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Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Theme: This book intends to teach people how to be understanding, just, and fair in everything they do, making wise the simple minded, and warning young men of problems they will face. The writings are to help the wise become good leaders, applying divine wisdom to daily life and providing moral instruction. Proverbs 1 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise instruction.
__8-19_Listen, my son, to your father and mother. Sinners may entice you but do not listen to them. They may suggest violence as a diversion and a quick path to wealth. Do not walk with them. They lie in wait for their own blood and ambush their own lives. Violence is never the path to security or satisfaction.
__20-33_Wisdom clearly asks the foolish why they enjoy scoffing and hate truth. Neglecting sound counsel and rejecting reproof, they are left to the outcome of their choices. Calamity will come like a whirlwind as they seek help but cannot find it. They did not choose to fear the LORD. They shall eat the fruit of their lifestyle.
Proverbs 2 __13-22_You will be saved from those who leave the paths of righteousness. You will be delivered from the woman whose designs upon you are not for your good, whose compliments are pure flattery, who has forgotten her covenant with God. Walk in the paths of good men following righteousness. The wicked will be cut off from the land.
Proverbs 3 __7-12_Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. This will be healing to your body and refresh your innermost being. Honor the LORD with your substance and remember Him first with your increase. He will give you more than you need if you do not reject His discipline. He reproves you because He loves you.
__13-18_How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and gains understanding. He discovers these to be of more profit than silver, gold or jewels. Nothing compares with wisdom and understanding. They bring long life. Riches and honor will follow. Wisdom and understanding are a tree of life to those who hold fast to them.
__19-26_The LORD founded the earth by wisdom. With His understanding He established the heavens. His knowledge causes the much needed moisture for the land. While you seek the LORD's ways you walk securely. You lie down without fear and your sleep is sweet. Your confidence in the LORD makes all of this possible.
__27-35_When it is within your power, do not withhold good from whom it is due. Never postpone giving what you have promised. Never plan harm for a neighbor or contend with a man without cause. Proverbs 4 __10-19_My son, if you listen to me you will have many years of life. I have directed you in the ways of wisdom. Take hold of instruction and guard her, for she is your life. Do not follow the wicked. Turn away from the path they follow. The path of the righteous is like the light of the noon sun. But the way of the wicked is darkness.
__20-27_My son, give attention to my words and keep them in your heart. They are life and health to the whole body. Watch over your heart with diligence. Never practice deceit. Look straight ahead watching the path of your feet and all your ways will be established. Turn you foot away from evil.
Proverbs 5 __15-23_Drink from your own cistern. Should you drink from any spring besides your own? Let your fountain be blessed. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. She is lovely. Be satisfied with her and exhilarated with her love. Stay away from the adulteress. The ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD. A man is killed by his iniquities.
Proverbs 6 __6-11_A lazy man might learn from the ant which prepares her food in the summer without an overseer. With a little sleep, a folding of the hands in rest, poverty can make your situation desperate.
__12-15_It is a wicked and worthless person who does not speak the truth. When a person devises secret signals to accomplish the perversity of his heart he will discover that his own calamity will come suddenly and he will be without recourse.
__16-19_Seven things are an abomination to the LORD: __20-35_Keep the teaching of your father and mother close to your heart and be careful to follow their council. Walk in light while you do this. Reproofs for discipline are the way of life and will keep you away from evil women who will surely destroy you if you let them have their way with you. Committing adultery shows no sense.
Proverbs 7 __6-23_From my window I watched a young man making very wrong choices. A woman came to meet him. She was dressed as a harlot and obviously very practiced at her trade. She took a hold of him and kissed him. Then she began telling him of all she had planned for the two of them. She used many persuasions and he followed her to her home.
__24-27_My son, do not let your heart be turned aside by her ways. Do not walk in her path. She has many victims. Her house is on the path to hell.
Proverbs 8 __12-21_The fear of the LORD is to hate evil. Power comes with understanding and sound wisdom. No one can judge rightly without these. All who diligently seek me will find me. Enduring wealth and righteousness are my fruit. These prove to be better than the best silver or gold.
__22-31_The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way. I existed from the earliest of times on earth. Before anything was created, either the springs, the mountains, the earth or the field, when He established the heaven, inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, when He set the boundaries of the sea, I was beside Him.
__32-36_Listen to me, for those who do this are blessed by keeping my ways. He who finds me finds life and obtains the LORD's favor. Those who hate me love death.
Proverbs 9 __7-12_The one who corrects a scoffer or a wicked man gets dishonor and is insulted for his trouble. Wise men, on the other hand, appreciate instruction. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. And knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. God is the one who adds to the length of life. Choices matter.
__13-18_A woman of folly is boisterous. She sits in her doorway calling to those who pass by her house. Those who want to walk a straight path should have nothing to do with her. She suggests that she has something he will enjoy. He does not know that the dead dwell there. Her guests find themselves in the depths of hell.
