Bible Society of South Africa

Day 45 – Proverbs of Solomon

Read the Proverbs of Solomon.

Bible text(s)

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.

Proverbs 16:1-18:24GNBOpen in Bible reader

PRAY before you read, asking God to help you understand.
READ the Bible passage for the day – preferably more than once.
REFLECT on the passage. Write your thoughts in a journal.
APPLY what God teaches you from His Word to your life.
PRAY again, asking God to live out His Word.

Bible Society of South Africav.4.17.10
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