Spirituality & Religious StudiesProverbs, Chapter 21
“The way of the guilty is devious.”
Proverbs 21:8
The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord. He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases. All a man’s ways seem right to him. But the Lord weighs the heart. To do what’s right & just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
Haughty eyes & a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin! The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor & a deadly snare.
The violence of the wicked will drag them away, for they refuse to do what’s right. The way of the guilty is devious. But the conduct of the innocent is upright. Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
The wicked man craves evil. His neighbor gets no mercy from him. When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom. When a wise man is instructed, he gets knowledge. The Righteous One takes note of the house of the wicked & brings the wicked to ruin.
If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he took will cry out & not be answered. A gift given in secret soothes anger, & a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath. WHen justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.
A man who strays from the path of understanding comes to rest in the company of the dead. He who loves pleasure will become poor. Whoever loves wine & oil will never be rich. The wicked become a ransom for the righteous, & the unfaithful for the upright.
Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome & ill-tempered wife. In the house of the wise are stores of choice food & oil. But a foolish man devours all he has. He who pursues righteousness & love finds life, prosperity & honor.
A wise man attacks the city of the mighty & pulls down the stronghold in which they trust. He who guards his mouth & his tongue keeps himself from calamity. The proud & arrogant man – “Mocker” is his name he behaves with overweening pride.
The sluggard’s craving will be the death of him. Because his hands refuse to work. All day long he craves for more. But the righteous give without sparing. The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable. How much more so when brought with evil intent!
A false witness will perish. Whoever listens to him will be destroyed forever. A wicked man puts up a bold front. But an upright man gives thought to his ways. There’s no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.
The horse is made ready for the day of battle. But victory rests with the Lord.
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