Proverbs - The Old Testament

¹ A human heart makes the plans, Yahweh gives the answer.

² A person's own acts seem right to the doer, but Yahweh is the weigher of souls.

³ Commend what you do to Yahweh, and what you plan will be achieved.

⁴ Yahweh made everything for its own purpose, yes, even the wicked for the day of disaster.

⁵ Every arrogant heart is abhorrent to Yahweh: be sure this will not go unpunished.

⁶ By faithful love and constancy sin is expiated; by fear of Yahweh evil is avoided.

⁷ Let Yahweh be pleased with someone's way of life and he makes that person's very enemies into friends.

⁸ Better have little and with it uprightness than great revenues with injustice.

⁹ The human heart may plan a course, but it is Yahweh who makes the steps secure.

¹⁰ The lips of the king utter prophecies, he keeps faith when he speaks in judgement.

¹¹ The balances and scales belong to Yahweh, all the weights in the bag are of his making.

¹² Evil-doing is abhorrent to kings, since uprightness is a throne's foundation.

¹³ Upright lips are welcome to a king, he loves someone of honest words.

¹⁴ The king's wrath is the herald of death, but the wise will appease it.

¹⁵ When the king's face brightens it spells life, his favour is like the rain in spring.

¹⁶ Better gain wisdom than gold, choose understanding in preference to silver.

¹⁷ To turn from evil is the way of the honest; whoever watches the path keeps life safe.

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

¹⁹ Better be humble with the poor than share the booty with the proud.

²⁰ Whoever listens closely to the word finds happiness; whoever trusts Yahweh is blessed.

²¹ The wise of heart is acclaimed as intelligent, sweetness of speech increases knowledge.

²² Shrewdness is a fountain of life for its possessor, the folly of fools is their own punishment.

²³ The heart of the wise lends shrewdness to speech and makes words more persuasive.

²⁴ Kindly words are a honeycomb, sweet to the taste, wholesome to the body.

²⁵ There is a way that some think straight, but it leads in the end to death.

²⁶ A worker's appetite works on his behalf, for his hunger urges him on.

²⁷ A worthless person concocts evil, such a one's talk is like a scorching fire.

²⁸ A troublemaker sows strife, a slanderer divides friend from friend.

²⁹ The violent lures his neighbour astray and leads him by a way that is not good.

³⁰ Whoever narrows the eyes to think up tricks and purses the lips has already done wrong.

³¹ White hairs are a crown of honour, they are found in the ways of uprightness.

³² Better an equable person than a hero, someone with self-mastery than one who takes a city.

³³ In the fold of the garment the lot is thrown, but from Yahweh comes the decision.