Proverbs 21:9-21

9 It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home.

10 Evil people desire evil; their neighbors get no mercy from them.

11 If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded become wise; if you instruct the wise, they will be all the wiser.

12 The Righteous One knows what is going on in the homes of the wicked; he will bring disaster on them.

13 Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.

14 A secret gift calms anger; a bribe under the table pacifies fury.

15 Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers.

16 The person who strays from common sense will end up in the company of the dead.

17 Those who love pleasure become poor; those who love wine and luxury will never be rich.

18 The wicked are punished in place of the godly, and traitors in place of the honest.

19 It’s better to live alone in the desert than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife.

20 The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get.

21 Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor.

Proverbs 21:9-21 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 The righteous man.