Proverbs 18:2–6

⁷¶ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

²³A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.

¹⁶Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it?

¹BLESSED is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

²But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

¹⁶Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly.

¹NOW as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.

³Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.

¹²Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.

¹⁵Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

¹⁶But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.

¹⁷These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

¹⁸For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

¹⁹While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

³⁴And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.

¹⁵Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:

²²How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

¹⁵¶ And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:

¹⁶He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:

¹⁴If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

¹⁰Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.

⁴Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

²When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.

¹⁶When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall.

³⁰Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother’s nakedness?

⁴Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity:

³Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.

⁴Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.

²⁰Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.

⁹For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

³⁹¶ And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,

⁴⁰And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.

⁴¹Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,

⁴²He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

⁴³He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

⁴⁴The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

⁵Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.

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

⁶Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

¹⁴But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

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

³⁸He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

³⁹(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

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

²I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:

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

¹⁵¶ Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

¹⁹Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.

²¹To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress.

²How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.

¹⁵He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord.

²³These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

¹⁶And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.

¹⁷Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.

²³Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

¹⁶And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.

⁹And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people:

¹⁰And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.

¹¹And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them.

¹²They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.

¹³And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.

¹⁴Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.

¹⁹How much less to him that accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor? for they all are the work of his hands.

⁷Will ye speak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully for him?

⁸Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God?

³¶ That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.

¹⁴And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

³A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool’s wrath is heavier than them both.

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

²⁸A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.

²⁴Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:

²⁵Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.

¹⁶A fool’s wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame.

¹⁰Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.

¹⁶A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.

³In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.

¹⁴The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.

¹⁹A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again.

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

³It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.

²⁴It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house.

⁹If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest.