Online Bible

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

A ^afalse balance and dishonest business practices are extremely offensive to the LORD,But an ^baccurate scale is His delight. Lev 19:35, 36; Prov 16:112 When ^apride comes boiling up with an arrogant attitude of self-importance, then come dishonor and shame,But with the humble the teachable who have been chiseled by trial and who have learned to walk humbly with God there is wisdom and soundness of mind.3 The ^aintegrity and moral courage of the upright will guide them,But the ^bcrookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.4 ^aRiches will not provide security in the day of wrath and judgment,But ^brighteousness rescues from death. Prov 10:2; Zeph 1:185 The ^arighteousness of the blameless will smooth their way and keep it straight,But ^bthe wicked will fall by his own wickedness.6 The righteousness of the upright will rescue them,But the treacherous will ^abe caught by their own greed.7 When the wicked man dies, his ^aexpectation will perish;And the ^bhope of godless strong men perishes.8 ¹The righteous is rescued from trouble,And the wicked takes his place.9 With his ^amouth the godless man destroys his neighbor,But through knowledge and discernment the ^brighteous will be rescued.10 When it ^agoes well for the righteous, the city rejoices,And when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.11 By the blessing of the influence of the upright the city is exalted,But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.12 He who despises his neighbor lacks sense,But a man of understanding keeps silent.13 He ^awho goes about as a gossip reveals secrets,But he who is trustworthy and faithful ^bkeeps a matter hidden.14 Where there is no wise, intelligent ^aguidance, the people fall and go off course like a ship without a helm,But in the abundance of wise and godly counselors there is victory.15 He who puts up ^asecurity and guarantees a debt for an outsider will surely suffer for his foolishness,But he who hates (declines) being a guarantor is secure from its penalties.16 A ^agracious and good woman attains honor,And ruthless men attain riches but not respect.17 The ^amerciful and generous man benefits his soul for his behavior returns to bless him,But the cruel and callous man does himself harm.18 The wicked man earns deceptive wages,But he who ^asows righteousness and lives his life with integrity will have a true reward that is both permanent and satisfying. Hos 10:12; Gal 6:8, 9; James 3:1819 He who is steadfast in ^arighteousness attains life,But ^bhe who pursues evil attains his own death.20 The perverse in heart are repulsive and shamefully vile to the LORD,But those who are ^ablameless and above reproach in their walk are His ^bdelight!21 Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished,But the descendants of the righteous will be freed.22 As a ^aring of gold in a swine’s snout,So is a beautiful woman who is without discretion her lack of character mocks her beauty.23 The desire of the righteous brings only good,But the ^aexpectation of the wicked brings wrath.24 There is the one who generously scatters abroad, and yet increases all the more;And there is the one who withholds what is justly due, but it results only in want and poverty.25 The ^agenerous man is a source of blessing and shall be prosperous and enriched,And he who ^bwaters will himself be watered reaping the generosity he has sown. 2+@Cor 9:6-1026 The ^apeople curse him who holds back grain when the public needs it,But a ^bblessing from God and man is upon the head of him who ^csells it.27 He who diligently seeks good seeks favor and grace,But ^ahe who seeks evil, evil will come to him.28 He who leans on and ^atrusts in and is confident in his riches will fall,But ^bthe righteous who trust in God’s provision will flourish like a green leaf.29 He who ^atroubles (mismanages) his own house will ^binherit the wind (nothing) ,And ^cthe foolish will be a servant to the wise-hearted.30 The fruit of the consistently righteous is ^aa tree of life,And ^bhe who is wise captures and wins souls for God—he gathers them for eternity. Matt 4:19; 1+@Cor 9:19; James 5:2031 If the ^arighteous will be rewarded on the earth with godly blessings,How much more will the wicked and the sinner be repaid with punishment!

A ^adeceptive balance is an abomination to Yahweh,But a ^bjust weight is His delight.2 When ^aarrogance comes, then comes disgrace,But with the meek is wisdom.3 The ^aintegrity of the upright will lead them,But the ^bcrookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.4 ^aWealth will not profit in the day of wrath,But ^brighteousness will deliver from death.5 The ^arighteousness of the blameless will make his way straight,But ^bthe wicked will fall by his own wickedness.6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,But the treacherous will ^abe captured by their own desire.7 When a wicked man dies, his ^ahope will perish,And the ^bexpectation of vigorous men perishes.8 The righteous is rescued from ¹distress,But the wicked ²takes his place.9 With his ^amouth the godless man corrupts his neighbor,But through knowledge the ^brighteous will be rescued.10 When it ^agoes well with the righteous, the city exults,And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.11 By the blessing of the upright a city is raised up,But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.12 He who despises his neighbor lacks a heart of wisdom,But a man of discernment keeps silent.13 He ^awho goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets,But he who is faithful in spirit ^bconceals a matter.14 Where there is no ^aguidance the people fall,But in abundance of counselors there is salvation.15 If one becomes a ^aguarantor for a stranger, he will surely suffer,But he who hates ¹striking hands in pledge is secure.16 A ^agracious woman holds fast to glory,But ruthless men hold fast to riches.17 The man of ^alovingkindness deals bountifully with his soul,But the cruel man brings trouble on his flesh.18 The wicked earns deceptive wages,But he who ^asows righteousness gets a true reward.19 He who is steadfast in ^arighteousness will attain to life,And ^bhe who pursues evil will bring about his own death.20 Those with a crooked heart are an abomination to Yahweh,But those of a ^ablameless way are His ^bdelight.21 ¹Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished,But the seed of the righteous will escape.22 As a ^aring of gold in a swine’s snoutSo is a beautiful woman who turns away from ¹discretion.23 The desire of the righteous is only good,But the ^ahope of the wicked is wrath.24 There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more,And there is one who holds back what is rightly due, and yet results only in want.25 The soul ¹that ^ablesses will be ²enriched,And he who ^bwaters will himself be watered.26 He who withholds grain, the ^apeople will curse him,But ^bblessing will be on the head of him who ^csells it.27 He who earnestly seeks good seeks favor,But ^ahe who searches for evil, evil will come to him.28 He who ^atrusts in his riches will fall,But ^bthe righteous will flourish like the green leaf.29 He who ^atroubles his own house will ^binherit wind,And ^cthe ignorant fool will be a slave to the wise of heart.30 The fruit of the righteous is ^aa tree of life,And ^bhe who is wise ¹wins souls.31 If ^athe righteous will be repaid in the earth,How much more the wicked and the sinner!