Day 45 – Proverbs of Solomon

₁We may make our plans, but God has the last word.

₂You may think everything you do is right, but the LORD judges your motives.

₃Ask the LORD to bless your plans, and you will be successful in carrying them out.

₄Everything the LORD has made has its destiny; and the destiny of the wicked is destruction.

₅The LORD hates everyone who is arrogant; he will never let them escape punishment.

₆Be loyal and faithful, and God will forgive your sin. Obey the LORD and nothing evil will happen to you.

₇When you please the LORD, you can make your enemies into friends.

₈It is better to have a little, honestly earned, than to have a large income gained dishonestly.

₉You may make your plans, but God directs your actions.

₁₀The king speaks with divine authority; his decisions are always right.

₁₁The LORD wants weights and measures to be honest and every sale to be fair.

₁₂Kings cannot tolerate evil, because justice is what makes a government strong.

₁₃A king wants to hear the truth and will favour those who speak it.

₁₄A wise person will try to keep the king happy; if the king becomes angry, someone may die.

₁₅The king's favour is like the clouds that bring rain in the springtime — life is there.

₁₆It is better — much better — to have wisdom and knowledge than gold and silver.

₁₇Those who are good travel a road that avoids evil; so watch where you are going — it may save your life.

₁₈Pride leads to destruction, and arrogance to downfall.

₁₉It is better to be humble and stay poor than to be one of the arrogant and get a share of their loot.

₂₀Pay attention to what you are taught, and you will be successful; trust in the LORD and you will be happy.

₂₁A wise, mature person is known for his understanding. The more pleasant his words, the more persuasive he is.

₂₂Wisdom is a fountain of life to the wise, but trying to educate stupid people is a waste of time.

₂₃Intelligent people think before they speak; what they say is then more persuasive.

₂₄Kind words are like honey — sweet to the taste and good for your health.

₂₅What you think is the right road may lead to death.

₂₆A labourer's appetite makes him work harder, because he wants to satisfy his hunger.

₂₇Evil people look for ways to harm others; even their words burn with evil.

₂₈Gossip is spread by wicked people; they stir up trouble and break up friendships.

₂₉Violent people deceive their friends and lead them to disaster.

₃₀Watch out for people who grin and wink at you; they have thought of something evil.

₃₁Long life is the reward of the righteous; grey hair is a glorious crown.

₃₂It is better to be patient than powerful. It is better to win control over yourself than over whole cities.

₃₃People cast lots to learn God's will, but God himself determines the answer.

₁Better to eat a dry crust of bread with peace of mind than to have a banquet in a house full of trouble.

₂A shrewd servant will gain authority over a master's worthless son and receive a part of the inheritance.

₃Gold and silver are tested by fire, and a person's heart is tested by the LORD.

₄Evil people listen to evil ideas, and liars listen to lies.

₅If you laugh at poor people, you insult the God who made them. You will be punished if you take pleasure in someone's misfortune.

₆Grandparents are proud of their grandchildren, just as children are proud of their parents.

₇Respected people do not tell lies, and fools have nothing worthwhile to say.

₈Some people think a bribe works like magic; they believe it can do anything.

₉If you want people to like you, forgive them when they wrong you. Remembering wrongs can break up a friendship.

₁₀An intelligent person learns more from one rebuke than a fool learns from being beaten a hundred times.

₁₁Death will come like a cruel messenger to wicked people who are always stirring up trouble.

₁₂It is better to meet a mother bear robbed of her cubs than to meet some fool busy with a stupid project.

₁₃If you repay good with evil, you will never get evil out of your house.

₁₄The start of an argument is like the first break in a dam; stop it before it goes any further.

₁₅Condemning the innocent or letting the wicked go — both are hateful to the LORD.

₁₆It does a fool no good to spend money on an education, because he has no common sense.

₁₇Friends always show their love. What are relatives for if not to share trouble?

₁₈Only someone with no sense would promise to be responsible for someone else's debts.

₁₉To like sin is to like making trouble. If you brag all the time, you are asking for trouble.

₂₀Anyone who thinks and speaks evil can expect to find nothing good — only disaster.

₂₁There is nothing but sadness and sorrow for parents whose children do foolish things.

₂₂Being cheerful keeps you healthy. It is slow death to be gloomy all the time.

₂₃Corrupt judges accept secret bribes, and then justice is not done.

₂₄An intelligent person aims at wise action, but a fool starts off in many directions.

₂₅Foolish children bring grief to their fathers and bitter regrets to their mothers.

₂₆It is not right to make an innocent person pay a fine; justice is perverted when good people are punished.

₂₇Those who are sure of themselves do not talk all the time. People who stay calm have real insight. ₂₈After all, even a fool may be thought wise and intelligent if he stays quiet and keeps his mouth shut.

₁People who do not get along with others are interested only in themselves; they will disagree with what everyone else knows is right.

₂A fool does not care whether he understands a thing or not; all he wants to do is to show how clever he is.

₃Sin and shame go together. Lose your honour, and you will get scorn in its place.

₄A person's words can be a source of wisdom, deep as the ocean, fresh as a flowing stream.

₅It is not right to favour the guilty and prevent the innocent from receiving justice.

₆When some fool starts an argument, he is asking for a beating.

₇When a fool speaks, he is ruining himself; he gets caught in the trap of his own words.

₈Gossip is so tasty — how we love to swallow it!

₉A lazy person is as bad as someone who is destructive.

₁₀The LORD is like a strong tower, where the righteous can go and be safe. ₁₁Rich people, however, imagine that their wealth protects them like high, strong walls round a city.

₁₂No one is respected unless he is humble; arrogant people are on the way to ruin.

₁₃Listen before you answer. If you don't you are being stupid and insulting.

₁₄Your will to live can sustain you when you are sick, but if you lose it, your last hope is gone.

₁₅Intelligent people are always eager and ready to learn.

₁₆Do you want to meet an important person? Take a gift and it will be easy.

₁₇The first to speak in court always seems right until his opponent begins to question him.

₁₈If two powerful men are opposing each other in court, casting lots can settle the issue.

₁₉Help your relatives and they will protect you like a strong city wall, but if you quarrel with them, they will close their doors to you.

₂₀You will have to live with the consequences of everything you say. ₂₁What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words.

₂₂Find a wife and you find a good thing; it shows that the LORD is good to you.

₂₃When the poor speak, they have to beg politely, but when the rich answer, they are rude.

₂₄Some friendships do not last, but some friends are more loyal than brothers.