Pro 18 | NASB1995 | STEP | He who separates himself seeks his own desire , He quarrels against all sound wisdom .

Proverbs 18

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

1 He who separates himself seeks his own desire,
He ^{▼▼ Lit breaks out
,} ^bquarrels against all sound wisdom.
2 A fool does not delight in understanding,
But only ^cin revealing his own ^{▼▼ Lit heart}mind.
3 When a wicked man comes, contempt also comes,
And with dishonor comes scorn.
4 The words of a man’s mouth are ^edeep waters;
^{▼▼ Or A bubbling brook, a fountain of wisdom}The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
5 To ^gshow partiality to the wicked is not good,
Nor to ^hthrust aside the righteous in judgment.
6 A fool’s lips ^{▼▼ Lit come with}bring strife,
And his mouth calls for ^jblows.
7 A ^kfool’s mouth is his ruin,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.
8 The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels,
And they go down into the ^{▼▼ Lit chambers of the belly}innermost parts of the body.
9 He also who is ^mslack in his work
ⁿIs brother to him who destroys.
10 The ^oname of the Lord is a ^pstrong tower;
The righteous runs into it and ^qis ^{▼▼ Lit set on high}safe.
11 A ^srich man’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own imagination.
12 ^tBefore destruction the heart of man is haughty,
But ^uhumility goes before honor.
13 He who ^vgives an answer before he hears,
It is folly and shame to him.
14 The ^wspirit of a man can endure his sickness,
But as for a ^xbroken spirit who can bear it?
15 The ^{▼▼ Lit heart
,} ^zmind of the prudent acquires knowledge,
And the ^aaear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16 A man’s ^abgift makes room for him
And brings him before great men.
17 The first ^{▼▼ Lit in his plea}to plead his case seems right,
Until ^{▼▼ Lit his neighbor}another comes and examines him.
18 The cast ^aelot puts an end to strife
And ^{▼▼ Lit makes a division}decides between the mighty ones.
19 A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city,
And contentions are like the bars of a citadel.
20 With the ^{▼▼ I.e. speech
,} ^ahfruit of a man’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied;
^aiHe will be satisfied with the product of his lips.
21 ^ajDeath and life are in the ^{▼▼ Lit hand}power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its ^alfruit.
22 He who finds a ^amwife finds a good thing
And ^anobtains favor from the Lord.
23 The ^aopoor man utters supplications,
But the ^aprich man ^aqanswers roughly.
24 A man of too many friends comes to ^{▼▼ Lit be broken in pieces}ruin,
But there is ^asa ^{▼▼ Or lover}friend who sticks closer than a brother.