Proverbs 11
1 Balances of deceit [are] an abomination to YHWH, And a perfect weight [is] His delight.
Yahweh hates scales that are not accurate, but he delights in a precise weight.
2 Pride has come, and shame comes, And wisdom [is] with the lowly.
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, 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 crooked ways of the treacherous destroy them.
4 Wealth does not profit in a day of wrath, And righteousness delivers from death.
Wealth is worthless on the day of wrath, but doing right keeps you from death.
5 The righteousness of the perfect makes his way right, And by his wickedness the wicked fall.
The right conduct of a blameless person makes his way straight, but the wicked will fall because of their own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them, And in mischief the treacherous are captured.
The right conduct of those who please God keeps them safe, but the treacherous are trapped by their cravings.
7 In the death of a wicked man, hope perishes, And the expectation of the iniquitous has been lost.
When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes and the hope that was in his strength comes to nothing.
8 The righteous is drawn out from distress, And the wicked goes in instead of him.
The righteous person is kept away from trouble and it comes upon the wicked instead.
9 A hypocrite corrupts his friend with the mouth, And the righteous are drawn out by knowledge.
With his mouth the godless person destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge righteous people are kept safe.
10 A city exults in the good of the righteous, And in the destruction of the wicked [is] singing.
When righteous people prosper, a city rejoices; 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.
Through the good gifts of those who please God, the city becomes great; by the mouth of the wicked, the city is torn down.
12 Whoever is despising his neighbor lacks heart, And a man of understanding keeps silence.
The man who has contempt for his friend has no sense, but a man of understanding keeps quiet.
13 A busybody is revealing secret counsel, And the faithful of spirit is covering the matter.
Whoever goes around slandering reveals secrets, but a faithful person keeps a matter covered.
14 Without counsels a people falls, And deliverance [is] in a multitude of counselors.
Where there is no wise direction, a nation falls, but victory comes by consulting many advisors.
15 An evil [one] suffers when he has been guarantor [for] a stranger, And whoever hates striking hands [in agreement] is confident.
Whoever guarantees a loan for a stranger will surely suffer harm, but the one who hates giving a pledge in that kind of promise is safe.
16 A gracious woman retains honor, And terrible [men] retain riches.
A gracious woman gets honor, but ruthless people grasp for wealth.
17 A kind man is rewarding his own soul, And the fierce is troubling his own flesh.
A kind person benefits himself, but one who is cruel hurts himself.
18 The wicked is getting a lying wage, And whoever is sowing righteousness—a true reward.
The wicked person lies to get his wages, but one who sows what is right reaps the wages of truth.
19 Correctly [is] righteousness for life, And whoever is pursuing evil—for his own death.
An honest person who does what is right will live, but the one who pursues evil will die.
20 The perverse of heart are an abomination to YHWH, And the perfect of the way [are] His delight.
Yahweh hates those whose hearts are perverse, but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.
21 Hand to hand, the wicked is not acquitted, And the seed of the righteous has escaped.
Be sure of this—the wicked person will not go unpunished, but the descendants of righteous people will be kept safe.
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 nose is a beautiful woman without discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous [is] only good, The hope of the wicked [is] transgression.
The desires of righteous people result in good, but wicked people can only hope for wrath.
24 There is [one] who is scattering, and yet is increased, And [one] who is keeping back from uprightness, only to want.
There is one who scatters—he will accumulate even more; another withholds what he should give—he comes to poverty.
25 A liberal soul is made fat, And whoever is watering, he also is watered.
The generous person will prosper and the one who gives water to others will have water for himself.
26 Whoever is withholding grain, the people execrate him, And a blessing [is] for the head of him who is selling.
People curse the man who refuses to sell grain, but good gifts crown the head of him who sells it.
27 Whoever is earnestly seeking good Seeks a pleasing thing, And whoever is seeking evil—it meets him.
The one who diligently seeks good is also seeking favor, but the one who searches for evil will find it.
28 Whoever is confident in his wealth falls, And as a leaf, the righteous flourish.
Those who trust in their riches will fall, but like the leaf, righteous people will flourish.
29 Whoever is troubling his own house inherits wind, And the fool [is] a servant to the wise of heart.
The one who brings trouble on his own household will inherit the wind and the fool will become a 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 righteous person will be like a tree of life, but violence takes away lives.
31 Behold, the righteous is repaid in the earth, Surely also the wicked and the sinner!
Behold! The righteous person receives what he deserves; how much more the wicked and the sinner!
