Proverbs 15
1 A soft answer turns back fury, And a grievous word raises up anger.
A kind reply wards off anger, but hurtful words make people mad.
2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge good, And the mouth of fools utters folly.
What wise people say makes knowledge attractive, but stupid people talk a lot of nonsense.
3 The eyes of YHWH are in every place, Watching the evil and the good.
The Lord sees everywhere, watching the evil and the good.
4 A healed tongue [is] a tree of life, And perverseness in it—a breach in the spirit.
Gentle words are a source of life, but telling lies does a lot of damage.
5 A fool despises the instruction of his father, And whoever is regarding reproof is prudent.
Only a foolish son despises his father's instruction, but one who accepts correction is sensible.
6 Abundant strength [is in] the house of the righteous, And in the increase of the wicked—trouble.
There's plenty of treasure where good people live, but the income of the wicked brings them trouble.
7 The lips of the wise scatter knowledge, And the heart of fools [is] not right.
Wise people share their knowledge, but stupid people don't think like that.
8 The sacrifice of the wicked [is] an abomination to YHWH, And the prayer of the upright [is] His delight.
The Lord hates the sacrifices of the wicked, but he loves the prayers of the good.
9 The way of the wicked [is] an abomination to YHWH, And He loves whoever is pursuing righteousness.
The Lord hates the ways of the wicked, but he loves those who do what is right.
10 Discipline [is] grievous to him who is forsaking the path, Whoever is hating reproof dies.
If you leave the right path you will be severely disciplined; anyone who hates correction will die.
11 Sheol and destruction [are] before YHWH, Surely also the hearts of the sons of men. (Sheol h7585)
Those already dead have no secrets from the Lord—how much more does he know our thoughts! (Sheol h7585)
12 A scorner does not love his reprover, He does not go to the wise.
Scoffers don't like to be corrected, so they don't go to the wise for advice.
13 A joyful heart makes the face glad, And the spirit is struck by grief of heart.
If you're happy inside, you'll have a cheerful face, but if you're sad, you look crushed.
14 The heart of the intelligent seeks knowledge, And the mouth of fools enjoys folly.
An insightful mind looks for knowledge, but stupid people feed on foolishness.
15 All the days of the afflicted [are] evil, And gladness of heart [is] a perpetual banquet.
The life of poor people is hard, but if you stay cheerful, it's a continual feast.
16 Better [is] a little with the fear of YHWH, Than much treasure, and tumult with it.
It's better to respect the Lord and only have a little than to have plenty of money and the trouble that comes with it.
17 Better [is] an allowance of green herbs and love there, Than a fatted ox, and hatred with it.
Better a dinner of vegetables where there's love than eating meat with hatred.
18 A man of fury stirs up contention, And the slow to anger appeases strife.
Short-tempered people stir up trouble, but those slow to anger calm things down.
19 The way of the slothful [is] as a hedge of briers, And the path of the upright is raised up.
The way of lazy people is overgrown with thorns, but the path of the good is an open highway.
20 A wise son makes a father glad. And a foolish man is despising his mother.
A wise son makes his father happy, but a stupid man despises his mother.
21 Folly is joy to one lacking heart, And a man of intelligence directs [his] going.
Stupidity makes people with no sense happy, but sensible people do what is right.
22 The making void of purposes [is] without counsel, And in a multitude of counselors it is established.
Plans fall apart without good advice, but with plenty of advisors they're successful.
23 Joy [is] to a man in the answer of his mouth, And a word in its season—how good!
A good answer makes people happy—it's great to say the right thing at the right moment!
Life's path for the wise leads upwards, so that they can avoid the grave below. (Sheol h7585)
25 YHWH pulls down the house of the proud, And He sets up the border of the widow.
The Lord pulls down the house of the proud, but he protects the boundaries of the widow's property.
26 Thoughts of wickedness [are] an abomination to YHWH, And sayings of pleasantness [are] pure.
The Lord hates the thoughts of the wicked, but he honors the words of the pure.
27 A dishonest gainer is troubling his house, And whoever is hating gifts lives.
People greedy for ill-gotten gains make trouble for their families, but those who hate bribes will live.
28 The heart of the righteous meditates to answer, And the mouth of the wicked utters evil things.
Good people think how best to answer questions, but stupid people say all kinds of evil things.
29 YHWH [is] far from the wicked, And He hears the prayer of the righteous.
The Lord keeps his distance from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the good.
30 The light of the eyes makes the heart glad, A good report makes the bone fat.
Bright eyes make you happy, and good news makes you feel good.
31 An ear that is hearing the reproof of life Lodges among the wise.
If you pay attention to positive advice you'll be one of the wise.
32 Whoever is refusing instruction is despising his soul, And whoever is hearing reproof Is getting understanding.
If you ignore instruction you have no self-esteem, but if you listen to correction you gain understanding.
33 The fear of YHWH [is] the instruction of wisdom, And humility [is] before honor!
Respect for the Lord teaches wisdom; humility goes before honor.
