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Proverbs 11
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Proverbs 11
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 11
1 False scales are an abomination to the Lord,
but an honest weight, his delight.[a](A)
2 When pride comes, disgrace comes;
but with the humble is wisdom.[b]
3 The honesty of the upright guides them;
the faithless are ruined by their duplicity.
4 Wealth is useless on a day of wrath,[c](B)
but justice saves from death.
5 The justice of the honest makes their way straight,
but by their wickedness the wicked fall.[d](C)
6 The justice of the upright saves them,
but the faithless are caught in their own intrigue.
7 When a person dies, hope is destroyed;(D)
expectation pinned on wealth is destroyed.[e]
8 The just are rescued from a tight spot,
but the wicked fall into it instead.
9 By a word the impious ruin their neighbors,(E)
but through their knowledge the just are rescued.[f]
10 When the just prosper, the city rejoices;(F)
when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.
11 Through the blessing of the upright the city is exalted,
but through the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown.
12 Whoever reviles a neighbor lacks sense,
but the intelligent keep silent.
13 One who slanders reveals secrets,(G)
but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.
14 For lack of guidance a people falls;
security lies in many counselors.(H)
15 Harm will come to anyone going surety for another,(I)
but whoever hates giving pledges is secure.[g]
16 A gracious woman gains esteem,
and ruthless men gain wealth.[h]
17 Kindly people benefit themselves,
but the merciless harm themselves.
18 The wicked make empty profits,
but those who sow justice have a sure reward.(J)
19 Justice leads toward life,
but pursuit of evil, toward death.
20 The crooked in heart are an abomination to the Lord,
but those who walk blamelessly are his delight.[i]
21 Be assured, the wicked shall not go unpunished,
but the offspring of the just shall escape.
22 Like a golden ring in a swine’s snout
is a beautiful woman without judgment.[j]
23 The desire of the just ends only in good;
the expectation of the wicked is wrath.
24 One person is lavish yet grows still richer;
another is too sparing, yet is the poorer.[k]
25 Whoever confers benefits will be amply enriched,
and whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
26 Whoever hoards grain, the people curse,
but blessings are on the head of one who distributes it!
27 Those who seek the good seek favor,
but those who pursue evil will have evil come upon them.[l]
28 Those who trust in their riches will fall,
but like green leaves the just will flourish.(K)
29 Those who trouble their household inherit the wind,
and fools become slaves to the wise of heart.
30 The fruit of justice is a tree of life,
and one who takes lives is a sage.[m]
31 If the just are recompensed on the earth,
how much more the wicked and the sinner
Footnotes
- 11:1 The word pair “abomination” and “delight” (= acceptable) to God is common in Proverbs. Originally the language of ritual, the words came to be applied to whatever pleases or displeases God (cf. also 11:20). False weights were a constant problem even though weights were standardized. Cf. 20:23; Hos 12:8; Am 8:5.
- 11:2 Disgrace is the very opposite of what the proud so ardently want. Those who do not demand their due receive wisdom.
- 11:4 Cf. note on 10:2. A day of wrath is an unforeseen disaster (even death). Only one’s relationship to God, which makes one righteous, is of any help on such a day.
- 11:5 In Hebrew as in English, “way” means the course of one’s life; similarly, “straight” and “crooked” are metaphors for morally straightforward and for bad, deviant, perverted.
- 11:7 An ancient scribe added “wicked” to person in colon A, for the statement that hope ends at death seemed to deny life after death. The saying, however, is not concerned with life after death but with the fact that in the face of death all hopes based on one’s own resources are vain. The aphorism is the climax of the preceding six verses; human resources cannot overcome mortality (cf. Ps 49:13).
- 11:9 What the wicked express harms others; what the righteous leave unsaid protects. Verses 9–14 are related in theme: the effect of good and bad people, especially their words, on their community.
- 11:15 Proverbs is opposed to providing surety for another’s loan (see note on 6:1–5) and expresses this view throughout the book.
- 11:16 Wealth and esteem are good things in Proverbs, but the means for acquiring them are flawed. As precious gifts, they must be granted, not taken. The esteem of others that depends on beauty is as fleeting as beauty itself (cf. 31:30) and the wealth acquired by aggressive behavior lasts only as long as one has physical strength.
- 11:20 The terminology of ritual (acceptable and unacceptable sacrifice, “abomination” and “delight”) is applied to human conduct as in v. 1. The whole of human life is under divine scrutiny, not just ritual.
- 11:22 Ear and nose rings were common jewelry for women. A humorous saying on the priority of wisdom over beauty in choosing a wife.
- 11:24 A paradox: spending leads to more wealth.
- 11:27 The saying is about seeking one thing and finding another. Striving for good leads to acceptance by God; seeking evil means only that trouble will come. The same Hebrew word means evil and trouble.
- 11:30 Most translations emend Hebrew “wise person” in colon B on the basis of the Greek and Syriac translations to “violence” (similar in spelling), because the verb “to take a life” is a Hebrew idiom for “to kill” (as also in English). The emendation is unnecessary, however, for the saying deliberately plays on the odd meaning: the one who takes lives is not the violent but the wise person, for the wise have a profound influence upon life. There is a similar wordplay in 29:10.
- 11:31 The saying is not about life after death; “on the earth” means life in the present world. The meaning is that divine judgment is exercised on all human action, even the best. The thought should strike terror into the hearts of habitual wrongdoers.
Proverbs 11
New International Version
Proverbs 11
New International Version
3 The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.(E)
5 The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight,(I)
but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.(J)
6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.(K)
8 The righteous person is rescued from trouble,
and it falls on the wicked instead.(N)
9 With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors,
but through knowledge the righteous escape.(O)
10 When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices;(P)
when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.(Q)
11 Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,(R)
but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.(S)
12 Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense,(T)
but the one who has understanding holds their tongue.(U)
15 Whoever puts up security(Z) for a stranger will surely suffer,
but whoever refuses to shake hands in pledge is safe.(AA)
16 A kindhearted woman gains honor,(AB)
but ruthless men gain only wealth.
17 Those who are kind benefit themselves,
but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.
18 A wicked person earns deceptive wages,
but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.(AC)
20 The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse,(AF)
but he delights(AG) in those whose ways are blameless.(AH)
21 Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished,
but those who are righteous will go free.(AI)
22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.
24 One person gives freely, yet gains even more;
another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.
26 People curse the one who hoards grain,
but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell.
27 Whoever seeks good finds favor,
but evil comes to one who searches for it.(AL)
28 Those who trust in their riches will fall,(AM)
but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.(AN)
29 Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise.(AO)
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,(AP)
and the one who is wise saves lives.
31 If the righteous receive their due(AQ) on earth,
how much more the ungodly and the sinner!
Footnotes
- Proverbs 11:7 Two Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate, Syriac and Targum When the wicked die, their hope perishes; / all they expected from
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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