Proverbs18

¹ An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.

² Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.

³ When wickedness comes, so does contempt, and with shame comes reproach.

⁴ The words of the mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.

⁵ It is not good to be partial to the wicked and so deprive the innocent of justice.

⁶ The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating.

⁷ The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives.

⁸ The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.

⁹ One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.

¹⁰ The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

¹¹ The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it a wall too high to scale.

¹² Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.

¹³ To answer before listening— that is folly and shame.

¹⁴ The human spirit can endure in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?

¹⁵ The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.

¹⁶ A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.

¹⁷ In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.

¹⁸ Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart.

¹⁹ A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city; disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.

²⁰ From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.

²¹ The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

²² He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.

²³ The poor plead for mercy, but the rich answer harshly.

²⁴ One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.