Chapter
Verse

Proverbs chapter 21

English Standard Version

1The king 's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will. 2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart. 3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. 4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin. 5The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. 6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death. 7The violence of the wicked will sweep them away, because they refuse to do what is just. 8The way of the guilty is crooked, but the conduct of the pure is upright. 9It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife. 10The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes. 11When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise; when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge. 12The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked; he throws the wicked down to ruin. 13 Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered. 14 A gift in secret averts anger, and a concealed bribe, strong wrath. 15When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers. 16One who wanders from the way of good sense will rest in the assembly of the dead. 17Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich. 18 The wicked is a ransom for the righteous, and the traitor for the upright. 19It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman. 20 Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man 's dwelling, but a foolish man devours it. 21Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor. 22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust. 23 Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. 24 "Scoffer" is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride. 25The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor. 26All day long he craves and craves, but the righteous gives and does not hold back. 27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with evil intent. 28 A false witness will perish, but the word of a man who hears will endure. 29A wicked man puts on a bold face, but the upright gives thought to his ways. 30 No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord. 31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.
New International Version

New American Standard Bible

1The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He pleases. 2Every person’s way is right in his own eyes, But the Lord examines the hearts. 3To do righteousness and justice Is preferred by the Lord more than sacrifice. 4Haughty eyes and a proud heart, The lamp of the wicked, is sin. 5The plans of the diligent certainly lead to advantage, But everyone who is in a hurry certainly comes to poverty. 6The acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue Is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death. 7The violence of the wicked will sweep them away, Because they refuse to act with justice. 8The way of a guilty person is crooked, But as for the pure, his conduct is upright. 9It is better to live on a corner of a roof Than in a house shared with a contentious woman. 10The soul of the wicked desires evil; His neighbor is shown no compassion in his eyes. 11When the scoffer is punished, the naive becomes wise; But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge. 12The righteous one considers the house of the wicked, Bringing the wicked to ruin. 13One who shuts his ear to the outcry of the poor Will also call out himself, and not be answered. 14A gift in secret subdues anger, And a bribe in an inside pocket, strong wrath. 15The exercise of justice is joy for the righteous, But terror to those who practice injustice. 16A person who wanders from the way of understanding Will rest in the assembly of the dead. 17One who loves pleasure will become a poor person; One who loves wine and oil will not become rich. 18The wicked is a ransom for the righteous, And the treacherous is in the place of the upright. 19It is better to live in a desert land Than with a contentious and irritating woman. 20There is precious treasure and oil in the home of the wise, But a foolish person swallows it up. 21One who pursues righteousness and loyalty Finds life, righteousness, and honor. 22A wise person scales the city of the mighty And brings down the stronghold in which they trust. 23One who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles. 24'Proud,' 'Arrogant,' 'Scoffer,' are his names, One who acts with insolent pride. 25The desire of the lazy one puts him to death, For his hands refuse to work; 26All day long he is craving, While the righteous gives and does not hold back. 27The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, How much more when he brings it with evil intent! 28A false witness will perish, But a person who listens will speak forever. 29A wicked person displays a bold face, But as for the upright, he makes his way sure. 30There is no wisdom, no understanding, And no plan against the Lord. 31The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But the victory belongs to the Lord.
Christian Standard Bible

New Living Translation

King James Version

New King James Version

1The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. 2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts. 3 To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. 4 A haughty look, a proud heart, And the plowing of the wicked are sin. 5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty. 6 Getting treasures by a lying tongue Is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death. 7The violence of the wicked will destroy them, Because they refuse to do justice. 8The way of a guilty man is perverse; But as for the pure, his work is right. 9Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, Than in a house shared with a contentious woman. 10 The soul of the wicked desires evil; His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes. 11When the scoffer is punished, the simple is made wise; But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge. 12The righteous God wisely considers the house of the wicked, Overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness. 13 Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor Will also cry himself and not be heard. 14A gift in secret pacifies anger, And a bribe behind the back, strong wrath. 15 It is a joy for the just to do justice, But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity. 16A man who wanders from the way of understanding Will rest in the assembly of the dead. 17He who loves pleasure will be a poor man; He who loves wine and oil will not be rich. 18The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, And the unfaithful for the upright. 19Better to dwell in the wilderness, Than with a contentious and angry woman. 20 There is desirable treasure, And oil in the dwelling of the wise, But a foolish man squanders it. 21 He who follows righteousness and mercy Finds life, righteousness, and honor. 22A wise man scales the city of the mighty, And brings down the trusted stronghold. 23 Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles. 24A proud and haughty man— “Scoffer” is his name; He acts with arrogant pride. 25The desire of the lazy man kills him, For his hands refuse to labor. 26He covets greedily all day long, But the righteous gives and does not spare. 27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; How much more when he brings it with wicked intent! 28A false witness shall perish, But the man who hears him will speak endlessly. 29A wicked man hardens his face, But as for the upright, he establishes his way. 30 There is no wisdom or understanding Or counsel against the Lord. 31The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance is of the Lord.

What does Proverbs chapter 21 mean?

Proverbs chapter 21 continues a long series of wise statements attributed to Solomon (Proverbs 10:1). Early comments in this passage remark on God's perfect knowledge of our innermost thoughts. Merely "doing" right is not enough to please God. He knows whether we act in arrogance or humility, and whether pious actions are motivated by worship, or selfishness. As do other parts of the book of Proverbs, this section extols the value of wisdom and warns against the consequences of sin and wickedness (Proverbs 21:1–16).

The second part of this chapter emphasizes the power of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7) as compared to the dangers of rejecting godliness. Living according to wisdom does not make a person invincible, but it greatly increases one's likelihood of success. This passage repeats God's intense disgust at those who try to whitewash their sin using sacrifices or other acts of service. God, and God alone, is ultimately in control of all things. This includes daily life and the victor on a battlefield (Proverbs 21:17–31).
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