Proverbs 15:30 - 22:16

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Bright eyes gladden the heart;

A good report puts fat on the bones.

He whose ear listens to the life‑giving reproof

Will lodge among the wise.

He who neglects discipline despises his soul,

But he who listens to reproof acquires a heart of wisdom.

The fear of Yahweh is the discipline leading to wisdom,

And before glory comes humility.

The plans of the heart belong to man,

But the answer of the tongue is from Yahweh.

All the ways of a man are pure in his own sight,

But Yahweh weighs the motives.

Commit your works to Yahweh

And your plans will be established.

Yahweh has made everything for its own purpose,

Even the wicked for the day of evil.

Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to Yahweh;

Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.

By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for,

And by the fear of Yahweh one turns away from evil.

When a man’s ways are pleasing to Yahweh,

He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Better is a little with righteousness

Than great produce with injustice.

The heart of man plans his way,

But Yahweh directs his steps.

A divine decision is in the lips of the king;

His mouth should not err in judgment.

A just balance and scales belong to Yahweh;

All the weights of the bag are His work.

It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness,

For in righteousness a throne is established.

Righteous lips are the delight of kings,

And he who speaks uprightly is loved.

The wrath of a king is like messengers of death,

But a wise man will atone for it.

In the light of a king’s face is life,

And his favor is like a cloud with the late rain.

How much better it is to acquire wisdom than fine gold!

And to acquire understanding is to be chosen above silver.

The highway of the upright is to turn away from evil;

He who guards his way keeps his soul.

Pride goes before destruction,

And a haughty spirit before stumbling.

It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly

Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

He who considers the word will find good,

And how blessed is he who trusts in Yahweh.

The wise in heart will be called understanding,

And sweetness of lips increases learning.

Insight is a fountain of life to one who has it,

But the discipline of ignorant fools is folly.

The heart of the wise gives insight to his mouth

And increases learning to his lips.

Pleasant words are a honeycomb,

Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

There is a way which seems right to a man,

But its end is the way of death.

A worker’s appetite works for him,

For his mouth urges him on.

A vile man digs up evil,

And the words on his lips are like scorching fire.

A perverse man spreads strife,

And a whisperer separates close companions.

A man of violence entices his neighbor

And leads him in a way that is not good.

He who winks his eyes does so to devise perverse things;

He who compresses his lips brings evil to pass.

Gray hair is a crown of beauty;

It is found in the way of righteousness.

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,

And he who rules his own spirit, than he who captures a city.

The lot is cast into the lap,

But its every judgment is from Yahweh.

Better is a dry morsel and tranquility with it

Than a house full of feasting with strife.

A slave who acts insightfully will rule over a son who acts shamefully,

And will share in the inheritance among brothers.

The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,

But Yahweh tests hearts.

An evildoer gives heed to lips of wickedness;

A liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.

He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker;

He who is glad at disaster will not go unpunished.

Grandchildren are the crown of old men,

And the beauty of sons is their fathers.

Excellent lips are not fitting for a wicked fool,

Even less are lying lips for a noble man.

A bribe is a charm in the eyes of its owner;

Wherever he turns, he prospers.

He who covers a transgression seeks love,

But he who repeats a matter separates close companions.

A rebuke goes deeper into one who understands

Than a hundred blows into a fool.

A rebellious man seeks only evil,

So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs,

Rather than a fool in his folly.

He who returns evil for good,

Evil will not depart from his house.

The beginning of strife is like letting out water,

So abandon the dispute before it breaks out.

He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous,

Both of them alike are an abomination to Yahweh.

Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to acquire wisdom,

When he has no heart of wisdom?

A friend loves at all times,

And a brother is born for adversity.

A man lacking a heart of wisdom strikes his hands in pledge

And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.

He who loves transgression loves quarreling;

He who makes his doorway high seeks destruction.

He who has a crooked heart finds no good,

And he who is perverted in his tongue falls into evil.

He who begets a fool does so to his grief,

And the father of a wicked fool is not glad.

A glad heart is good medicine,

But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom

To thrust aside the paths of justice.

Wisdom is in the presence of the one who understands,

But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

A foolish son is a vexation to his father

And bitterness to her who gave birth to him.

It is also not good to punish the righteous,

Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.

He who holds back his words has knowledge,

And he who has a cool spirit is a man of discernment.

Even an ignorant fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise;

When he closes his lips, he is considered understanding.

He who separates himself seeks his own desire,

He breaks out in dispute against all sound wisdom.

A fool does not delight in discernment,

But only in revealing his own heart.

