Words of the Wise
1
Do not be a envious of evil men,
Nor desire to be with them;
2
For their heart devises violence,
And their lips talk of troublemaking.
3
Through wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established;
4
By knowledge the rooms are filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.
5
b A wise man is strong,
Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength;
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c For by wise counsel you will wage your own war,
And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.
7
d Wisdom is too lofty for a fool;
He does not open his mouth in the gate.
8
He who e plots to do evil
Will be called a schemer.
9
The devising of foolishness is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.
10
If you f faint in the day of adversity,
Your strength is small.
11
g Deliver those who are drawn toward death,
And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.
12
If you say, "Surely we did not know this,"
Does not h He who weighs the hearts consider it?
He who keeps your soul, does He not know it?
And will He not render to each man i according to his deeds?
13
My son, j eat honey because it is good,
And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste;
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k So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul;
If you have found it, there is a prospect,
And your hope will not be cut off.
15
Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
Do not plunder his resting place;
16
l For a righteous man may fall seven times
And rise again,
m But the wicked shall fall by calamity.
17
n Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
18
Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him,
And He turn away His wrath from him.
19
o Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the wicked;
20
For there will be no prospect for the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21
My son, p fear the LORD and the king;
Do not associate with those given to change;
22
For their calamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin those two can bring?
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Cross References
Psalms 1:1
Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful.
Psalms 37:1
Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
Proverbs 23:17
Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day.
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Cross References
Proverbs 21:22
A wise man scales the city of the mighty, And brings down the trusted stronghold.
Ecclesiastes 9:16
Then I said: "Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, And his words are not heard.
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Cross References
Luke 14:31
Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?
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Cross References
Psalms 10:5
His ways are always prospering; Your judgments are far above, out of his sight; As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.
Proverbs 14:6
A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it, But knowledge is easy to him who understands.
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Cross References
Proverbs 6:14
Perversity is in his heart, He devises evil continually, He sows discord.
Proverbs 14:22
Do they not go astray who devise evil? But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.
Romans 1:30
Backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents.
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 20:8
"The officers shall speak further to the people, and say, 'What man is there who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest the heart of his brethren faint like his heart.'
Job 4:5
But now it comes upon you, and you are weary; It touches you, and you are troubled.
Jeremiah 51:46
And lest your heart faint, And you fear for the rumor that will be heard in the land (A rumor will come one year, And after that, in another year A rumor will come, And violence in the land, Ruler against ruler).
Hebrews 12:3
For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.
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Cross References
Psalms 82:4
Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked.
Isaiah 58:6
Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?
Isaiah 58:7
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
1 John 3:16
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
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Cross References
1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.
Proverbs 21:2
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts.
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Cross References
Job 34:11
For He repays man according to his work, And makes man to find a reward according to his way.
Psalms 62:12
Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; For You render to each one according to his work.
Revelation 2:23
I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.
Revelation 22:12
And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
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Cross References
Psalms 19:10
More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Psalms 119:103
How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Proverbs 25:16
Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, Lest you be filled with it and vomit.
Song of Solomon 5:1
I have come to my garden, my sister, my spouse; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends! Drink, yes, drink deeply, O beloved ones!
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Cross References
Psalms 19:10
More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Psalms 58:11
So that men will say, "Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely He is God who judges in the earth.
Proverbs 23:18
For surely there is a hereafter, And your hope will not be cut off.
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Cross References
Job 5:19
He shall deliver you in six troubles, Yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.
Psalms 34:19
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
Psalms 37:24
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand.
Micah 7:8
Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The LORD will be a light to me.
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Cross References
Esther 7:10
So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king's wrath subsided.
Amos 5:2
The virgin of Israel has fallen; She will rise no more. She lies forsaken on her land; There is no one to raise her up.
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Cross References
Job 31:29
If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, Or lifted myself up when evil found him
Psalms 35:15
But in my adversity they rejoiced And gathered together; Attackers gathered against me, And I did not know it; They tore at me and did not cease.
Psalms 35:19
Let them not rejoice over me who are wrongfully my enemies; Nor let them wink with the eye who hate me without a cause.
Proverbs 17:5
He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
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Cross References
Psalms 37:1
Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
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Cross References
Romans 13:7
Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
1 Peter 2:17
Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.