Pro 21 | NASB1995 | STEP | The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord ; He turns it wherever He wishes .

Proverbs 21

On Life and Conduct

1 The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord;
He ^aturns it wherever He wishes.
2 ^bEvery man’s way is right in his own eyes,
But the Lord ^cweighs the hearts.
3 To do ^drighteousness and justice
Is desired by the Lord more than sacrifice.
4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
The ^elamp of the wicked, is sin.
5 The plans of the ^fdiligent lead surely to advantage,
But everyone ^gwho is hasty comes surely to poverty.
6 The ^hacquisition of treasures by a lying tongue
Is a fleeting vapor, the ^{▼▼ Lit seekers}pursuit of ^jdeath.
7 The violence of the wicked will drag them away,
Because they ^krefuse to act with justice.
8 The way of a guilty man is ^lcrooked,
But as for the pure, his conduct is upright.
9 It is better to live in a corner of a roof
Than ^{▼▼ Lit with a woman of contentions and a house of association}in a house shared with a contentious woman.
10 The soul of the wicked desires evil;
His ⁿneighbor finds no favor in his eyes.
11 When the ^oscoffer is punished, the ^{▼▼ Lit simple}naive becomes wise;
But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.
12 The righteous one considers the house of the wicked,
Turning the ^qwicked to ruin.
13 He who ^rshuts his ear to the cry of the poor
Will also cry himself and not be ^sanswered.
14 A ^tgift in secret subdues anger,
And a bribe in the bosom, strong wrath.
15 The exercise of justice is joy for the righteous,
But is ^uterror to the workers of iniquity.
16 A man who wanders from the way of understanding
Will ^vrest in the assembly of the ^{▼▼ Lit departed spirits}dead.
17 He who ^xloves pleasure will become a poor man;
He who loves wine and oil will not become rich.
18 The wicked is a ^yransom for the righteous,
And the ^ztreacherous is in the place of the upright.
19 ^aaIt is better to live in a desert land
Than with a contentious and vexing woman.
20 There is precious ^abtreasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man ^acswallows it up.
21 He who ^adpursues righteousness and loyalty
Finds life, righteousness and honor.
22 A ^aewise man scales the city of the mighty
And brings down the ^{▼▼ Lit strength of trust}stronghold in which they trust.
23 He who ^agguards his mouth and his tongue,
Guards his soul from troubles.
24 “Proud,” “Haughty,” ^ah“Scoffer,” are his names,
Who acts with ^aiinsolent pride.
25 The ^ajdesire of the sluggard puts him to death,
For his hands refuse to work;
26 All day long he ^{▼▼ Lit desires desire}is craving,
While the righteous ^algives and does not hold back.
27 The ^amsacrifice of the wicked is an abomination,
How much more when he brings it with evil intent!
28 A ^anfalse witness will perish,
But the man who listens to the truth will speak forever.
29 A wicked man ^{▼▼ Lit makes firm with his face
,} ^apdisplays a bold face,
But as for the ^aqupright, he makes his way sure.
30 There is ^arno wisdom and no understanding
And no counsel against the Lord.
31 The ^ashorse is prepared for the day of battle,
But ^atvictory belongs to the Lord.