微读圣经

The Wise Sayings of Solomon

An Honest Life Is Immortal

1Wise son, glad father;

stupid son, sad mother.

2Ill-gotten gain gets you nowhere;

an honest life is immortal.

3 God won’t starve an honest soul,

but he frustrates the appetites of the wicked.

4Sloth makes you poor;

diligence brings wealth.

5Make hay while the sun shines—that’s smart;

go fishing during harvest—that’s stupid.

6Blessings accrue on a good and honest life,

but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.

7A good and honest life is a blessed memorial;

a wicked life leaves a rotten stench.

8A wise heart takes orders;

an empty head will come unglued.

9Honesty lives confident and carefree,

but Shifty is sure to be exposed.

10An evasive eye is a sign of trouble ahead,

but an open, face-to-face meeting results in peace.

11The mouth of a good person is a deep, life-giving well,

but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.

12Hatred starts fights,

but love pulls a quilt over the bickering.

13You’ll find wisdom on the lips of a person of insight,

but the shortsighted needs a slap in the face.

14The wise accumulate knowledge—a true treasure;

know-it-alls talk too much—a sheer waste.

The Road to Life Is a Disciplined Life

15The wealth of the rich is their security;

the poverty of the indigent is their ruin.

16The wage of a good person is exuberant life;

an evil person ends up with nothing but sin.

17The road to life is a disciplined life;

ignore correction and you’re lost for good.

18Liars secretly hoard hatred;

fools openly spread slander.

19The more talk, the less truth;

the wise measure their words.

20The speech of a good person is worth waiting for;

the blabber of the wicked is worthless.

21The talk of a good person is rich fare for many,

but chatterboxes die of an empty heart.

Fear-of-God Expands Your Life

22 God’s blessing makes life rich;

nothing we do can improve on God.

23An empty-head thinks mischief is fun,

but a mindful person relishes wisdom.

24The nightmares of the wicked come true;

what the good people desire, they get.

25When the storm is over, there’s nothing left of the wicked;

good people, firm on their rock foundation, aren’t even fazed.

26A lazy employee will give you nothing but trouble;

it’s vinegar in the mouth, smoke in the eyes.

27The Fear-of-God expands your life;

a wicked life is a puny life.

28The aspirations of good people end in celebration;

the ambitions of bad people crash.

29 God is solid backing to a well-lived life,

but he calls into question a shabby performance.

30Good people last—they can’t be moved;

the wicked are here today, gone tomorrow.

31A good person’s mouth is a clear fountain of wisdom;

a foul mouth is a stagnant swamp.

32The speech of a good person clears the air;

the words of the wicked pollute it.