Proverbs 10:11–17

¹⁴The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

²⁹Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

²⁰The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.

²¹The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.

⁶Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.

⁴The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.

³²The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.

⁷The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.

²²Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly.

²³The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.

²⁴Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

³⁰The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.

³¹The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

¹²The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

¹³The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

¹⁴A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?

⁵Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

⁶And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

⁷For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:

⁸But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

³⁴O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

³⁵A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

³⁶But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

³⁷For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

¹⁵There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

⁴²The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.

⁸And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

⁴Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

⁵Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

⁶Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

⁷Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

⁹He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

¹⁸A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.

²⁰Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

¹FROM whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

²⁷An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.

²⁵He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat.

²²An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.

³A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back.

³²But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.

⁴The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.

¹⁰He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.

¹¹The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.

²¹The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.

³¹The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out.

²³A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!

⁷The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.

¹⁰A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool.

²⁹Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools.

¹⁵There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

²²Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.

⁹Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.

²²And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?

²²He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;

¹²¶ And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left.

⁸The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.

⁷A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.

³He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

¹⁰He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.

⁹Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

⁶For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

³⁵A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

⁴⁴¶ Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

⁵²Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

⁵A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

¹THROUGH desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.

¹⁵The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

⁸He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good.

²³Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.

¹¹The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit.

⁷All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.

⁷Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.

²⁰The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.

¹²For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.

²²Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:

²³For the Lord will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them.

¹⁷Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

²³¶ Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:

²⁴If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;

²⁵If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much;

¹⁹And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

²⁴And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!

¹WOE to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.

²And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.

⁶They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;

¹⁰Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

¹¹Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

²³For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

¹⁰For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

²⁷Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

⁵⁸Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

¹⁸The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.

¹⁹As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.

⁷Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

⁸For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

⁹And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

³³Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

³⁴O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

¹⁷Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

¹⁸A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

³⁰The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

¹⁷And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenæus and Philetus;

¹⁸Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

¹³But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

¹⁹For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

⁵And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

⁶And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

⁷And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

⁸For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁹But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

¹⁰Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

¹¹For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

¹⁰Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.

²⁸But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

¹²And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

²³For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

¹⁸She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.

¹WHOSO loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.

¹³Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

²⁴¶ Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

²⁵And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

²⁶And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

²⁷And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

¹HE, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

¹MY son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:

²For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

²⁵But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:

²⁶I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

⁶Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

⁴He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

²⁵See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

¹THEREFORE we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

³⁰They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

¹⁶And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto him, Art thou made of the king’s counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten? Then the prophet forbare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.

¹⁷Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.

¹⁸For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.

¹⁹That thy trust may be in the Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.