Proverbs 15
1 A soft answer turns back fury, And a grievous word raises up anger.
When people are angry with you, reply to them gently, and it will calm them; but if you reply harshly to them, it causes them to become more angry.
2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge good, And the mouth of fools utters folly.
When wise [people] speak [MTY], it causes those who hear what they say to want to know more; foolish people continually say [MTY] what is foolish.
3 The eyes of YHWH are in every place, Watching the evil and the good.
Yahweh sees [MTY] [what is happening] everywhere; he observes what bad [people do] as well as what good [people do].
4 A healed tongue [is] a tree of life, And perverseness in it—a breach in the spirit.
Those who speak [MTY] kindly to people are [like] [MET] trees [whose fruit gives] life; speaking what is false causes people to (despair/feel very discouraged).
5 A fool despises the instruction of his father, And whoever is regarding reproof is prudent.
Foolish children despise their parents when their parents correct/discipline them; wise children accept it.
6 Abundant strength [is in] the house of the righteous, And in the increase of the wicked—trouble.
There are many valuable things in the houses of righteous [people]; the wealth of wicked [people] causes them to have troubles/difficulties.
7 The lips of the wise scatter knowledge, And the heart of fools [is] not right.
What wise [people] teach [MTY] causes others to know much more, [but] foolish people cannot teach others what is useful.
8 The sacrifice of the wicked [is] an abomination to YHWH, And the prayer of the upright [is] His delight.
Yahweh detests the sacrifices that are offered by wicked [people]; what delights/pleases him very much are the prayers of righteous/good [people].
9 The way of the wicked [is] an abomination to YHWH, And He loves whoever is pursuing righteousness.
Yahweh hates/detests the behavior of wicked [people], but he loves those who always do what is righteous/just/fair.
10 Discipline [is] grievous to him who is forsaking the path, Whoever is hating reproof dies.
Those who do what is wrong will be severely punished; those who do not want to be corrected will die.
11 Sheol and destruction [are] before YHWH, Surely also the hearts of the sons of men. (Sheol h7585)
Yahweh knows [what is happening in] the place where dead people [DOU] are, so he certainly knows [RHQ] what people are thinking. (Sheol h7585)
12 A scorner does not love his reprover, He does not go to the wise.
Some people do not want to be corrected; they never go to wise [people to seek good advice from them].
13 A joyful heart makes the face glad, And the spirit is struck by grief of heart.
When people are happy, they have smiles on their faces; but when they are sad, [by looking at their faces we can see that] they are sad.
14 The heart of the intelligent seeks knowledge, And the mouth of fools enjoys folly.
Those who have good sense want to learn more; foolish people [MTY] are very satisfied with being foolish/ignorant.
15 All the days of the afflicted [are] evil, And gladness of heart [is] a perpetual banquet.
Those who are oppressed constantly have difficulties, but those who (OR, if they) are happy, [it is as though] [MET] they are having a big feast every day.
16 Better [is] a little with the fear of YHWH, Than much treasure, and tumult with it.
Being poor and revering Yahweh is better than being rich and having a lot of troubles.
17 Better [is] an allowance of green herbs and love there, Than a fatted ox, and hatred with it.
Eating meals with [people whom you] love and having only vegetables to eat is better than eating with [people who] hate [each other and] having lots of good meat [to eat].
18 A man of fury stirs up contention, And the slow to anger appeases strife.
Those who quickly become angry cause arguments/quarreling, but those who do not quickly become angry cause people to act peacefully.
19 The way of the slothful [is] as a hedge of briers, And the path of the upright is raised up.
Lazy people constantly [have difficulties] [MET]; [it is as though they are] walking through thorns; but those who are honest and hard-working [will have few difficulties; it is as though they are walking] on a level highway [MET].
20 A wise son makes a father glad. And a foolish man is despising his mother.
Children who are wise cause their parents to be happy; it is foolish children who despise their parents.
21 Folly is joy to one lacking heart, And a man of intelligence directs [his] going.
Foolish people are happy to [continually] act foolishly; those who have good sense do what is right.
22 The making void of purposes [is] without counsel, And in a multitude of counselors it is established.
If there is no one to give us good advice, we will not accomplish what we are planning to do; but when we have many [good] advisors, we will succeed.
23 Joy [is] to a man in the answer of his mouth, And a word in its season—how good!
People rejoice when they are able to reply well to what others have asked them; [truly], it is very delightful to be able to say the right thing at the right time.
Wise people walk on a road that leads up to a long life; they do not walk on a road that leads down to the place where dead people are. (Sheol h7585)
25 YHWH pulls down the house of the proud, And He sets up the border of the widow.
Yahweh tears down the houses of proud [people], but he protects the property of widows.
26 Thoughts of wickedness [are] an abomination to YHWH, And sayings of pleasantness [are] pure.
Yahweh detests what wicked [people] are thinking [about doing]; [but] when people say what is kind, he considers those words to be pure.
27 A dishonest gainer is troubling his house, And whoever is hating gifts lives.
Those who try hard to get money by acting dishonestly cause trouble for their family; those who refuse to accept bribes will live [for a long time].
28 The heart of the righteous meditates to answer, And the mouth of the wicked utters evil things.
Righteous/Good [people] think carefully before they answer [what others ask them]; wicked [people] very quickly say what is evil.
29 YHWH [is] far from the wicked, And He hears the prayer of the righteous.
Yahweh does not listen [MTY] to what wicked [people request him to do]; he listens to righteous [people] when they pray.
30 The light of the eyes makes the heart glad, A good report makes the bone fat.
If people have a smile on their faces, it makes them/others happy, and [when people hear] good news, it refreshes their spirits [MTY].
31 An ear that is hearing the reproof of life Lodges among the wise.
If people pay attention when [people] correct/warn them, they will become wise.
32 Whoever is refusing instruction is despising his soul, And whoever is hearing reproof Is getting understanding.
If people refuse to listen [when others try] to correct them, they are despising/hurting themselves; those who (pay attention/heed) when [others] warn them (become wiser/acquire good sense).
33 The fear of YHWH [is] the instruction of wisdom, And humility [is] before honor!
If you revere Yahweh, you will learn how to become wise, but [only] after you become humble will [people] honor you.
