Proverbs 11

¹A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,

but a just weight is his delight.

²When pride comes, then comes disgrace;

but with the humble is wisdom.

³The integrity of the upright guides them,

but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

⁴Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,

but righteousness delivers from death.

⁵The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,

but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.

⁶The righteousness of the upright delivers them,

but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.

⁷When the wicked dies, his hope perishes,

and the expectation of the godless comes to nought.

⁸The righteous is delivered from trouble,

and the wicked gets into it instead.

⁹With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,

but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

¹⁰When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices;

and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.

¹¹By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,

but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

¹²He who belittles his neighbor lacks sense,

but a man of understanding remains silent.

¹³He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets,

but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing hidden.

¹⁴Where there is no guidance, a people falls;

but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

¹⁵He who gives surety for a stranger will smart for it,

but he who hates suretyship is secure.

¹⁶A gracious woman gets honor,

and violent men get riches.

¹⁷A man who is kind benefits himself,

but a cruel man hurts himself.

¹⁸A wicked man earns deceptive wages,

but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.

¹⁹He who is steadfast in righteousness will live,

but he who pursues evil will die.

²⁰Men of perverse mind are an abomination to the Lord,

but those of blameless ways are his delight.

²¹Be assured, an evil man will not go unpunished,

but those who are righteous will be delivered.

²²Like a gold ring in a swine’s snout

is a beautiful woman without discretion.

²³The desire of the righteous ends only in good;

the expectation of the wicked in wrath.

²⁴One man gives freely, yet grows all the richer;

another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.

²⁵A liberal man will be enriched,

and one who waters will himself be watered.

²⁶The people curse him who holds back grain,

but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it.

²⁷He who diligently seeks good seeks favor,

but evil comes to him who searches for it.

²⁸He who trusts in his riches will wither,

but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.

²⁹He who troubles his household will inherit wind,

and the fool will be servant to the wise.

³⁰The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

but lawlessness takes away lives.

³¹If the righteous is requited on earth,

how much more the wicked and the sinner!