The Proverbs of Solomon
1
Better is a a dry morsel with quietness,
Than a house full of feasting with strife.
2
A wise servant will rule over b a son who causes shame,
And will share an inheritance among the brothers.
3
The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
c But the LORD tests the hearts.
4
An evildoer gives heed to false lips;
A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue.
5
d He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker;
e He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
6
f Children's children are the crown of old men,
And the glory of children is their father.
7
Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool,
Much less lying lips to a prince.
8
A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.
9
g He who covers a transgression seeks love,
But h he who repeats a matter separates friends.
10
i Rebuke is more effective for a wise man
Than a hundred blows on a fool.
11
An evil man seeks only rebellion;
Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12
Let a man meet j a bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.
13
Whoever k rewards evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.
14
The beginning of strife is like releasing water;
Therefore l stop contention before a quarrel starts.
15
m He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.
16
Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom,
Since he has no heart for it?
17
n A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.
18
o A man devoid of understanding shakes hands in a pledge,
And becomes surety for his friend.
19
He who loves transgression loves strife,
And p he who exalts his gate seeks destruction.
20
He who has a deceitful heart finds no good,
And he who has q a perverse tongue falls into evil.
21
He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.
22
A r merry heart does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones.
23
A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back
To pervert the ways of justice.
24
s Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding,
But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25
A t foolish son is a grief to his father,
And bitterness to her who bore him.
26
Also, to punish the righteous is not good,
Nor to strike princes for their uprightness.
27
u He who has knowledge spares his words,
And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.
28
v Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace;
When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.
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Cross References
Proverbs 15:17
Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, Than a fatted calf with hatred.
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Cross References
Proverbs 10:5
He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.
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Cross References
1 Chronicles 29:17
I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You.
Psalms 26:2
Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart.
Proverbs 15:11
Hell and Destruction are before the LORD; So how much more the hearts of the sons of men.
Jeremiah 17:10
I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.
Malachi 3:3
He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness.
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Cross References
Proverbs 14:31
He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.
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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
Proverbs 24:17
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles.
1 Corinthians 13:6
Does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.
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Cross References
Psalms 127:3
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Psalms 128:3
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine In the very heart of your house, Your children like olive plants All around your table.
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Cross References
Proverbs 10:12
Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins.
1 Corinthians 13:5 - 7
Does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil.
James 5:20
Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
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Cross References
Proverbs 16:28
A perverse man sows strife, And a whisperer separates the best of friends.
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Cross References
Proverbs 10:17
He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, But he who refuses correction goes astray.
Micah 7:9
I will bear the indignation of the LORD, Because I have sinned against Him, Until He pleads my case And executes justice for me. He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness.
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Cross References
2 Samuel 17:8
For," said Hushai, "you know your father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are enraged in their minds, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field; and your father is a man of war, and will not camp with the people.
Hosea 13:8
I will meet them like a bear deprived of her cubs; I will tear open their rib cage, And there I will devour them like a lion. The wild beast shall tear them.
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Cross References
Psalms 109:4
In return for my love they are my accusers, But...
Psalms 109:5
Thus they have rewarded me evil for good, And h...
Jeremiah 18:20
Shall evil be repaid for good? For they have du...
Romans 12:17
Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for goo...
1 Thessalonians 5:15
See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone...
1 Peter 3:9
Not returning evil for evil or reviling for rev...
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Cross References
Proverbs 20:3
It is honorable for a man to stop striving, Since any fool can start a quarrel.
1 Thessalonians 4:11
That you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you.
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Cross References
Exodus 23:7
Keep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent and righteous. For I will not justify the wicked.
Proverbs 24:24
He who says to the wicked, "You are righteous," Him the people will curse; Nations will abhor him.
Isaiah 5:23
Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away justice from the righteous man!
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Cross References
Ruth 1:16
But Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.
Proverbs 18:24
A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
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Cross References
Proverbs 6:1
My son, if you become surety for your friend, If you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger.
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Cross References
Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.
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Cross References
James 3:8
But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
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Cross References
Proverbs 12:25
Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad.
Proverbs 15:13
A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
Proverbs 15:15
All the days of the afflicted are evil, But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.
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Cross References
Ecclesiastes 2:14
The wise man's eyes are in his head, But the fool walks in darkness. Yet I myself perceived That the same event happens to them all.
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Cross References
Proverbs 10:1
The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son makes a glad father, But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.
Proverbs 15:20
A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish man despises his mother.
Proverbs 19:13
A foolish son is the ruin of his father, And the contentions of a wife are a continual dripping.
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Cross References
Proverbs 10:19
In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise.
James 1:19
So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
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Cross References
Job 13:5
Oh, that you would be silent, And it would be your wisdom!
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.