Proverbs 18:6-24

6 The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating.

7 The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives.

8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.

9 One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.

10 The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it a wall too high to scale.

12 Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.

13 To answer before listening— that is folly and shame.

14 The human spirit can endure in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?

15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.

16 A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.

17 In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.

18 Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart.

19 A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city; disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.

20 From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.

21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

22 He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD.

23 The poor plead for mercy, but the rich answer harshly.

24 One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Cross References

• 1. S Proverbs 10:14
• 2. Psalms 140:9
• 3. S Psalms 64:8; S Proverbs 10:14; S Proverbs 12:13; S Proverbs 13:3; Ecclesiastes 10:12
• 4. Proverbs 26:22
• 5. Proverbs 28:24
• 6. 2 Samuel 22:3; S Psalms 61:3
• 7. S Psalms 20:1; Proverbs 14:26
• 8. Proverbs 10:15
• 9. S Proverbs 11:2; Proverbs 15:33; S Proverbs 16:18
• 10. Proverbs 20:25; John 7:51
• 11. S Proverbs 15:13; S Proverbs 17:22
• 12. S Proverbs 15:14
• 13. S Genesis 32:13; S 1 Samuel 10:4; Proverbs 19:6; Genesis 32:20
• 14. S Proverbs 16:33
• 15. S 1 Samuel 17:28
• 16. S Proverbs 12:14
• 17. S Psalms 12:4
• 18. Proverbs 13:2-3; S Matthew 12:37
• 19. S Proverbs 12:4
• 20. S Job 33:26; Proverbs 19:14; Proverbs 31:10
• 21. S 1 Samuel 20:42; Proverbs 17:17; John 15:13-15