Proverbs of Solomon 15 — The Holy Bible

Righteous Responses

Wrath destroys even men of discernment;

But a humble answer turns away anger,

And a grievous word stirs up wrath.

The tongue of the wise understands good things,

But the mouth of those without discernment proclaims evil things.

The eyes of the Lord are in every place;

They keep watch over both the evil and the good.

The healing of the tongue is a tree of life,

And the one who guards it will be filled with the Spirit.

A son without discernment treats the instruction of his father with contempt,

But the one who guards his commandments is more astute.

In abundant righteousness there is much strength,

But the ungodly shall utterly perish from the earth.

In the houses of the righteous there is much strength,

But the fruits of the ungodly shall perish.

The lips of the wise are bound by perception,

But the hearts of those without discernment are not safe.

The sacrifices of the ungodly are an abomination to the Lord,

But the prayers of the upright are acceptable with Him.

The ways of the ungodly are an abomination to the Lord,

But He loves those who pursue righteousness.

The instruction of the simple is known by those who pass by,

But those who hate reproofs will die shamefully.

Hades and destruction are manifest before the Lord;

How can the hearts of men not be also?

An uninstructed man will not love those who reprove him,

And he will not keep company with the wise.

When one's heart is glad, his face is cheerful,

But when it is in grief, his face is sad.

The upright heart seeks perception,

But the mouth of the uninstructed will know evil things.

The eyes of evil men are waiting for evil things all the time,

But good men are at rest continually.

Better is a small portion with the fear of the Lord

Than great treasures with lack of fear.

Better is a dinner of herbs with friendship and grace

Than a fatted calf with hostility.

An angry man stirs up contention,

But a longsuffering man even calms the rising quarrel.

A longsuffering man will extinguish condemnations,

But the ungodly man stirs up more.

The ways of idle men are strewn with thorny plants,

But the thorny plants of the courageous are worn smooth.

A wise son gladdens a father,

But a son without discernment treats his mother with contempt.

The paths of one without understanding are in need of discernment,

But a man with discernment walks uprightly.

Those not honoring councils defer their deliberations,

But counsel remains in the hearts of those who resolve to do it.

The evil man will not obey counsel,

Nor will he speak anything appropriate, even something for the common good.

The thoughts of a wise man are his ways of life,

That he might turn aside and be saved from Hades.

The Lord will destroy the houses of the arrogant,

But He will strengthen the boundary of a widow.

The thinking of the unrighteous man is an abomination to the Lord,

But the words of the holy are sacred.

He who receives bribes utterly destroys himself,

But he who hates the receiving of bribes saves himself.

Sins are cleansed by almsgiving and faithfulness,

And by the fear of the Lord everyone turns aside from evil.

The hearts of the righteous care about faithfulness,

But the mouth of the ungodly answers evil things.

The ways of righteous men are acceptable before the Lord,

And through them even enemies become friends.

God is far from the ungodly,

But He hears the prayers of the righteous.

Better is a small yield with the righteous

Than abundant fruits with the unrighteous.

Let the heart of a man think righteous things

That he may make his steps straight under God.

The eye that beholds good things gladdens the heart,

But a good report enriches the bones.

He who rejects instruction hates himself,

But he who gives heed to reproofs loves his soul.

The fear of God is instruction and wisdom,

And the beginning of glory will respond to it.