Proverbs 11:16-26

16 A ¹gracious woman attains honor, And ruthless men attain riches.

17 The ²merciful man does himself good, But the cruel man does himself harm.

18 The wicked earns deceptive wages, But he who ³sows righteousness gets a true reward.

19 He who is steadfast in ⁴righteousness will attain to life, And ⁵he who pursues evil will bring about his own death.

20 The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD, But the ⁶blameless in their walk are His ⁷delight.

21 Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished, But the descendants of the righteous will be delivered.

22 As a ⁸ring of gold in a swine's snout So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

23 The desire of the righteous is only good, But the ⁹expectation of the wicked is wrath.

24 There 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 want.

25 The ¹⁰generous man will be prosperous, And he who ¹¹waters will himself be watered.

26 He who withholds grain, the ¹²people will curse him, But ¹³blessing will be on the head of him who ¹⁴sells it.

Cross References

• 1. Proverbs 31:28, 30
• 2. Matthew 5:7; Matthew 25:34-36
• 3. Hosea 10:12; Galatians 6:8, 9; James 3:18
• 4. Proverbs 10:16; Proverbs 12:28; Proverbs 19:23
• 5. Proverbs 21:16; Romans 6:23; James 1:15
• 6. Psalms 119:1; Proverbs 13:6
• 7. 1 Chronicles 29:17
• 8. Genesis 24:47
• 9. Proverbs 10:28; Romans 2:8, 9
• 10. Proverbs 3:9, 10; 2 Corinthians 9:6, 7
• 11. Matthew 5:7
• 12. Proverbs 24:24
• 13. Job 29:13
• 14. Genesis 42:6

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "good to his own soul"
• [b] Lit "troubles his flesh"
• [c] Lit "way"
• [d] Lit "Hand to hand"
• [e] Lit "seed"
• [f] Lit "taste"
• [g] Lit "soul of blessing"
• [h] Lit "made fat"