Contrast the Upright and the Wicked
11 A (A)false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
But a (B)just weight is His delight.
2 When (C)pride comes, then comes dishonor,
But with the humble is wisdom.
3 The (D)integrity of the upright will guide them,
But the (E)crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.
4 (F)Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
But (G)righteousness delivers from death.
5 The (H)righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way,
But (I)the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,
But the treacherous will (J)be caught by their own greed.
7 When a wicked man dies, his (K)expectation will perish,
And the (L)hope of strong men perishes.
8 The righteous is delivered from trouble,
But the wicked takes his place.
9 With his (M)mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor,
But through knowledge the (N)righteous will be delivered.
10 When it (O)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 sense,
But a man of understanding keeps silent.
13 He (P)who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets,
But he who is trustworthy (Q)conceals a matter.
14 Where there is no (R)guidance the people fall,
But in abundance of counselors there is victory.
15 He who is (S)guarantor for a stranger will surely suffer for it,
But he who hates being a guarantor is secure.
16 A (T)gracious woman attains honor,
And ruthless men attain riches.
17 The (U)merciful man does himself good,
But the cruel man does himself harm.
18 The wicked earns deceptive wages,
But he who (V)sows righteousness gets a true reward.
19 He who is steadfast in (W)righteousness will attain to life,
And (X)he who pursues evil will bring about his own death.
20 The perverse in heart are an abomination to the Lord,
But the (Y)blameless in their walk are His (Z)delight.
21 Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished,
But the descendants of the righteous will be delivered.
22 As a (AA)ring of gold in a swine’s snout
So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous is only good,
But the (AB)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 (AC)generous man will be prosperous,
And he who (AD)waters will himself be watered.
26 He who withholds grain, the (AE)people will curse him,
But (AF)blessing will be on the head of him who (AG)sells it.
27 He who diligently seeks good seeks favor,
But (AH)he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.
28 He who (AI)trusts in his riches will fall,
But (AJ)the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.
29 He who (AK)troubles his own house will (AL)inherit wind,
And (AM)the foolish will be servant to the wisehearted.
30 The fruit of the righteous is (AN)a tree of life,
And (AO)he who is wise wins souls.
31 If (AP)the righteous will be rewarded in the earth,
How much more the wicked and the sinner!
Footnotes
- Proverbs 11:8
- Proverbs 11:12
- Proverbs 11:13
- Proverbs 11:14
- Proverbs 11:15
- Proverbs 11:17
- Proverbs 11:17
- Proverbs 11:20
- Proverbs 11:21
- Proverbs 11:21
- Proverbs 11:22
- Proverbs 11:25
- Proverbs 11:25
- Proverbs 11:30
Cross references
- Proverbs 11:1 : Lev 19:35, 36; Deut 25:13-16; Prov 20:10, 23; Mic 6:11
- Proverbs 11:1 : Prov 16:11
- Proverbs 11:2 : Prov 16:18; 18:12; 29:23
- Proverbs 11:3 : Prov 13:6
- Proverbs 11:3 : Prov 19:3; 22:12
- Proverbs 11:4 : Prov 10:2; Ezek 7:19; Zeph 1:18
- Proverbs 11:4 : Gen 7:1
- Proverbs 11:5 : Prov 3:6
- Proverbs 11:5 : Prov 5:22
- Proverbs 11:6 : Ps 7:15, 16; 9:15; Eccl 10:8
- Proverbs 11:7 : Prov 10:28
- Proverbs 11:7 : Job 8:13, 14
- Proverbs 11:9 : Prov 16:29
- Proverbs 11:9 : Prov 11:6
- Proverbs 11:10 : Prov 28:12
- Proverbs 11:13 : Lev 19:16; Prov 20:19; 1 Tim 5:13
- Proverbs 11:13 : Prov 19:11
- Proverbs 11:14 : Prov 15:22; 20:18; 24:6
- Proverbs 11:15 : Prov 6:1; 27:13
- Proverbs 11:16 : Prov 31:28, 30
- Proverbs 11:17 : Matt 5:7; 25:34-36
- Proverbs 11:18 : Hos 10:12; Gal 6:8, 9; James 3:18
- Proverbs 11:19 : Prov 10:16; 12:28; 19:23
- Proverbs 11:19 : Prov 21:16; Rom 6:23; James 1:15
- Proverbs 11:20 : Ps 119:1; Prov 13:6
- Proverbs 11:20 : 1 Chr 29:17
- Proverbs 11:22 : Gen 24:47
- Proverbs 11:23 : Prov 10:28; Rom 2:8, 9
- Proverbs 11:25 : Prov 3:9, 10; 2 Cor 9:6, 7
- Proverbs 11:25 : Matt 5:7
- Proverbs 11:26 : Prov 24:24
- Proverbs 11:26 : Job 29:13
- Proverbs 11:26 : Gen 42:6
- Proverbs 11:27 : Esth 7:10; Ps 7:15, 16; 57:6
- Proverbs 11:28 : Ps 49:6; Mark 10:25; 1 Tim 6:17
- Proverbs 11:28 : Ps 1:3; 92:12; Jer 17:8
- Proverbs 11:29 : Prov 15:27
- Proverbs 11:29 : Eccl 5:16
- Proverbs 11:29 : Prov 14:19
- Proverbs 11:30 : Prov 3:18
- Proverbs 11:30 : Prov 14:25; Dan 12:3; 1 Cor 9:19-22; James 5:20
- Proverbs 11:31 : 2 Sam 22:21, 25; Prov 13:21; 1 Pet 4:18
