Online Bible

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

He who willfully separates himself from God and man seeks his own desire,He ^aquarrels against all sound wisdom.2 A closed-minded fool does not delight in understanding,But only ^ain revealing his personal opinions unwittingly displaying his self-indulgence and his stupidity.3 When the wicked man comes to the depth of evil, contempt of all that is pure and good also comes,And with inner baseness (dishonor) comes outer shame (scorn) .4 The words of a man’s mouth are like ^adeep waters copious and difficult to fathom;The fountain of mature, godly wisdom is like a bubbling stream sparkling, fresh, pure, and life-giving.5 To ^ashow respect to the wicked person is not good,Nor to ^bpush aside and deprive the righteous of justice.6 A fool’s lips bring contention and strife,And his mouth invites a ^abeating.7 A ^afool’s mouth is his ruin,And his lips are the snare of his soul.8 The words of a whisperer (gossip) are like dainty morsels to be greedily eaten;They go down into the innermost chambers of the body to be remembered and mused upon.9 He who is ^acareless in his work^bIs a brother to him who destroys.10 The ^aname of the LORD is a ^bstrong tower;The righteous runs to it and ^cis safe and set on high far above evil.11 The ^arich man’s wealth is his strong city,And like a high wall of protection in his own imagination and conceit.12 ^aBefore disaster the heart of a man is haughty and filled with self-importance,But ^bhumility comes before honor.13 He who ^aanswers before he hears the facts—It is folly and shame to him. John 7:5114 The ^aspirit of a man sustains him in sickness,But as for a ^bbroken spirit, who can bear it?15 The ^amind of the prudent always acquires knowledge,And the ^bear of the wise always seeks knowledge.16 A man’s ^agift given in love or courtesy makes room for himAnd brings him before great men. Gen 32:20; 1+@Sam 25:27; Prov 17:8; 21:1417 The first one to plead his case seems right,Until another comes and cross-examines him.18 ¹To cast ^alots puts an end to quarrelsAnd decides between powerful contenders.19 A brother offended is harder to win over than a fortified city,And contentions separating families are like the bars of a castle.20 A man’s stomach will be satisfied with the ^afruit of his mouth;^bHe will be satisfied with the consequence of his words.21 ^aDeath and life are in the power of the tongue,And those who love it and indulge it will eat its ^bfruit and bear the consequences of their words. Matt 12:3722 He who finds a ¹true and faithful ^awife finds a good thingAnd ^bobtains favor and approval from the LORD. Prov 19:14; 31:1023 The ^apoor man pleads,But the ^brich man ^canswers roughly.24 The man of too many friends chosen indiscriminately will be broken in pieces and come to ruin,But there is ^aa true, loving friend who is reliable and sticks closer than a brother.