VerseAI

NIV

Proverbs 18

  1. 1<pb/><t>An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends</t> <t>and against all sound judgment starts quarrels. <pb/></t>
  2. 2<t>Fools find no pleasure in understanding</t> <t>but delight in airing their own opinions. <pb/></t>
  3. 3<t>When wickedness comes, so does contempt,</t> <t>and with shame comes reproach. <pb/></t>
  4. 4<t>The words of the mouth are deep waters,</t> <t>but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream. <pb/></t>
  5. 5<t>It is not good to be partial to the wicked</t> <t>and so deprive the innocent of justice. <pb/></t>
  6. 6<t>The lips of fools bring them strife,</t> <t>and their mouths invite a beating. <pb/></t>
  7. 7<t>The mouths of fools are their undoing,</t> <t>and their lips are a snare to their very lives. <pb/></t>
  8. 8<t>The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;</t> <t>they go down to the inmost parts. <pb/></t>
  9. 9<t>One who is slack in his work</t> <t>is brother to one who destroys. <pb/></t>
  10. 10<t>The name of the LORD is a fortified tower;</t> <t>the righteous run to it and are safe. <pb/></t>
  11. 11<t>The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;</t> <t>they imagine it a wall too high to scale. <pb/></t>
  12. 12<t>Before a downfall the heart is haughty,</t> <t>but humility comes before honor. <pb/></t>
  13. 13<t>To answer before listening—</t> <t>that is folly and shame. <pb/></t>
  14. 14<t>The human spirit can endure in sickness,</t> <t>but a crushed spirit who can bear? <pb/></t>
  15. 15<t>The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,</t> <t>for the ears of the wise seek it out. <pb/></t>
  16. 16<t>A gift opens the way</t> <t>and ushers the giver into the presence of the great. <pb/></t>
  17. 17<t>In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,</t> <t>until someone comes forward and cross-examines. <pb/></t>
  18. 18<t>Casting the lot settles disputes</t> <t>and keeps strong opponents apart. <pb/></t>
  19. 19<t>A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city;</t> <t>disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel. <pb/></t>
  20. 20<t>From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;</t> <t>with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied. <pb/></t>
  21. 21<t>The tongue has the power of life and death,</t> <t>and those who love it will eat its fruit. <pb/></t>
  22. 22<t>He who finds a wife finds what is good</t> <t>and receives favor from the LORD. <pb/></t>
  23. 23<t>The poor plead for mercy,</t> <t>but the rich answer harshly. <pb/></t>
  24. 24<t>One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,</t> <t>but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.</t>