Proverbs 21:7-17

7 The violence of the wicked will sweep them away, for they refuse to do justice.

8 Crooked is the way of a man and a foreigner, but the pure [is] upright [in] his conduct.

9 Better to dwell on the corner of a roof than [to] share a house with a woman of contention.

10 The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor will not find mercy in his eyes.

11 With the punishment of a scoffer, the simple will become wise, and with the instruction of the wise, he will obtain knowledge.

12 The righteous observes the house of the wicked; he throws the wicked to ruin.

13 He who closes his ear from the cry of the poor, he also will cry out and not be heard.

14 A gift in secret will avert {anger}, and a {concealed bribe}, strong wrath.

15 [It is] a joy to the righteous to do justice, but dismay to those who do evil.

16 Whoever wanders from the way of understanding, in the assembly of the dead he will rest.

17 A man of want [is] he who loves pleasure; he who loves wine and oil will not become rich.

Proverbs 21:7-17 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "wife"
• [b]. Or "soul, life, throat"
• [c]. Hebrew "the secret"
• [d]. Literally "nostril"
• [e]. Literally "bribe in the bosom"
• [f]. Or "Rephaim"
• [g]. Or "fat"