Proverbs 21:13-23

13 Whoever ignores the poor when they cry for help will also cry for help and not be answered.

14 A secret gift will calm an angry person; a present given in secrecy will quiet great anger.

15 When justice is done, good people are happy, but evil people are ruined.

16 Whoever does not use good sense will end up among the dead.

17 Whoever loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and perfume will never be rich.

18 Wicked people will suffer instead of good people, and those who cannot be trusted will suffer instead of those who do right.

19 It is better to live alone in the desert than with a quarreling and complaining wife.

20 Wise people's houses are full of the best foods and olive oil, but fools waste everything they have.

21 Whoever tries to live right and be loyal finds life, success, and honor.

22 A wise person can defeat a city full of warriors and tear down the defenses they trust in.

23 Those who are careful about what they say keep themselves out of trouble.

Proverbs 21:13-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 9

This chapter relates a second vision Solomon had at Gibeon, in which he received an answer to his prayer in the preceding chapter, 1Ki 9:1-9 that passed between him and Hiram king of Tyre, 1Ki 9:10-14, the places that Solomon built or repaired, 1Ki 9:15-19, the Canaanitish people that became bondmen to him, and the officers he had among the children of Israel, 1Ki 9:20-23 the removal of Pharaoh's daughter to the house built for her, 1Ki 9:24. Solomon's attention to religious services, 1Ki 9:25 and the navy of ships he employed, which brought him in great riches, 1Ki 9:26-28.