slander.

19 The more talk, the less truth;
    the wise measure their words.

20 The speech of a good person is worth waiting for;
    the blabber of the wicked is worthless.

21 The talk of a good person is rich fare for many,
    but chatterboxes die of an empty heart.

Fear-of-God Expands Your Life

22 God’s blessing makes life rich;
    nothing we do can improve on God.

23 An empty-head thinks mischief is fun,
    but a mindful person relishes wisdom.

24 The nightmares of the wicked come true;
    what the good people desire, they get.

25 When the storm is over, there’s nothing left of the wicked;
    good people, firm on their rock foundation, aren’t even fazed.

26 A lazy employee will give you nothing but trouble;
    it’s vinegar in the mouth, smoke in the eyes.

27 The Fear-of-God expands your life;
    a wicked life is a puny life.

28 The aspirations of good people end in celebration;
    the ambitions of bad people crash.

29 God is solid backing to a well-lived life,
    but he calls into question a shabby performance.

30 Good people last—they can’t be moved;
    the wicked are here today, gone tomorrow.

31 A good person’s mouth is a clear fountain of wisdom;
    a foul mouth is a stagnant swamp.

32 The speech of a good person clears the air;
    the words of the wicked pollute it.

Proverbs of Solomon

10 The proverbs(A) of Solomon:(B)

A wise son brings joy to his father,(C)
    but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.

Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value,(D)
    but righteousness delivers from death.(E)

The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,(F)
    but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.(G)

Lazy hands make for poverty,(H)
    but diligent hands bring wealth.(I)

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

Blessings crown the head of the righteous,
    but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.[a](K)

The name of the righteous(L) is used in blessings,[b]
    but the name of the wicked(M) will rot.(N)

The wise in heart accept commands,
    but a chattering fool comes to ruin.(O)

Whoever walks in integrity(P) walks securely,(Q)
    but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.(R)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

22 The blessing of the Lord(AI) brings wealth,(AJ)
    without painful toil for it.(AK)

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

24 What the wicked dread(AM) will overtake them;(AN)
    what the righteous desire will be granted.(AO)

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

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

27 The fear of the Lord adds length to life,(AT)
    but the years of the wicked are cut short.(AU)

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

29 The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless,
    but it is the ruin of those who do evil.(AW)

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

31 From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom,(AY)
    but a perverse tongue(AZ) will be silenced.

32 The lips of the righteous know what finds favor,(BA)
    but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.(BB)

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:6 Or righteous, / but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence
  2. Proverbs 10:7 See Gen. 48:20.