Proverbs 21:5-15

5 The plans of the diligent only [lead] to abundance, but all who are hasty, only to want.

6 He who makes treasure by a lying tongue [is a] fleeting vapor [and] seeker of death.

7 The violence of the wicked will sweep them away, for they refuse to do justice.

8 Crooked is the way of a man and a foreigner, but the pure [is] upright [in] his conduct.

9 Better to dwell on the corner of a roof than [to] share a house with a woman of contention.

10 The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor will not find mercy in his eyes.

11 With the punishment of a scoffer, the simple will become wise, and with the instruction of the wise, he will obtain knowledge.

12 The righteous observes the house of the wicked; he throws the wicked to ruin.

13 He who closes his ear from the cry of the poor, he also will cry out and not be heard.

14 A gift in secret will avert {anger}, and a {concealed bribe}, strong wrath.

15 [It is] a joy to the righteous to do justice, but dismay to those who do evil.

Proverbs 21:5-15 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]. Hebrew "seekers"
• [b]. Or "wife"
• [c]. Or "soul, life, throat"
• [d]. Hebrew "the secret"
• [e]. Literally "nostril"
• [f]. Literally "bribe in the bosom"