Proverbs 18

¹One who isolates himself pursues selfish desires;

he rebels against all sound judgment.

²A fool does not delight in understanding,

but only wants to show off his opinions.

³When a wicked man comes, contempt also does,

and along with dishonor, disgrace.

⁴The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters,[#Pr 20:5]

a flowing river, a fountain of wisdom.

⁵It is not good to show partiality to the guilty[#Lv 19:15; Dt 1:17; 24:17; Ps 15:5; 82:2; Pr 24:23-24; 28:21]

by perverting the justice due the innocent.

⁶A fool’s lips lead to strife,

and his mouth provokes a beating.

⁷A fool’s mouth is his devastation,

and his lips are a trap for his life.

⁸A gossip’s words are like choice food

that goes down to one’s innermost being.

⁹The one who is truly lazy in his work

is brother to a vandal.

¹⁰The name of Yahweh is a strong tower;[#Ps 18:2; 61:3; 91:2; 144:2]

the righteous run to it and are protected.

¹¹A rich man’s wealth is his fortified city;

in his imagination it is like a high wall.

¹²Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud,[#Pr 16:18]

but humility comes before honor.

¹³The one who gives an answer before he listens —

this is foolishness and disgrace for him.

¹⁴A man’s spirit can endure sickness,

but who can survive a broken spirit?

¹⁵The mind of the discerning acquires knowledge,

and the ear of the wise seeks it.

¹⁶A gift opens doors for a man[#Lit gift makes room]

and brings him before the great.

¹⁷The first to state his case seems right

until another comes and cross-examines him.

¹⁸Casting the lot ends quarrels[#Pr 16:33]

and separates powerful opponents.

¹⁹An offended brother is harder to reach[#LXX, Syr, Tg, Vg read is stronger]

than a fortified city,

and quarrels are like the bars of a fortress.

²⁰From the fruit of his mouth a man’s stomach is satisfied;

he is filled with the product of his lips.

²¹Life and death are in the power of the tongue,

and those who love it will eat its fruit.

²²A man who finds a wife finds a good thing[#Pr 12:4; 19:14; 31:10-31]

and obtains favor from the Lord .

²³The poor man pleads,[#Pr 19:7]

but the rich one answers roughly.

²⁴A man with many friends may be harmed,[#Some LXX mss, Syr, Tg, Vg read friends must be friendly]

but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.