When a wicked man comes, despising also comes,

And with disgrace comes reproach.

The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;

The fountain of wisdom is a flowing brook.

To show partiality to the wicked is not good,

Nor to thrust aside the righteous in judgment.

A fool’s lips come with strife,

And his mouth calls for beatings.

A fool’s mouth is his ruin,

And his lips are the snare of his soul.

The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels,

And they go down into the innermost parts of the stomach.

He also who is slack in his work

Is brother to him who destroys.

The name of Yahweh is a strong tower;

The righteous runs into it and is set securely on high.

A rich man’s wealth is his strong city,

And like a high wall in his own delusion.

Before destruction the heart of man is haughty,

But humility goes before glory.

He who responds with a word before he hears,

It is folly and shame to him.

The spirit of a man can endure his sickness,

But as for a broken spirit, who can bear it?

The heart of the understanding acquires knowledge,

And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

A man’s gift makes room for him

And leads him into the presence of great men.

The first to plead his case seems right,

Until another comes and examines him.

The cast lot puts an end to contentions

And decides between the mighty ones.

A brother offended is harder to win over than a strong city,

And contentions are like the bars of a citadel.

From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied;

With the produce of his lips he will be satisfied.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

And those who love it will eat its fruit.

He who finds a wife finds a good thing

And obtains favor from Yahweh.

The poor man speaks supplications,

But the rich man answers with strong words.

A man of too many friends comes to ruin,

But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

The Counsel of Yahweh Will Stand

Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity

Than he who is crooked in lips and is a fool.

Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge,

And he who hurries his footsteps sins.

The folly of man subverts his way,

But his heart rages against Yahweh.

Wealth adds many friends,

But a poor man is separated from his friend.

A false witness will not go unpunished,

And he who breathes out lies will not escape.

Many will seek the favor of a noble man,

And everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts.

All the brothers of a poor man hate him;

How much more do his friends distance themselves from him!

He pursues them with words, but they are no more.

He who acquires a heart of wisdom loves his own soul;

He who keeps discernment will find good.

A false witness will not go unpunished,

And he who breathes out lies will perish.

Luxury is not fitting for a fool;

Much less for a slave to rule over princes.

A man’s insight makes him slow to anger,

And it is his honor to overlook a transgression.

The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion,

But his favor is like dew on the grass.

A foolish son is destruction to his father,

And the contentions of a wife are a constant dripping.

House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers,

But a wife who has insight is from Yahweh.

Laziness casts into a deep sleep,

And a slack‑handed soul will suffer hunger.

He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul,

But he who despises his way will die.

He who is gracious to a poor man lends to Yahweh,

And He will repay him for his bountiful deed.

Discipline your son while there is hope,

And do not direct your soul to put him to death.

A man of great wrath will bear the penalty,

For if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.

Listen to counsel and receive discipline,

That you may be wise in the end of your days.

Many thoughts are in a man’s heart,

But it is the counsel of Yahweh that will stand.

What is desirable in a man is his lovingkindness,

And better is a poor man than a man of falsehood.

The fear of Yahweh leads to life,

So that one may sleep satisfied, not visited by evil.

The sluggard buries his hand in the dish,

But will not even bring it back to his mouth.

Strike a scoffer and the simple may become prudent,

But reprove one who has understanding and he will understand knowledge.

He who assaults his father and causes his mother to flee

Is a son who brings shame and humiliation.

Cease listening, my son, to discipline,

And you will stray from the words of knowledge.

A vile witness scoffs at justice,

And the mouth of the wicked swallows up iniquity.

Judgments are established for scoffers,

And beatings for the back of fools.

Hope in Yahweh and He Will Save You

Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,

And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion;

He who provokes him to anger sins against his own soul.

It is a glory for a man to cease quarreling,

But any ignorant fool will break out in dispute.

The sluggard does not plow from winter on,

So he begs during the harvest and has nothing.

Counsel in the heart of a man is like deep water,

But a man of discernment draws it out.

Many a man will call out his own lovingkindness,

But a faithful man, who can find?

A righteous man who walks in his integrity—

How blessed are his sons after him.

A king who sits on the throne of justice

Disperses all evil with his eyes.

Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure,

I am clean from my sin”?

Differing weights and differing measures,

Both of them are an abomination to Yahweh.

It is by his deeds that a young man makes himself known

If his conduct is pure and right.

The hearing ear and the seeing eye,

Yahweh has made both of them.

Do not love sleep, lest you become poor;

Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food.

“Bad, bad,” says the buyer,

But when he goes his way, then he boasts.

