Proverbs 11
1 Balances of deceit [are] an abomination to YHWH, And a perfect weight [is] His delight.
Yahweh detests [people who use] scales that do not weigh correctly; he is delighted with [those who use] correct weights on the scales.
2 Pride has come, and shame comes, And wisdom [is] with the lowly.
[People who are] proud will [eventually] be disgraced; it is wise to be humble.
3 The integrity of the upright leads them, And the perverseness of the treacherous destroys them.
[People who are] good are guided by [doing what is] honest; those who are not honest will be ruined because of the wrong things that they do.
4 Wealth does not profit in a day of wrath, And righteousness delivers from death.
[Your] money will not help [you] on the day that [God] judges [and punishes people]; but if you live righteously, you will live a long time.
5 The righteousness of the perfect makes his way right, And by his wickedness the wicked fall.
When people are honest and good, that will (direct their paths/show them what is right for them to do); but wicked [people will] experience disasters because of the evil things that they do.
6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them, And in mischief the treacherous are captured.
[God] rescues/protects righteous [people] because they (are honest/do what is right), but those who (are treacherous/cannot be trusted) will be trapped because of their being greedy.
7 In the death of a wicked man, hope perishes, And the expectation of the iniquitous has been lost.
When wicked [people] die, they cannot confidently expect to receive anything [that is good]; they expect that [their money] will help/save them, but it will not.
8 The righteous is drawn out from distress, And the wicked goes in instead of him.
[Yahweh] rescues righteous [people] from their troubles/difficulties; instead, it is the wicked who will have troubles.
9 A hypocrite corrupts his friend with the mouth, And the righteous are drawn out by knowledge.
Godless people can ruin others by what they say [MTY], but righteous [people will] be saved by [their (own] good sense/being wise).
10 A city exults in the good of the righteous, And in the destruction of the wicked [is] singing.
When things go well for righteous [people], [the people in] [MTY] their city are happy, and they shout joyfully when wicked [people] die.
11 By the blessing of the upright is a city exalted, And by the mouth of the wicked thrown down.
When righteous [people request God to] bless a city, that city will become great, but cities are ruined by what wicked [people] say [MTY].
12 Whoever is despising his neighbor lacks heart, And a man of understanding keeps silence.
It is foolish to despise others; those who (have good sense/are wise) do not say anything [to criticize others].
13 A busybody is revealing secret counsel, And the faithful of spirit is covering the matter.
Those who (spread gossip/tell bad things about others) will tell your secrets [to others], but if there is someone whom you can trust, you can trust him to not tell your secrets [to others].
14 Without counsels a people falls, And deliverance [is] in a multitude of counselors.
A nation will be destroyed/ruined if it does not have [leaders] who guide it [wisely]; but if there are many [good] advisors, the nation remains secure.
15 An evil [one] suffers when he has been guarantor [for] a stranger, And whoever hates striking hands [in agreement] is confident.
If you promise a stranger that you will pay his debt [if he cannot pay it himself], you will regret it. You will be safe if you refuse to guarantee that you will pay someone else’s debts.
16 A gracious woman retains honor, And terrible [men] retain riches.
[People] honor/respect women who are kind/gracious; ruthless/violent people may get a lot of money, [but that is all that they will get].
17 A kind man is rewarding his own soul, And the fierce is troubling his own flesh.
Those who are kind benefit themselves [because others will be kind to them], but those who are cruel will hurt themselves [because others will be cruel to them].
18 The wicked is getting a lying wage, And whoever is sowing righteousness—a true reward.
If wicked people earn a lot of money, that will deceive them [because they will not keep it for very long], but those who do what is right will surely be rewarded [by God forever].
19 Correctly [is] righteousness for life, And whoever is pursuing evil—for his own death.
Those who always do what is right will live [a long/happy life], but those who insist on doing what is wrong will not live [very long].
20 The perverse of heart are an abomination to YHWH, And the perfect of the way [are] His delight.
Yahweh hates those who are always thinking about doing evil things, but he is delighted with those who always do what is right.
21 Hand to hand, the wicked is not acquitted, And the seed of the righteous has escaped.
It is certain that [Yahweh] will punish evil people and that righteous people will escape [from being punished].
22 A ring of gold in the nose of a sow—A beautiful woman and stubborn of behavior.
[It is] ([unsuitable/not proper/disgusting]) for a beautiful woman not to know what is right to do, like [SIM] [it is unsuitable/disgusting] for a pig to have a gold ring in its snout/nose.
23 The desire of the righteous [is] only good, The hope of the wicked [is] transgression.
When the things that righteous people want happen, it brings good [to them and to others], but when the wicked get what they want, it causes everyone else to become angry.
24 There is [one] who is scattering, and yet is increased, And [one] who is keeping back from uprightness, only to want.
Some people give [their money] generously [to poor people], but they become richer [in spite of that], and some people hold tightly to their money, but they still become poor [in spite of that].
25 A liberal soul is made fat, And whoever is watering, he also is watered.
Those who give generously [to others] will prosper; if you help others, [they/someone] will help you, too.
26 Whoever is withholding grain, the people execrate him, And a blessing [is] for the head of him who is selling.
People curse/despise someone who hoards his grain [and does not sell it], waiting to get a higher/bigger price for it, but they praise someone who sells it [when people need it, even when the price is not high].
27 Whoever is earnestly seeking good Seeks a pleasing thing, And whoever is seeking evil—it meets him.
If you sincerely want to [do what is] right, [people] will respect you, but if you are wanting to cause trouble, trouble is what you will get.
28 Whoever is confident in his wealth falls, And as a leaf, the righteous flourish.
Those who trust in their money will [disappear like the] withered [leaves that fall from the trees], but righteous [people] will keep going strong, like green leaves [in the summer].
29 Whoever is troubling his own house inherits wind, And the fool [is] a servant to the wise of heart.
Those who bring troubles to their families will inherit nothing [MET] [from them], and those who do foolish things [like that] will [some day] become the servants of wise [people].
30 The fruit of the righteous [is] a tree of life, And whoever is taking souls [is] wise.
Those who live righteously will live [for a long time], but [those who act] violently will destroy [their own] lives (OR, those who are wise will have many people come and live with them).
31 Behold, the righteous is repaid in the earth, Surely also the wicked and the sinner!
[Sometimes] righteous [people] are rewarded [here] on the earth, but it is much more certain that very wicked people [DOU] [will be rewarded by being punished].
