Proverbs 16

Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked

1 The ^aplans of the heart belong to a person,
But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
2 All the ways of a person are clean in his own sight,
But the ^bLord examines the ▼

▼Lit spirits

motives.
3 ▼

▼Lit Roll

, ^eCommit your works to the Lord,
And your plans will be established.
4 The Lord ^fhas made everything for ▼

▼Or His

its own purpose,
Even the ^hwicked for the day of evil.
5 Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
▼

▼Lit Hand to hand, he

Be assured, he will not go unpunished.
6 By ^jmercy and truth atonement is made for wrongdoing,
And by ▼

▼Or reverence for

the ^lfear of the Lord one keeps away from evil.
7 When a person’s ways are pleasing to the Lord,
He ^mcauses even his enemies to make peace with him.
8 Better is a little with righteousness
Than great income with injustice.
9 The mind of a ⁿperson plans his way,
But ^othe Lord directs his steps.
10 A divine ^pverdict is on the lips of the king;
His mouth should not ▼

▼Lit be unfaithful

err in judgment.
11 A ^rjust balance and scales belong to the Lord;
All the ▼

▼Lit stones

weights of the bag are His ▼

▼Lit work

concern.
12 It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts,
Because a ^uthrone is established on righteousness.
13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings,
And one who speaks right is loved.
14 The fury of a king is like messengers of death;
But a wise person will appease it.
15 In the light of a king’s face is life,
And his favor is like a cloud with the ▼

▼Lit latter

, ^wspring rain.
16 How much ^xbetter it is to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.
17 The ^yhighway of the upright is to turn away from evil;
One who watches his way protects his ▼

▼Lit soul

life.
18 ^aaPride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before stumbling.
19 It is better to be ^abhumble in spirit with the needy
Than to ^acdivide the spoils with the proud.
20 One who pays attention to the word will ^adfind good,
And ^aeblessed is one who trusts in the Lord.
21 The ^afwise in heart will be called understanding,
And sweetness of ▼

▼Lit lips

speech ^ahincreases ▼

▼Or learning

persuasiveness.
22 Understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it,
But the discipline of fools is foolishness.
23 The ^ajheart of the wise instructs his mouth
And adds ▼

▼Or learning

persuasiveness to his lips.
24 ^alPleasant words are a honeycomb,
Sweet to the soul and ^amhealing to the bones.
25 ^anThere is a way which seems right to a person,
But its end is the way of death.
26 A worker’s appetite works for him,
For his ▼

▼Lit mouth

hunger urges him on.
27 A ^apworthless person digs up evil,
While ▼

▼Lit on his lips

his words are like ^arscorching fire.
28 A perverse person spreads strife,
And a ▼

▼Or gossip

slanderer separates close friends.
29 A person of violence ^atentices his neighbor
And leads him in a way that is not good.
30 He who winks his eyes does so to devise perverse things;
He who compresses his lips brings evil to pass.
31 A ^augray head is a crown of glory;
It ^avis found in the way of righteousness.
32 One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And one who rules his spirit, than one who captures a city.
33 The ^awlot is cast into the lap,
But its every ^axdecision is from the Lord.