Wise Children and Foolish Children
Study note
The collection opens with proverbs about how children affect their parents. A wise child brings joy, while a foolish child brings sorrow. These proverbs also contrast laziness and hard work, establishing themes that run through the entire collection.
1 Here are more of Solomon's proverbs. A child who makes wise choices fills a father's heart with happiness, but a child who acts foolishly breaks a mother's heart. The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.
2 Money made through shady deals will never do you any good, but living right has the power to save your life. Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.
3 The Lord makes sure good people have what they need to eat, but he blocks the wicked from getting what they crave. The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.
4 If you are lazy with your work, you will end up broke. But rolling up your sleeves and working hard will make you prosper. He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
5 A smart child gathers crops when they are ready, but a child who sleeps through harvest season is a total disgrace. He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.
Blessings for the Righteous
Study note
These proverbs contrast the lasting legacy of the righteous with the emptiness of the wicked. The righteous are remembered with blessing, while the wicked are forgotten. A key verse is verse 12: love covers all sins, meaning that love chooses to forgive rather than hold grudges.
6 God's blessings rain down on those who live right, but violent intentions hide behind the words of the wicked. Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
7 When people remember someone who lived right, it is a beautiful thing. But the name of the wicked will rot away and be forgotten. The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.
8 A truly wise person gladly takes direction, but a fool who never stops talking will crash and burn. The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.
9 When you live honestly, you walk on solid ground. But anyone who takes shortcuts and cheats will eventually be exposed. He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.
10 Giving sly winks to scheme behind someone's back only causes pain. And a fool who talks nonstop is headed for trouble. He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.
11 When a righteous person speaks, their words are a source of life. But violence lurks behind what the wicked say. The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
12 Hatred keeps fights going, but love finds a way to forgive every wrong. Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.
The Power of Words
Study note
Many proverbs in this section deal with speech. The tongue of the righteous is compared to fine silver, while too many words lead to sin. Wise people know when to speak and when to be quiet. These sayings reflect the Hebrew understanding that words have real power to build up or tear down.
13 Wise words come easily to a person who understands things. But a fool needs a painful lesson to get the point. In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.
14 Wise people save up what they know for the right time. But a fool's big mouth is always about to cause a disaster. Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
15 For a rich person, their money is like living inside a fortress. For a poor person, having nothing feels like being completely defenseless. The rich man's wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty.
16 What a good person earns leads to more life, but what the wicked collect leads to more sin. The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.
17 If you are willing to be corrected, you are walking toward life. But if you refuse to learn from your mistakes, you will lead other people off course too. He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.
18 Someone who buries their hatred behind fake words and someone who spreads gossip are both fools. He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.
19 The more you talk, the more likely you are to say something wrong. The smart move is to keep your words in check. In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.
20 Words from a good person are as valuable as pure silver. But what comes from a wicked person's heart is worthless. The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.
21 The words of a good person feed the lives of many people. But fools die because they have no sense to keep them alive. The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.
The Lord's Blessing and the Fate of the Wicked
Study note
The chapter ends with proverbs about what happens over time to the righteous and the wicked. The righteous have a lasting foundation, while the wicked are swept away like a storm. The fear of the Lord leads to a longer, more satisfying life.
22 It is the Lord's blessing that truly makes someone rich, and it does not come with heartache attached. The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
23 Doing wrong is fun to a fool. But a person with understanding finds real joy in wisdom. It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom.
24 The nightmares of the wicked will come true, but the dreams of the righteous will be granted. The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.
25 When the storm blows through, wicked people are swept away. But those who do right are standing on something that will never be shaken. As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.
26 Sending a lazy person to do a job is as annoying as vinegar on your teeth or smoke in your eyes. As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.
27 Honoring the Lord will add years to your life, but the wicked will see their years cut short. The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
28 When righteous people look to the future, they feel joy. When wicked people look to the future, they find nothing. The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.
29 The Lord's ways give strength and safety to honest people, but they spell doom for people who do evil. The way of the LORD is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.
30 Righteous people will never lose their place, but the wicked will be driven out of the land. The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.
31 Wise words flow from the lips of righteous people, but a tongue that tells lies will be cut off. The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out.
32 Good people know just the right thing to say. But wicked people can only speak words that are twisted. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.