The book of PROVERBS - Chapter Twenty One

1 

In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water
    that he channels towards all who please him.

2 

A person may think their own ways are right,
    but the Lord weighs the heart.

3 

To do what is right and just
    is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

4 

Haughty eyes and a proud heart –
    the unploughed field of the wicked – produce sin.

5 

The plans of the diligent lead to profit
    as surely as haste leads to poverty.

6 

A fortune made by a lying tongue
    is a fleeting vapour and a deadly snare.

7 

The violence of the wicked will drag them away,
    for they refuse to do what is right.

8 

The way of the guilty is devious,
    but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

9 

Better to live on a corner of the roof
    than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

10 

The wicked crave evil;
    their neighbours get no mercy from them.

11 

When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom;
    by paying attention to the wise they get knowledge.

12 

The Righteous One takes note of the house of the wicked
    and brings the wicked to ruin.

13 

Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor
    will also cry out and not be answered.

14 

A gift given in secret soothes anger,
    and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.

15 

When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous
    but terror to evildoers.

16 

Whoever strays from the path of prudence
    comes to rest in the company of the dead.

17 

Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;
    whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.

18 

The wicked become a ransom for the righteous,
    and the unfaithful for the upright.

19 

Better to live in a desert
    than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.

20 

The wise store up choice food and olive oil,
    but fools gulp theirs down.

21 

Whoever pursues righteousness and love
    finds life, prosperity and honour.

22 

One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty
    and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.

23 

Those who guard their mouths and their tongues
    keep themselves from calamity.

24 

The proud and arrogant person – ‘Mocker’ is his name –
    behaves with insolent fury.

25 

The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him,
    because his hands refuse to work.

26 

All day long he craves for more,
    but the righteous give without sparing.

27 

The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable –
    how much more so when brought with evil intent!

28 

A false witness will perish,
    but a careful listener will testify successfully.

29 

The wicked put up a bold front,
    but the upright give thought to their ways.

30 

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan
    that can succeed against the Lord.

31 

The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
    but victory rests with the Lord.

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READINGS

The Book of PROVERBS 

Chapter Twenty One

Read by David Suchet

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OVERVIEW 

The Book of PROVERBS 

Overview

(The Bible Project)

-=-=-=-=-=-

-=-=-=-=-

STUDIES 

The book of proverbs 

David Pawson

Part 1 

Part 2

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The book of PROVERBS - Chapter Twenty

 

1

Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler;
    whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

2 

A king’s wrath strikes terror like the roar of a lion;
    those who anger him forfeit their lives.

3 

It is to one’s honour to avoid strife,
    but every fool is quick to quarrel.

4 

Sluggards do not plough in season;
    so at harvest time they look but find nothing.

5 

The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters,
    but one who has insight draws them out.

6 

Many claim to have unfailing love,
    but a faithful person who can find?

7 

The righteous lead blameless lives;
    blessed are their children after them.

8 

When a king sits on his throne to judge,
    he winnows out all evil with his eyes.

9 

Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure;
    I am clean and without sin’?

10 

Differing weights and differing measures –
    the Lord detests them both.

11 

Even small children are known by their actions,
    so is their conduct really pure and upright?

12 

Ears that hear and eyes that see –
    the Lord has made them both.

13 

Do not love sleep or you will grow poor;
    stay awake and you will have food to spare.

14 

‘It’s no good, it’s no good!’ says the buyer –
    then goes off and boasts about the purchase.

15 

Gold there is, and rubies in abundance,
    but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.

16 

Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;
    hold it in pledge if it is done for an outsider.

17 

Food gained by fraud tastes sweet,
    but one ends up with a mouth full of gravel.

18 

Plans are established by seeking advice;
    so if you wage war, obtain guidance.

19 

A gossip betrays a confidence;
    so avoid anyone who talks too much.

20 

If someone curses their father or mother,
    their lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.

21 

An inheritance claimed too soon
    will not be blessed at the end.

22 

Do not say, ‘I’ll pay you back for this wrong!’
    Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you.

23 

The Lord detests differing weights,
    and dishonest scales do not please him.

24 

A person’s steps are directed by the Lord.
    How then can anyone understand their own way?

25 

It is a trap to dedicate something rashly
    and only later to consider one’s vows.

26 

A wise king winnows out the wicked;
    he drives the threshing wheel over them.

27 

The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord
    that sheds light on one’s inmost being.

28 

Love and faithfulness keep a king safe;
    through love his throne is made secure.

29 

The glory of young men is their strength,
    grey hair the splendour of the old.

30 

Blows and wounds scrub away evil,
    and beatings purge the inmost being.