Proverbs 10 __11-19_The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life. The mouth of the wicked conceals violence. Love covers all transgressions but hatred stirs up strife. The rich man's wealth is his fortress. The poor are ruined by their poverty. Many words seem to always bring transgression. One who restrains his lips is wise.
__20-25_It is the blessing of the LORD that makes one rich without sorrow. Doing wickedly is like sport to a fool. What the wicked fears will come upon him and the desire of the righteous will be granted. When the whirlwind has passed the wicked are no more but the righteous have an everlasting foundation.
__26-32_The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked are shortened. The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the upright, but ruin to those who work iniquity. The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked bring that which is perverted.
Proverbs 11 __10-17_When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices. And when the wicked perish it is a reason for glad shouting. He who is surety for a stranger will surely suffer for it. A gracious woman attains honor. A violent man attains riches. The merciful man does himself good but the cruel does himself harm.
__18-25_The one who is steadfastly righteous will attain life and he who pursues evil will cause his own death. A ring of gold in a pig's snout is like a beautiful woman who lacks discretion. There is one who scatters, yet see an increase. And another withholds what is due and then has want. The generous will prosper.
__26-31_He who trusts in his riches will fall but the righteous will flourish. The foolish will be servant to the wise. He who is wise wins souls. If the righteous will be rewarded in the earth, how much more the sinner!
Proverbs 12 __11-24_If a person tills his land he will have enough bread. The one who pursues vain things lacks sense. The way of a fool is right in his own eyes but a wise man listens to counsel. Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who deal faithfully are His delight. The hand of the diligent will rule. The lazy do forced labor.
__25-28_A man's anxiety weighs him down. A good word can lift that weight. A slothful man does not roast his prey. It is a precious thing to be diligent. The result of righteous living is more life and its path does not lead to death.
Proverbs 13 __10-21_Presumption brings nothing but contention. Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles. Hope deferred makes the heart sick. Desire fulfilled is a tree of life. The one who despises God's Word will suffer great loss. The one who respects His commandments will be rewarded. Adversity pursues sinners, but the righteous will prosper.
__22-25_A good man leaves an inheritance to his grand children. A sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous. Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor, but is swept away by injustice. He who spares the rod hates his son. The righteous have enough to satisfy their appetite, but the wicked are always hungry.
Proverbs 14 __11-20_There is a way that seems right to a man, but that which seems so right ends in death. Even in laughter, the heart may be in pain and the end of joy may be grief. The backslider will eventually have his fill of his own ways. The naive believe everything but the prudent consider it carefully.
__21-35_Labor yields profit. A truthful witness saves lives. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life helping a person to avoid the snares of death. He who is slow to anger has great understanding. A tranquil heart is life to the body. Passion is rottenness to the bones. Righteousness exalts a nation. Sin is a disgrace to any people.
Proverbs 15 __11-33_The hearts of men are open to the LORD's eyes. Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and turmoil. Better a dish of vegetables where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it. The path of life leads upward for the wise. The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer.
Proverbs 16 __9-24_A just balance and fair set of scales are what the LORD expects. All the weights of the bag are His concern. How much better to get wisdom than gold! He who gives attention to the word shall find good. Blessed is he who trusts in the LORD. Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
__25-33_There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is death. A worker's appetite works for him, for his hunger urges him on. A gray head is a crown of glory. He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.
Proverbs 17 __10-28_A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding than a hundred blows on a fool. A friend loves at all times. A brother is born for adversity. A man who lacks sense becomes surety for his neighbor. A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise.
Proverbs 18 __17-24_When a case is first presented, it seems just, until another cross examines. A brother offended is hard to win back. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor with the LORD. A man of many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 19 __14-22_House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD. He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul, but he who is careless in his ways will die. He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD and He will repay him for his good deed. Kindness is what is desirable in a man.
__23-29_The fear of the LORD leads to life, so that one may safely sleep untouched by evil. Cease listening to instruction my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge. Judgments are prepared for those who scoff and blows are in store for the backs of fools.
Proverbs 20 __13-22_Do not love sleep lest you become poor. Bad, bad, says the buyer, but when he walks away he boasts. Lips of knowledge are more precious than gold and many jewels. Bread obtained by falsehood seems sweet until later when it feels like gravel in the mouth. Do not say, I will repay evil. Wait for the LORD and He will save you.
__23-30_A man's steps are ordained by the LORD. How can he understand his way? The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching the inner most parts of his being. The glory of young men is their strength, and the honor of old men is their gray hair. Stripes that wound scour away evil down to the inner most parts.
Proverbs 21 __15-31_The execution of justice is a joy for the righteous and a terror to the workers of iniquity. He who loves pleasure will become a poor man. It is better to live in a desert land than with a contentious and vexing woman. He who guards his mouth and his tongue guards his soul from troubles. All victories belong to the LORD.
Proverbs 22 __15-29_Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. The rod of discipline will remove it from him. Do not associate with a man given to anger lest you learn his ways. Do not cosign for another's debt. Why should you lose what you have? Do not move the ancient boundaries. A man skilled in his work will stand before kings.
Proverbs 23 |