Sunday, October 11, 2009

Proverbs 9 - 11

Since Friday evening I've been preoccupied and away from a computer. It started with the amazing Living Proof Life event (Beth Moore) at the Fed Ex Forum which was Friday evening to Saturday afternoon, then was followed by football fever at Risers, and a Couples Wedding Shower for our friends Laura and Jay... more to come on all of those festivities later, as well as a 30th birthday celebration today for our friend, Mrs. Joseph. Needless to say, the weekend's events have kept me from posting the Proverbs for the last three days...

To catch up here is Proverbs 9, 10, and 11. Enjoy.

Proverbs 9

Invitations of Wisdom and of Folly
 1 Wisdom has built her house;
       she has hewn out its seven pillars.
 2 She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;
       she has also set her table.
 3 She has sent out her maids, and she calls
       from the highest point of the city.
 4 "Let all who are simple come in here!"
       she says to those who lack judgment.
 5 "Come, eat my food
       and drink the wine I have mixed.
 6 Leave your simple ways and you will live;
       walk in the way of understanding.
 7 "Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult;
       whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.
 8 Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you;
       rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
 9 Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;
       teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.
 10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
       and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
 11 For through me your days will be many,
       and years will be added to your life.
 12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;
       if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer."
 13 The woman Folly is loud;
       she is undisciplined and without knowledge.
 14 She sits at the door of her house,
       on a seat at the highest point of the city,
 15 calling out to those who pass by,
       who go straight on their way.
 16 "Let all who are simple come in here!"
       she says to those who lack judgment.
 17 "Stolen water is sweet;
       food eaten in secret is delicious!"
 18 But little do they know that the dead are there,
       that her guests are in the depths of the grave. [a]

Proverbs 10

Proverbs of Solomon
 1 The proverbs of Solomon:
       A wise son brings joy to his father,
       but a foolish son grief to his mother.
 2 Ill-gotten treasures are of no value,
       but righteousness delivers from death.
 3 The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry
       but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
 4 Lazy hands make a man poor,
       but diligent hands bring wealth.
 5 He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son,
       but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.
 6 Blessings crown the head of the righteous,
       but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. [b]
 7 The memory of the righteous will be a blessing,
       but the name of the wicked will rot.
 8 The wise in heart accept commands,
       but a chattering fool comes to ruin.
 9 The man of integrity walks securely,
       but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.
 10 He who winks maliciously causes grief,
       and a chattering fool comes to ruin.
 11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
       but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.
 12 Hatred stirs up dissension,
       but love covers over all wrongs.
 13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
       but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.
 14 Wise men store up knowledge,
       but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.
 15 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city,
       but poverty is the ruin of the poor.
 16 The wages of the righteous bring them life,
       but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.
 17 He who heeds discipline shows the way to life,
       but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.
 18 He who conceals his hatred has lying lips,
       and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
 19 When words are many, sin is not absent,
       but he who holds his tongue is wise.
 20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
       but the heart of the wicked is of little value.
 21 The lips of the righteous nourish many,
       but fools die for lack of judgment.
 22 The blessing of the LORD brings wealth,
       and he adds no trouble to it.
 23 A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct,
       but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.
 24 What the wicked dreads will overtake him;
       what the righteous desire will be granted.
 25 When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,
       but the righteous stand firm forever.
 26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
       so is a sluggard to those who send him.
 27 The fear of the LORD adds length to life,
       but the years of the wicked are cut short.
 28 The prospect of the righteous is joy,
       but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.
 29 The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous,
       but it is the ruin of those who do evil.
 30 The righteous will never be uprooted,
       but the wicked will not remain in the land.
 31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
       but a perverse tongue will be cut out.
 32 The lips of the righteous know what is fitting,
       but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.

Proverbs 11

 1 The LORD abhors dishonest scales,
       but accurate weights are his delight.
 2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
       but with humility comes wisdom.
 3 The integrity of the upright guides them,
       but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
 4 Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,
       but righteousness delivers from death.
 5 The righteousness of the blameless makes a straight way for them,
       but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.
 6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
       but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.
 7 When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes;
       all he expected from his power comes to nothing.
 8 The righteous man is rescued from trouble,
       and it comes on the wicked instead.
 9 With his mouth the godless destroys his neighbor,
       but through knowledge the righteous escape.
 10 When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices;
       when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.
 11 Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
       but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.
 12 A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor,
       but a man of understanding holds his tongue.
 13 A gossip betrays a confidence,
       but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.
 14 For lack of guidance a nation falls,
       but many advisers make victory sure.
 15 He who puts up security for another will surely suffer,
       but whoever refuses to strike hands in pledge is safe.
 16 A kindhearted woman gains respect,
       but ruthless men gain only wealth.
 17 A kind man benefits himself,
       but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.
 18 The wicked man earns deceptive wages,
       but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.
 19 The truly righteous man attains life,
       but he who pursues evil goes to his death.
 20 The LORD detests men of perverse heart
       but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.
 21 Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished,
       but those who are righteous will go free.
 22 Like a gold ring in a pig's snout
       is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.
 23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
       but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.
 24 One man gives freely, yet gains even more;
       another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.
 25 A generous man will prosper;
       he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
 26 People curse the man who hoards grain,
       but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell.
 27 He who seeks good finds goodwill,
       but evil comes to him who searches for it.
 28 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,
       but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.
 29 He who brings trouble on his family will inherit only wind,
       and the fool will be servant to the wise.
 30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
       and he who wins souls is wise.
 31 If the righteous receive their due on earth,
       how much more the ungodly and the sinner!
Footnotes:
  1. Proverbs 9:18 Hebrew Sheol
  2. Proverbs 10:6 Or but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence ; also in verse 11

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