Dishonest scales are detestable to the Lord,
but an accurate weight is His delight.
When pride comes, disgrace follows,
but with humility comes wisdom.
The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the perversity of the treacherous destroys them.
Wealth is not profitable on a day of wrath,
but righteousness rescues from death.
The righteousness of the blameless clears his path,
but the wicked person will fall because of his wickedness.
The righteousness of the upright rescues them,
but the treacherous are trapped by their own desires.
When the wicked man dies,
his expectation comes to nothing,
and hope placed in wealth vanishes.
The righteous one is rescued from trouble;
in his place, the wicked one goes in.
With his mouth the ungodly destroys his neighbor,
but through knowledge the righteous are rescued.
When the righteous thrive, a city rejoices,
and when the wicked die, there is joyful shouting.
A city is built up by the blessing of the upright,
but it is torn down by the mouth of the wicked.
Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks sense,
but a man with understanding keeps silent.
A gossip goes around revealing a secret,
but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.
Without guidance, people fall,
but with many counselors there is deliverance.
If someone puts up security for a stranger,
he will suffer for it,
but the one who hates such agreements is protected.
A gracious woman gains honor,
but violent men gain only riches.
A kind man benefits himself,
but a cruel man brings disaster on himself.
The wicked man earns an empty wage,
but the one who sows righteousness, a true reward.
Genuine righteousness leads to life,
but pursuing evil leads to death.
Those with twisted minds are detestable to the Lord,
but those with blameless conduct are His delight.
Be assured that the wicked
will not go unpunished,
but the offspring of the righteous will escape.
A beautiful woman who rejects good sense
is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.
The desire of the righteous turns out well,
but the hope of the wicked leads to wrath.
One person gives freely,
yet gains more;
another withholds what is right,
only to become poor.
A generous person will be enriched,
and the one who gives a drink of water
will receive water.
People will curse anyone who hoards grain,
but a blessing will come to the one who sells it.
The one who searches for what is good finds favor,
but if someone looks for trouble, it will come to him.
Anyone trusting in his riches will fall,
but the righteous will flourish like foliage.
The one who brings ruin on his household
will inherit the wind,
and a fool will be a slave
to someone whose heart is wise.
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
but violence takes lives.
If the righteous will be repaid on earth,
how much more the wicked and sinful.
Proverbs 11
When we start being selfless, we don't lose... we gain.
