Proverbs 10:4-24

4 Sloth makes you poor; diligence brings wealth.

5 Make hay while the sun shines - that's smart; go fishing during harvest - that's stupid.

6 Blessings accrue on a good and honest life, but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.

7 A good and honest life is a blessed memorial; a wicked life leaves a rotten stench.

8 A wise heart takes orders; an empty head will come unglued.

9 Honesty lives confident and carefree, but Shifty is sure to be exposed.

10 An evasive eye is a sign of trouble ahead, but an open, face-to-face meeting results in peace.

11 The mouth of a good person is a deep, life-giving well, but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.

12 Hatred starts fights, but love pulls a quilt over the bickering.

13 You'll find wisdom on the lips of a person of insight, but the shortsighted needs a slap in the face.

14 The wise accumulate knowledge - a true treasure; know-it-alls talk too much - a sheer waste. The Road to Life Is a Disciplined Life

15 The wealth of the rich is their bastion; the poverty of the indigent is their ruin.

16 The wage of a good person is exuberant life; an evil person ends up with nothing but sin.

17 The road to life is a disciplined life; ignore correction and you're lost for good.

18 Liars secretly hoard hatred; fools openly spread slander.

19 The more talk, the less truth; the wise measure their words.

20 The speech of a good person is worth waiting for; the blabber of the wicked is worthless.

21 The talk of a good person is rich fare for many, but chatterboxes die of an empty heart. Fear-of-God Expands Your Life

22 God's blessing makes life rich; nothing we do can improve on God.

23 An empty-head thinks mischief is fun, but a mindful person relishes wisdom.

24 The nightmares of the wicked come true; what the good people desire, they get.

Proverbs 10:4-24 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PROVERBS 10

From this chapter to the "twenty fifth" are various proverbial sentences, without any very apparent connection or coherence with each other; describing righteous and wicked men; setting forth their different temper, conduct, and actions, and the fruits and effects of them. It should be observed, that frequently in the preceding chapters two persons are represented as women; one goes by the name of "Wisdom", the other is called the "foolish" woman and a "harlot"; the former is clearly to be understood of Christ; and the latter, being opposed to him, must be antichrist, the whore of Rome, and mother of harlots: now in the following part of this book two sorts of persons are spoken of; the one as wise, righteous, good and the other as foolish, wicked, &c. who are no other than the followers of Christ and antichrist; which observation is a key to the whole book.