Chapter
Verse

Proverbs chapter 11

English Standard Version

1 A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight. 2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. 3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. 4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. 5The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness. 6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust. 7When the wicked dies, his hope will perish, and the expectation of wealth perishes too. 8 The righteous is delivered from trouble, and the wicked walks into it instead. 9With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered. 10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness. 11By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown. 12Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains silent. 13Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered. 14Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety. 15 Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm, but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure. 16 A gracious woman gets honor, and violent men get riches. 17 A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself. 18The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward. 19Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live, but he who pursues evil will die. 20Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord, but those of blameless ways are his delight. 21 Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered. 22Like a gold ring in a pig 's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion. 23The desire of the righteous ends only in good, the expectation of the wicked in wrath. 24 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. 25 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. 26 The people curse him who holds back grain, but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it. 27Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor, but evil comes to him who searches for it. 28Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf. 29Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart. 30The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise. 31If the righteous is repaid on earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner!
New International Version

New American Standard Bible

1A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight. 2When pride comes, then comes dishonor; But with the humble there is wisdom. 3The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the treacherous will destroy them. 4Riches do not benefit on the day of wrath, But righteousness rescues from death. 5The righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way, But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness. 6The righteousness of the upright will rescue them, But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed. 7When a wicked person dies, his expectation will perish, And the hope of strong people perishes. 8The righteous is rescued from trouble, But the wicked takes his place. 9With his mouth the godless person destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge the righteous will be rescued. 10When things go well for the righteous, the city rejoices, And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting. 11By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, But by the mouth of the wicked, it is torn down. 12One who despises his neighbor lacks sense, But a person of understanding keeps silent. 13One who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, But one who is trustworthy conceals a matter. 14Where there is no guidance the people fall, But in an abundance of counselors there is victory. 15One who is a guarantor for a stranger will certainly suffer for it, But one who hates being a guarantor is secure. 16A gracious woman attains honor, And ruthless men attain riches. 17A merciful person does himself good, But the cruel person does himself harm. 18A wicked person earns deceptive wages, But one who sows righteousness gets a true reward. 19One who is steadfast in righteousness attains life, But one who pursues evil attains his own death. 20The perverse in heart are an abomination to the Lord, But the blameless in their walk are His delight. 21 Be assured, the evil person will not go unpunished, But the descendants of the righteous will be rescued. 22 As a ring of gold in a pig’s snout So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion. 23The desire of the righteous is only good, But the expectation of the wicked is wrath. 24There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in poverty. 25A generous person will be prosperous, And one who gives others plenty of water will himself be given plenty. 26One who withholds grain, the people will curse him, But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it. 27One who diligently seeks good seeks favor, But one who seeks evil, evil will come to him. 28One who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf. 29One who troubles his own house will inherit wind, And the foolish will be servant to the wise-hearted. 30The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And one who is wise gains souls. 31If the righteous will be repaid on the earth, How much more the wicked and the sinner!
Christian Standard Bible

New Living Translation

King James Version

New King James Version

1 Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight. 2When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom. 3The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them. 4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death. 5The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way aright, But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness. 6The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, But the unfaithful will be caught by their lust. 7When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, And the hope of the unjust perishes. 8 The righteous is delivered from trouble, And it comes to the wicked instead. 9The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered. 10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices; And when the wicked perish, there is jubilation. 11By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted, But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked. 12He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor, But a man of understanding holds his peace. 13 A talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter. 14 Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety. 15He who is surety for a stranger will suffer, But one who hates being surety is secure. 16A gracious woman retains honor, But ruthless men retain riches. 17 The merciful man does good for his own soul, But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh. 18The wicked man does deceptive work, But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward. 19As righteousness leads to life, So he who pursues evil pursues it to his own death. 20Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the Lord, But the blameless in their ways are His delight. 21 Though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished; But the posterity of the righteous will be delivered. 22 As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, So is a lovely woman who lacks discretion. 23The desire of the righteous is only good, But the expectation of the wicked is wrath. 24There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. 25 The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself. 26The people will curse him who withholds grain, But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it. 27He who earnestly seeks good finds favor, But trouble will come to him who seeks evil. 28 He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like foliage. 29He who troubles his own house will inherit the wind, And the fool will be servant to the wise of heart. 30The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise. 31 If the righteous will be recompensed on the earth, How much more the ungodly and the sinner.

What does Proverbs chapter 11 mean?

Solomon continues his wise sayings in this chapter by contrasting the conduct and character of the upright and the wicked. Those labelled "righteous" or "blameless" here are those who follow godly wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). Those who ignore God, and selfishly follow their own whims, are the wicked and unrighteous (Proverbs 3:32–33).

An upright, godly life leads a person in the right path. This keeps godly people from gaining a bad reputation, from suffering the consequences of sin, and from being taken in by their own greed. Those who reject wisdom are consumed and destroyed by their own evil. In particular, those who pursue wealth and worldliness at all costs will be left without hope (Proverbs 11:1–8).

Those who seek righteousness not only benefit their own lives, they are a blessing to others. Their generosity helps their neighbor, and in return they can expect help in times of crisis. The righteous person's life is attractive; they "capture" the souls of others and encourage them to also honor God. Godliness keeps a person from inviting trouble, from offending others with slander or gossip, and from ruining their reputation. In contrast, the wicked person harms his neighbors and his family. As a result, he can expect to see his legacy ruined and his reputation hated. Even if the unrighteous person escapes some earthly troubles, he has no hope, at all, in eternity (Proverbs 11:9–31).
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