Proverbs 21:1-8

1 The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. He directs it like a stream of water anywhere he pleases.

2 Everything a man does might seem right to him. But the LORD knows what he is thinking.

3 Do what is right and fair. The LORD accepts that more than sacrifices.

4 Proud eyes and a proud heart are the lamp of sinful people. But those things are evil.

5 The plans of people who work hard succeed. You can be sure that those in a hurry will become poor.

6 A fortune made by people who tell lies amounts to nothing and leads to death.

7 The harmful things that evil people do will drag them away. They refuse to do what is right.

8 The path of those who are guilty is crooked. But the conduct of those who are not guilty is honest.

Proverbs 21:1-8 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.