Proverbs 11

¹A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight.
² When pride comes, then comes dishonor,
But with the humble is wisdom.
³ The integrity of the upright will guide them,
But the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.
⁴ Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
But righteousness delivers from death.
⁵ The righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way,
But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.
⁶ The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,
But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed.
⁷ When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish,
And the hope of strong men perishes.
⁸ The righteous is delivered from trouble,
But the wicked ^[a]takes his place.
⁹ With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor,
But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.
¹⁰ When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.
¹¹ By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
¹² He who despises his neighbor lacks ^[b]sense,
But a man of understanding keeps silent.
¹³ He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets,
But he who is ^[c]trustworthy conceals a matter.
¹⁴ Where there is no guidance the people fall,
But in abundance of counselors there is ^[d]victory.
¹⁵ He who is guarantor for a stranger will surely suffer for it,
But he who hates ^[e]being a guarantor is secure.
¹⁶ A gracious woman attains honor,
And ruthless men attain riches.
¹⁷ The merciful man does ^[f]himself good,
But the cruel man ^[g]does himself harm.
¹⁸ The wicked earns deceptive wages,
But he who sows righteousness gets a true reward.
¹⁹ He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life,
And he who pursues evil will bring about his own death.
²⁰ The perverse in heart are an abomination to the Lord,
But the blameless in their ^[h]walk are His delight.
^21 [i]Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished,
But the ^[j]descendants of the righteous will be delivered.
²² As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout
So is a beautiful woman who lacks ^[k]discretion.
²³ The desire of the righteous is only good,
But the expectation of the wicked is wrath.
²⁴ There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more,
And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want.
²⁵ The ^[l]generous man will be ^[m]prosperous,
And he who waters will himself be watered.
²⁶ He who withholds grain, the people will curse him,
But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.
²⁷ He who diligently seeks good seeks favor,
But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.
²⁸ He who trusts in his riches will fall,
But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.
²⁹ He who troubles his own house will inherit wind,
And the foolish will be servant to the wisehearted.
³⁰ The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
And he who is wise ^[n]wins souls.
³¹ If the righteous will be rewarded in the earth,
How much more the wicked and the sinner!