Proverbs 18

¹An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends

and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.

²Fools find no pleasure in understanding

but delight in airing their own opinions.

³When wickedness comes, so does contempt,

and with shame comes reproach.

⁴The words of the mouth are deep waters,

but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.

⁵It is not good to be partial to the wicked

and so deprive the innocent of justice.

⁶The lips of fools bring them strife,

and their mouths invite a beating.

⁷The mouths of fools are their undoing,

and their lips are a snare to their very lives.

⁸The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;

they go down to the inmost parts.

⁹One who is slack in his work

is brother to one who destroys.

¹⁰The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;

the righteous run to it and are safe.

¹¹The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;

they imagine it a wall too high to scale.

¹²Before a downfall the heart is haughty,

but humility comes before honor.

¹³To answer before listening—

that is folly and shame.

¹⁴The human spirit can endure in sickness,

but a crushed spirit who can bear?

¹⁵The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,

for the ears of the wise seek it out.

¹⁶A gift opens the way

and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.

¹⁷In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,

until someone comes forward and cross-examines.

¹⁸Casting the lot settles disputes

and keeps strong opponents apart.

¹⁹A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city;

disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.

²⁰From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;

with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.

²¹The tongue has the power of life and death,

and those who love it will eat its fruit.

²²He who finds a wife finds what is good

and receives favor from the Lord.

²³The poor plead for mercy,

but the rich answer harshly.

²⁴One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,

but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.