Proverbs 15
1 A soft answer turneth back fury, And a grievous word raiseth up anger.
By a soft answer wrath is turned away, but a bitter word is a cause of angry feelings.
2 The tongue of the wise maketh knowledge good, And the mouth of fools uttereth folly.
Knowledge is dropping from the tongue of the wise; but from the mouth of the foolish comes a stream of foolish words.
3 In every place are the eyes of Jehovah, Watching the evil and the good.
The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
4 A healed tongue [is] a tree of life, And perverseness in it — a breach in the spirit.
A comforting tongue is a tree of life, but a twisted tongue is a crushing of the spirit.
5 A fool despiseth the instruction of his father, And whoso is regarding reproof is prudent.
A foolish man puts no value on his father's training; but he who has respect for teaching has good sense.
6 [In] the house of the righteous [is] abundant strength, And in the increase of the wicked — trouble.
In the house of the upright man there is a great store of wealth; but in the profits of the sinner there is trouble.
7 The lips of the wise scatter knowledge, And the heart of fools [is] not right.
The lips of the wise keep knowledge, but the heart of the foolish man is not right.
8 The sacrifice of the wicked [is] an abomination to Jehovah, And the prayer of the upright [is] His delight.
The offering of the evil-doer is disgusting to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright man is his delight.
9 An abomination to Jehovah [is] the way of the wicked, And whoso is pursuing righteousness He loveth.
The way of the evil-doer is disgusting to the Lord, but he who goes after righteousness is dear to him.
10 Chastisement [is] grievous to him who is forsaking the path, Whoso is hating reproof dieth.
There is bitter punishment for him who is turned from the way; and death will be the fate of the hater of teaching.
11 Sheol and destruction [are] before Jehovah, Surely also the hearts of the sons of men. (Sheol h7585)
Before the Lord are the underworld and destruction: how much more, then, the hearts of the children of men! (Sheol h7585)
12 A scorner loveth not his reprover, Unto the wise he goeth not.
The hater of authority has no love for teaching: he will not go to the wise.
13 A joyful heart maketh glad the face, And by grief of heart is the spirit smitten.
A glad heart makes a shining face, but by the sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
14 The heart of the intelligent seeketh knowledge, And the mouth of fools enjoyeth folly.
The heart of the man of good sense goes in search of knowledge, but foolish things are the food of the unwise.
15 All the days of the afflicted [are] evil, And gladness of heart [is] a perpetual banquet.
All the days of the troubled are evil; but he whose heart is glad has an unending feast.
16 Better [is] a little with the fear of Jehovah, Than much treasure, and tumult with it.
Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great wealth together with trouble.
17 Better [is] an allowance of green herbs and love there, Than a fatted ox, and hatred with it.
Better is a simple meal where love is, than a fat ox and hate with it.
18 A man of fury stirreth up contention, And the slow to anger appeaseth strife.
An angry man makes men come to blows, but he who is slow to get angry puts an end to fighting.
19 The way of the slothful [is] as a hedge of briers, And the path of the upright is raised up.
Thorns are round the way of the hater of work; but the road of the hard worker becomes a highway.
20 A wise son rejoiceth a father. And a foolish man is despising his mother.
A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man has no respect for his mother.
21 Folly is joy to one lacking heart, And a man of intelligence directeth [his] going.
Foolish behaviour is joy to the unwise; but a man of good sense makes his way straight.
22 Without counsel [is] the making void of purposes, And in a multitude of counsellors it is established.
Where there are no wise suggestions, purposes come to nothing; but by a number of wise guides they are made certain.
23 Joy [is] to a man in the answer of his mouth, And a word in its season — how good!
A man has joy in the answer of his mouth: and a word at the right time, how good it is!
Acting wisely is the way of life, guiding a man away from the underworld. (Sheol h7585)
25 The house of the proud Jehovah pulleth down, And He setteth up the border of the widow.
The house of the man of pride will be uprooted by the Lord, but he will make safe the heritage of the widow.
26 An abomination to Jehovah [are] thoughts of wickedness, And pure [are] sayings of pleasantness.
Evil designs are disgusting to the Lord, but the words of the clean-hearted are pleasing.
27 A dishonest gainer is troubling his house, And whoso is hating gifts liveth.
He whose desires are fixed on profit is a cause of trouble to his family; but he who has no desire for offerings will have life.
28 The heart of the righteous meditateth to answer, And the mouth of the wicked uttereth evil things.
The heart of the upright gives thought to his answer; but from the mouth of the evil-doer comes a stream of evil things.
29 Far [is] Jehovah from the wicked, And the prayer of the righteous He heareth.
The Lord is far from sinners, but his ear is open to the prayer of the upright.
30 The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart, A good report maketh fat the bone.
The light of the eyes is a joy to the heart, and good news makes the bones fat.
31 An ear that is hearing the reproof of life Doth lodge among the wise.
The man whose ear is open to the teaching of life will have his place among the wise.
32 Whoso is refusing instruction is despising his soul, And whoso is hearing reproof Is getting understanding.
He who will not be controlled by training has no respect for his soul, but he who gives ear to teaching will get wisdom.
33 The fear of Jehovah [is] the instruction of wisdom, And before honour [is] humility!
The fear of the Lord is the teaching of wisdom; and a low opinion of oneself goes before honour.