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READINGS

The Book of PROVERBS 

Chapter Twenty

Read by David Suchet

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OVERVIEW 

The Book of PROVERBS 

Overview

(The Bible Project)

-=-=-=-=-=-

-=-=-=-=-

STUDIES 

The book of proverbs 

David Pawson

Part 1 

Part 2

-=-=-=-=-

Divine Wisdom for the Family,

John Mc Arthur 

Part A

Part B

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The book of PROVERBS - Chapter Nineteen

 

1

Better the poor whose way of life is blameless
    than a fool whose lips are perverse.

2 

Desire without knowledge is not good –
    how much more will hasty feet miss the way!

3 

A person’s own folly leads to their ruin,
    yet their heart rages against the Lord.

4 

Wealth attracts many friends,
    but even the closest friend of the poor person deserts them.

5 

A false witness will not go unpunished,
    and whoever pours out lies will not go free.

6 

Many curry favour with a ruler,
    and everyone is the friend of one who gives gifts.

7 

The poor are shunned by all their relatives –
    how much more do their friends avoid them!
Though the poor pursue them with pleading,
    they are nowhere to be found.

8 

The one who gets wisdom loves life;
    the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper.

9 

A false witness will not go unpunished,
    and whoever pours out lies will perish.

10 

It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury –
    how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!

11 

A person’s wisdom yields patience;
    it is to one’s glory to overlook an offence.

12 

A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion,
    but his favour is like dew on the grass.

13 

A foolish child is a father’s ruin,
    and a quarrelsome wife is like
    the constant dripping of a leaky roof.

14 

Houses and wealth are inherited from parents,
    but a prudent wife is from the Lord.

15 

Laziness brings on deep sleep,
    and the shiftless go hungry.

16 

Whoever keeps commandments keeps their life,
    but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die.

17 

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,
    and he will reward them for what they have done.

18 

Discipline your children, for in that there is hope;
    do not be a willing party to their death.

19 

A hot-tempered person must pay the penalty;
    rescue them, and you will have to do it again.

20 

Listen to advice and accept discipline,
    and at the end you will be counted among the wise.

21 

Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
    but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

22 

What a person desires is unfailing love;
    better to be poor than a liar.

23 

The fear of the Lord leads to life;
    then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

24 

A sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
    he will not even bring it back to his mouth!

25 

Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence;
    rebuke the discerning, and they will gain knowledge.

26 

Whoever robs their father and drives out their mother
    is a child who brings shame and disgrace.

27 

Stop listening to instruction, my son,
    and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

28 

A corrupt witness mocks at justice,
    and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.

29 

Penalties are prepared for mockers,
    and beatings for the backs of fools.

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READINGS

The Book of PROVERBS 

Chapter Nineteen

Read by David Suchet

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OVERVIEW 

The Book of PROVERBS 

Overview

(The Bible Project)

-=-=-=-=-=-

-=-=-=-=-

STUDIES 

The book of proverbs 

David Pawson

Part 1

Part 2 

-=-=-=-=-

Divine Wisdom for the Family

John Mc Arthur 

Part A

 

Part B

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The book of PROVERBS - Chapter Eighteen

1 

An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
    and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.

2 

Fools find no pleasure in understanding
    but delight in airing their own opinions.

3 

When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
    and with shame comes reproach.

4 

The words of the mouth are deep waters,
    but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.

5 

It is not good to be partial to the wicked
    and so deprive the innocent of justice.

6 

The lips of fools bring them strife,
    and their mouths invite a beating.

7 

The mouths of fools are their undoing,
    and their lips are a snare to their very lives.

8 

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
    they go down to the inmost parts.

9 

One who is slack in his work
    is brother to one who destroys.

10 

The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;
    the righteous run to it and are safe.

11 

The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;
    they imagine it a wall too high to scale.

12 

Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
    but humility comes before honour.

13 

To answer before listening –
    that is folly and shame.

14 

The human spirit can endure in times of illness,
    but a crushed spirit who can bear?

15 

The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,
    for the ears of the wise seek it out.

16 

A gift opens the way
    and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.

17 

In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,
    until someone comes forward and cross-examines.

18 

Casting the lot settles disputes
    and keeps strong opponents apart.

19 

A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city;
    disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.

20 

From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
    with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.

21 

The tongue has the power of life and death,
    and those who love it will eat its fruit.

22 

He who finds a wife finds what is good
    and receives favour from the Lord.

23 

The poor plead for mercy,
    but the rich answer harshly.

24 

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
    but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brothers

-=-=-=-=-

READINGS

The Book of PROVERBS 

Chapter Eighteen

Read by David Suchet

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OVERVIEW 

The Book of PROVERBS 

Overview

(The Bible Project)

-=-=-=-=-=-

-=-=-=-=-

STUDIES 

The book of proverbs 

David Pawson

Part 1 

Part 2 

-=-=-=-=-

Divine Wisdom for the Family,

John Mc Arthur 

Part A

 

Part B 

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