Proverbs 21:1-8

1 In the LORD’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.
2 A person may think their own ways are right, but the LORD weighs the heart.
3 To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart— the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin.
5 The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.
6 A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.[a]
7 The violence of the wicked will drag them away, for they refuse to do what is right.
8 The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

Cross References 8

  • 1. Esther 5:1; Jeremiah 39:11-12
  • 2. S Proverbs 16:2; Proverbs 24:12; Luke 16:15
  • 3. S 1 Samuel 15:22; Proverbs 15:8; Isaiah 1:11; Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:6-8
  • 4. S Job 41:34; Proverbs 6:17
  • 5. S Proverbs 10:4; Proverbs 28:22
  • 6. S Proverbs 10:2; 2 Peter 2:3
  • 7. S Proverbs 11:5
  • 8. S Proverbs 2:15

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts "vapor for those who seek death"
Scripture quoted by permission.  Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.  NIV®.  Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica.  All rights reserved worldwide.