Proverbs 11
1 Balances of deceit [are] an abomination to YHWH, And a perfect weight [is] His delight.
Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight.
2 Pride has come, and shame comes, And wisdom [is] with the lowly.
When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom.
3 The integrity of the upright leads them, And the perverseness of the treacherous destroys them.
The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the faithless destroys them.
4 Wealth does not profit in a day of wrath, And righteousness delivers from death.
Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.
5 The righteousness of the perfect makes his way right, And by his wickedness the wicked fall.
The righteousness of the blameless directs their path, but the wicked fall by their own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them, And in mischief the treacherous are captured.
The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the faithless are trapped by their own desires.
7 In the death of a wicked man, hope perishes, And the expectation of the iniquitous has been lost.
When the wicked man dies, his hope perishes, and the hope of his strength vanishes.
8 The righteous is drawn out from distress, And the wicked goes in instead of him.
The righteous man is delivered from trouble; in his place the wicked man goes in.
9 A hypocrite corrupts his friend with the mouth, And the righteous are drawn out by knowledge.
With his mouth the ungodly man destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous are rescued.
10 A city exults in the good of the righteous, And in the destruction of the wicked [is] singing.
When the righteous thrive, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.
11 By the blessing of the upright is a city exalted, And by the mouth of the wicked thrown down.
By the blessing of the upright a city is built up, but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
12 Whoever is despising his neighbor lacks heart, And a man of understanding keeps silence.
Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks judgment, but a man of understanding remains silent.
13 A busybody is revealing secret counsel, And the faithful of spirit is covering the matter.
A gossip reveals a secret, but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.
14 Without counsels a people falls, And deliverance [is] in a multitude of counselors.
For lack of guidance, a nation falls, but with many counselors comes deliverance.
15 An evil [one] suffers when he has been guarantor [for] a stranger, And whoever hates striking hands [in agreement] is confident.
He who puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer, but the one who hates indebtedness is secure.
16 A gracious woman retains honor, And terrible [men] retain riches.
A gracious woman attains honor, but ruthless men gain only wealth.
17 A kind man is rewarding his own soul, And the fierce is troubling his own flesh.
A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.
18 The wicked is getting a lying wage, And whoever is sowing righteousness—a true reward.
The wicked man earns an empty wage, but he who sows righteousness reaps a true reward.
19 Correctly [is] righteousness for life, And whoever is pursuing evil—for his own death.
Genuine righteousness leads to life, but the pursuit of evil brings death.
20 The perverse of heart are an abomination to YHWH, And the perfect of the way [are] His delight.
The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD, but the blameless in their walk are His delight.
21 Hand to hand, the wicked is not acquitted, And the seed of the righteous has escaped.
Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape.
22 A ring of gold in the nose of a sow—A beautiful woman and stubborn of behavior.
Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous [is] only good, The hope of the wicked [is] transgression.
The desire of the righteous leads only to good, but the hope of the wicked brings wrath.
24 There is [one] who is scattering, and yet is increased, And [one] who is keeping back from uprightness, only to want.
One gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor.
25 A liberal soul is made fat, And whoever is watering, he also is watered.
A generous soul will prosper, and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
26 Whoever is withholding grain, the people execrate him, And a blessing [is] for the head of him who is selling.
The people will curse the hoarder of grain, but blessing will crown the one who sells it.
27 Whoever is earnestly seeking good Seeks a pleasing thing, And whoever is seeking evil—it meets him.
He who searches out good finds favor, but evil will come to him who seeks it.
28 Whoever is confident in his wealth falls, And as a leaf, the righteous flourish.
He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like foliage.
29 Whoever is troubling his own house inherits wind, And the fool [is] a servant to the wise of heart.
He who brings trouble on his house will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
30 The fruit of the righteous [is] a tree of life, And whoever is taking souls [is] wise.
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
31 Behold, the righteous is repaid in the earth, Surely also the wicked and the sinner!
If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!