There is gold, and an abundance of pearls;

But the lips of knowledge are a more precious vessel.

Take his garment when he becomes a guarantor for a stranger;

And for foreigners, hold him in pledge.

Bread obtained by lying is sweet to a man,

But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.

Thoughts are established by counsel,

So make war by guidance.

He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets,

Therefore do not associate with one of loose lips.

He who curses his father or his mother,

His lamp will go out in the midst of darkness.

An inheritance gained hurriedly at the beginning

In the end will not be blessed.

Do not say, “I will repay evil”;

Hope in Yahweh, and He will save you.

Differing weights are an abomination to Yahweh,

And a deceitful balance is not good.

The steps of a man are from Yahweh,

How then can man understand his way?

It is a trap for a man to say rashly, “It is holy!”

And after the vows to make inquiry.

A wise king winnows the wicked,

And turns the threshing wheel over them.

The breath of man is the lamp of Yahweh,

Searching all the innermost parts of his body.

Lovingkindness and truth will guard the king,

And he upholds his throne by lovingkindness.

The honor of young men is their strength,

And the majesty of old men is their gray hair.

Stripes that wound scour away evil,

And strokes reach the innermost parts of the body.

Salvation Belongs to Yahweh

The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of Yahweh;

He turns it wherever He pleases.

Every man’s way is right in his own eyes,

But Yahweh weighs the hearts.

To do righteousness and justice

Is chosen by Yahweh over sacrifice.

Haughty eyes and a proud heart—

The fallow ground of the wicked—are sin.

The thoughts of the diligent lead surely to profit,

But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.

Working for treasures by a lying tongue

Is a fleeting breath, by those who pursue death.

The destruction of the wicked will drag them away,

Because they refuse to do justice.

The way of a guilty man is perverse,

But as for the pure, his work is upright.

It is better to live in a corner of a roof

Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

The soul of the wicked craves evil;

His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.

When the scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise;

And when one considers wisdom, he receives knowledge.

The righteous one considers the house of the wicked,

Turning the wicked to ruin.

He who shuts his ear to the outcry of the poor

Will himself also call and not be answered.

A gift in secret subdues anger,

And a bribe in the bosom, strong wrath.

To do justice is pleasure for the righteous,

But is ruin to the workers of iniquity.

A man who wanders from the way of insight

Will rest in the assembly of the dead.

He who loves pleasure will become a poor man;

He who loves wine and oil will not become rich.

The wicked is a ransom for the righteous,

And the treacherous is in the place of the upright.

It is better to live in a desert land

Than with a contentious and vexing woman.

There is desirable treasure and oil in the abode of the wise,

But a foolish man swallows it up.

He who pursues righteousness and lovingkindness

Finds life, righteousness, and glory.

A wise man goes up to the city of the mighty

And brings down the stronghold in which they trust.

He who keeps his mouth and his tongue,

Keeps his soul from troubles.

“Arrogant,” “Haughty,” “Scoffer,” are his names,

Who acts with arrogant fury.

The desire of the sluggard puts him to death,

For his hands refuse to work;

All day long he is insatiably craving,

While the righteous gives and does not hold back.

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination,

How much more when he brings it with a wicked scheme!

A false witness will perish,

But the man who listens will speak forever.

A wicked man displays a brazen face,

But as for the upright, he establishes his way.

There is no wisdom, there is no discernment

And there is no counsel against Yahweh.

The horse is set for the day of battle,

But salvation belongs to Yahweh.

Yahweh Is the Maker of All

A good name is to be chosen over great wealth,

Favor is better than silver and gold.

The rich and the poor meet together in this—

Yahweh is the Maker of them all.

A prudent man sees evil and hides,

But the simple pass on, and are punished.

The reward of humility—the fear of Yahweh—

Is riches, glory, and life.

Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked;

He who keeps his soul will be far from them.

Train up a child according to his way,

Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

The rich rules over the poor,

And the borrower is the slave of the lender.

He who sows unrighteousness will reap iniquity,

And the rod of his fury will end.

He who is generous will be blessed,

For he gives from his food to the poor.

Drive out the scoffer, and strife will go out,

Even contention and disgrace will cease.

He who loves purity of heart

And grace on his lips, the king is his friend.

The eyes of Yahweh guard knowledge,

But He subverts the words of the treacherous one.

The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside;

I will be killed in the streets!”

The mouth of strange women is a deep pit;

He who is cursed of Yahweh will fall into it.

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child;

The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.

He who oppresses the poor to make more for himself

Or who gives to the rich will only come to lack.

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