Proverbs 21:1-9

1 The 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.

7 The violence of the wicked will destroy them, Because they refuse to do justice.

8 The way of a guilty man is perverse; But as for the pure, his work is right.

9 Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

Proverbs 21:1-9 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 lamp
• [b] Septuagint reads Pursue vanity on the snares of death; Vulgate reads Is vain and foolish, and shall stumble on the snares of death; Targum reads They shall be destroyed, and they shall fall who seek death.
• [c] Literally drag them away
• [d] Or The way of a man is perverse and strange