The Name of the Lord Is a Strong Tower

18 A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire;
He rages against all [a]wise judgment.

A fool has no delight in understanding,
But in expressing his (A)own heart.

When the wicked comes, contempt comes also;
And with dishonor comes reproach.

(B)The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
(C)The wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook.

It is not good to show partiality to the wicked,
Or to overthrow the righteous in (D)judgment.

A fool’s lips enter into contention,
And his mouth calls for blows.
(E)A fool’s mouth is his destruction,
And his lips are the snare of his (F)soul.
(G)The words of a [b]talebearer are like [c]tasty trifles,
And they go down into the [d]inmost body.

He who is slothful in his work
Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.

10 The name of the Lord is a strong (H)tower;
The righteous run to it and are [e]safe.
11 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own esteem.

12 (I)Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty,
And before honor is humility.

13 He who answers a matter before he hears it,
It is folly and shame to him.

14 The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness,
But who can bear a broken spirit?

15 The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge,
And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

16 (J)A man’s gift makes room for him,
And brings him before great men.

17 The first one to plead his cause seems right,
Until his neighbor comes and examines him.

18 Casting (K)lots causes contentions to cease,
And keeps the mighty apart.

19 A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city,
And contentions are like the bars of a castle.

20 (L)A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth;
From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.

21 (M)Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.

22 (N)He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from the Lord.

23 The poor man uses entreaties,
But the rich answers (O)roughly.

24 A man who has friends [f]must himself be friendly,
(P)But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 18:1 sound wisdom
  2. Proverbs 18:8 gossip or slanderer
  3. Proverbs 18:8 A Jewish tradition wounds
  4. Proverbs 18:8 Lit. rooms of the belly
  5. Proverbs 18:10 secure, lit. set on high
  6. Proverbs 18:24 So with Gr. mss., Syr., Tg., Vg.; MT may come to ruin

Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked

18 One who separates himself seeks his own desire;
He [a](A)quarrels against all sound wisdom.
A fool does not delight in understanding,
But (B)in revealing his own [b]mind.
When a wicked person comes, contempt also comes,
And with dishonor comes taunting.
The words of a person’s mouth are (C)deep waters;
[c]The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
To (D)show partiality to the wicked is not good,
Nor to (E)suppress the righteous in judgment.
A fool’s lips [d]bring strife,
And his mouth invites (F)beatings.
A (G)fool’s mouth is his ruin,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.
The words of a gossiper are like dainty morsels,
And they go down into the [e]innermost parts of the body.
He also who is (H)lax in his work
(I)Is a brother to him who destroys.
10 The (J)name of the Lord is a (K)strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and (L)is [f]safe.
11 A (M)rich person’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own imagination.
12 (N)Before destruction the heart of a person is haughty,
But (O)humility goes before honor.
13 One who (P)gives an answer before he hears,
It is foolishness and shame to him.
14 The (Q)spirit of a person can endure his sickness,
But as for a (R)broken spirit, who can endure it?
15 The [g](S)mind of the discerning acquires knowledge,
And the (T)ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16 A person’s (U)gift makes room for him
And brings him before great people.
17 The first [h]to plead his case seems right,
Until [i]another comes and examines him.
18 The cast (V)lot puts an end to quarrels,
And [j]decides between the mighty ones.
19 A brother who is offended is harder to be won than a strong city,
And quarrels are like the bars of a citadel.
20 With the [k](W)fruit of a person’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied;
(X)He will be satisfied with the product of his lips.
21 (Y)Death and life are in the [l]power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its (Z)fruit.
22 He who finds a (AA)wife finds a good thing
And (AB)obtains favor from the Lord.
23 A (AC)poor person utters pleadings,
But a (AD)rich person (AE)answers defiantly.
24 A person of too many friends comes to [m]ruin,
But there is (AF)a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 18:1 Lit breaks out
  2. Proverbs 18:2 Lit heart
  3. Proverbs 18:4 Or A bubbling brook, a fountain of wisdom
  4. Proverbs 18:6 Lit come with
  5. Proverbs 18:8 Lit chambers of the belly
  6. Proverbs 18:10 Lit set on high
  7. Proverbs 18:15 Lit heart
  8. Proverbs 18:17 Lit in his plea
  9. Proverbs 18:17 Lit his neighbor
  10. Proverbs 18:18 Lit makes a division
  11. Proverbs 18:20 I.e., speech
  12. Proverbs 18:21 Lit hand
  13. Proverbs 18:24 Lit be broken in pieces

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

18 He who [willfully] separates himself [from God and man] seeks his own desire,
He quarrels against all sound wisdom.

A [closed-minded] fool does not delight in understanding,
But only in revealing his personal opinions [unwittingly displaying his self-indulgence and his stupidity].

When the wicked man comes [to the depth of evil], contempt [of all that is pure and good] also comes,
And with inner baseness (dishonor) comes outer shame (scorn).

The words of a man’s mouth are like deep waters [copious and difficult to fathom];
The fountain of [mature, godly] wisdom is like a bubbling stream [sparkling, fresh, pure, and life-giving].

To show respect to the wicked person is not good,
Nor to push aside and deprive the righteous of justice.

A fool’s lips bring contention and strife,
And his mouth invites a beating.

A fool’s mouth is his ruin,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.

The words of a whisperer (gossip) are like dainty morsels [to be greedily eaten];
They go down into the innermost chambers of the body [to be remembered and mused upon].

He who is careless in his work
Is a brother to him who destroys.
10 
The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous runs to it and is safe and set on high [far above evil].
11 
The rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall [of protection] in his own imagination and conceit.
12 
Before disaster the heart of a man is haughty and filled with self-importance,
But humility comes before honor.
13 
He who answers before he hears [the facts]—
It is folly and shame to him.(A)
14 
The spirit of a man sustains him in sickness,
But as for a broken spirit, who can bear it?
15 
The mind of the prudent [always] acquires knowledge,
And the ear of the wise [always] seeks knowledge.
16 
A man’s gift [given in love or courtesy] makes room for him
And brings him before great men.(B)
17 
The first one to plead his case seems right,
Until another comes and cross-examines him.
18 
[a]To cast lots puts an end to quarrels
And decides between powerful contenders.
19 
A brother offended is harder to win over than a fortified city,
And contentions [separating families] are like the bars of a castle.
20 
A man’s stomach will be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth;
He will be satisfied with the consequence of his words.
21 
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.(C)
22 
He who finds a [[b]true and faithful] wife finds a good thing
And obtains favor and approval from the Lord.(D)
23 
The poor man pleads,
But the rich man answers roughly.
24 
The man of too many friends [chosen indiscriminately] will be broken in pieces and come to ruin,
But there is a [true, loving] friend who [is reliable and] sticks closer than a brother.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 18:18 See note 16:33.
  2. Proverbs 18:22 In Jewish tradition it is said that in Israel, they used to ask a man who had married, “Matsa or motse?” “Matsa” is the Hebrew for “finds” here, where a good wife is in view, and “motse” is the word for “found” (NASB “discovered”) in Eccl 7:26.

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

Fools find no pleasure in understanding
    but delight in airing their own opinions.(A)

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

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

It is not good to be partial to the wicked(C)
    and so deprive the innocent of justice.(D)

The lips of fools bring them strife,
    and their mouths invite a beating.(E)

The mouths of fools are their undoing,
    and their lips are a snare(F) to their very lives.(G)

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

One who is slack in his work
    is brother to one who destroys.(I)

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

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

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

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

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

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

16 A gift(Q) 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(R)
    and keeps strong opponents apart.

19 A brother wronged(S) 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.(T)

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

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

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.(Y)