18 He who is selfish seeks a craving;[a]
against all sound judgment he shows contempt.
2 A fool will not take pleasure in understanding,
but in expressing his heart.[b]
3 With the coming of wickedness comes contempt also,
and with dishonor, disgrace.
4 Deep waters are words of the mouth of a man;
a gushing stream is a fountain of wisdom.
5 Being partial to faces of evil is not good,
nor to subvert the righteous at the judgment.
6 The lips of a fool will bring strife,
and his mouth calls out for a flogging.
7 The mouth of a fool is ruin to him,
and his lips are a snare to his soul.[c]
8 The words of a whisper are like delicious morsels,
and they themselves go down to inner parts of the body.
9 Even he who is slack in his work,
he is brother to a master[d] of destruction.
10 A tower of strength is the name of Yahweh;
into him[e] the righteous will run and be safe.
11 The wealth of the rich is his strong city,[f]
and like a wall, it is high in his imagination.
12 In the presence of destruction, the heart[g] of a man will be haughty,
but in the presence of honor, humble.
13 He who returns a word before he will hear,
folly itself belongs to him as well as[h] shame.
14 The spirit of a man will endure his sickness,
but a broken spirit, who may bear it?
15 An intelligent mind[i] will acquire knowledge,
and the ear of the wise will seek knowledge.
16 The gift of a person will open doors for him,
and before the great, it gives him access.
17 The first in his dispute is deemed righteous,
but his neighbor will come and examine him.
18 The lot will put an end to disputes,
and between powerful contenders it will decide.
19 A brother who is offended is worse than a city of strength,
and quarrels are like the bars of a fortification.
20 From the fruit of a man’s mouth, his stomach will be satisfied,
as for the yield of his lips, it will satisfy.
21 Death and life are in the power[j] of the tongue,
and those who love her[k] will eat of her fruit.
22 He who finds a wife[l] finds good,
and he will obtain favor from Yahweh.
23 The poor may speak entreaties,
but the rich will answer roughly.
24 A man of many friends will come to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 18:1 Or “boundary”
- Proverbs 18:2 Or “mind”
- Proverbs 18:7 Or “life,” or “inner self”
- Proverbs 18:9 Or “owner”
- Proverbs 18:10 Or “it”
- Proverbs 18:11 Literally “a city of his strength”
- Proverbs 18:12 Or “mind”
- Proverbs 18:13 Hebrew “and”
- Proverbs 18:15 Literally “heart”
- Proverbs 18:21 Literally “hand”
- Proverbs 18:21 That is, the power of the tongue
- Proverbs 18:22 Or “woman”