Contrast the Upright and the Wicked
The awise woman builds her house on a foundation of godly precepts, and her household thrives,But the foolish one who lacks spiritual insight tears it down with her own hands by ignoring godly principles.Ruth 4:11; Prov 31:10-272 He who awalks in uprightness reverently fears the LORD and obeys and worships Him with profound respect,But he who is bdevious in his ways despises Him.Prov 19:1; 28:6Prov 2:153 In the mouth of the arrogant 1fool who rejects God is a rod for his back,But athe lips of the wise when they speak with godly wisdom will protect them.See note 1:7.Prov 12:64 Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,But much revenue because of good crops comes by the strength of the ox.5 A afaithful and trustworthy witness will not lie,But a bfalse witness cspeaks lies.Rev 1:5; 3:14Ex 23:1; Deut 19:16; Prov 6:19; 12:17Prov 19:56 A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none for his ears are closed to wisdom,But knowledge is easy for one who understands because he is willing to learn.7 Leave the apresence of a shortsighted fool,For you will not find knowledge or hear godly wisdom from his lips.Prov 23:98 The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way,But athe foolishness of shortsighted fools is deceit.1 Cor 3:199 Fools mock sin but sin mocks the fools,But aamong the upright there is good will and the favor and blessing of God. Prov 10:23Prov 3:34; 11:2010 The heart knows its own abitterness,And no stranger shares its joy.1 Sam 1:10; Job 21:2511 The ahouse of the wicked will be overthrown,But the tent of the upright will thrive.Job 8:1512 aThere is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him,But its bend is the way of death.Prov 12:15; 16:25Rom 6:2113 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,And the aend of joy may be grief.Eccl 2:1, 214 The backslider in heart will have his afill with his own rotten ways,But a good man will bbe satisfied with his ways the godly thought and action which his heart pursues and in which he delights.Prov 1:31; 12:21Prov 12:14; 18:2015 The naive or inexperienced person is easily misled and believes every word he hears,But the prudent man is discreet and astute and considers well where he is going.16 A wise man suspects danger and cautiously aavoids evil,But the fool is arrogant and careless.Job 28:28; Ps 34:14; Prov 3:7; 22:317 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly and without self-control,And a man of wicked schemes is hated.18 The naive are unsophisticated and easy to exploit and inherit foolishness,But the sensible are thoughtful and far-sighted and are crowned with knowledge.19 The aevil will bow down before the good,And the wicked will bow down at the gates of the righteous.1 Sam 2:36; Prov 11:2920 The apoor man is hated even by his neighbor,But those who love the rich are many.Prov 19:721 He who adespises his neighbor sins against God and his fellow man,But bhappy blessed and favored by God is he who is gracious and merciful to the poor.Prov 11:12Ps 41:1; Prov 19:17; 28:822 Do they not go astray who adevise evil and wander from the way of righteousness?But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.Ps 36:4; Prov 3:29; 12:2; Mic 2:123 In all labor there is profit,But mere talk leads only to poverty.24 The acrown of the wise is their wealth of wisdom,But the foolishness of closed-minded fools is nothing but folly.Prov 10:22; 13:8; 21:2025 A truthful witness saves lives,But he who aspeaks lies is treacherous.Prov 14:526 In the reverent afear of the LORD there is strong confidence,And His children will always have a place of refuge.Prov 18:10; 19:23; Is 33:627 The reverent fear of the LORD that leads to obedience and worship is a fountain of life,So that one may avoid the snares of death. John 4:10, 1428 In a multitude of people is a king’s glory,But in a lack of people is a pretentious prince’s ruin.29 He who is aslow to anger has great understanding and profits from his self-control,But he who is quick-tempered exposes and exalts his foolishness for all to see. Prov 16:32; James 1:19Prov 16:32; 19:11; Eccl 7:9; James 1:1930 A acalm and peaceful and tranquil heart is life and health to the body,But passion and envy are like brottenness to the bones.Prov 15:13Prov 12:4; Hab 3:1631 He awho oppresses the poor taunts and insults bhis Maker,But he who is kind and merciful and gracious to the needy honors Him. Prov 17:5; Matt 25:40, 45Prov 17:5; Matt 25:40; 1 John 3:17Job 31:15; Prov 22:232 The wicked is aoverthrown through his wrongdoing,But the brighteous has hope and confidence and a refuge with God even in death.Prov 6:15; 24:16Gen 49:18; Ps 16:11; 17:15; 37:37; 73:24; 2 Cor 1:9; 5:8; 2 Tim 4:1833 Wisdom rests silently in the heart of one who has understanding,But what is in the heart of shortsighted fools is made known. Is 32:634 Righteousness moral and spiritual integrity and virtuous character exalts a nation,But sin is a disgrace to any people.35 The king’s favor and good will are toward a aservant who acts wisely and discreetly,But his anger and wrath are toward him who acts shamefully. Matt 24:45, 47Matt 24:45, 47; 25:21, 23