{Hebrew: A balance of deceit.}A false balance is an abomination to Jehovah;
But a just weight is his delight.
When pride cometh, then cometh shame;
But with the lowly is wisdom.
The integrity of the upright shall guide them;
But the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.
Riches profit not in the day of wrath;
But righteousness delivereth from death.
The righteousness of the perfect shall {Or, make straight (or, plain)}direct his way;
But the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.
The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them;
But the treacherous shall be taken in their own iniquity.
When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish;
And the hope of {Or, strong men}iniquity perisheth.
The righteous is delivered out of trouble,
And the wicked cometh in his stead.
With his mouth the godless man destroyeth his neighbor;
But through knowledge shall the righteous be delivered.
When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth;
And when the wicked perish, there is shouting.
By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted;
But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
He that despiseth his neighbor is void of {Hebrew: heart.}wisdom;
But a man of understanding holdeth his peace.
He that goeth about as a tale-bearer revealeth secrets;
But he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth a matter.
Where no wise guidance is, the people falleth;
But in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.
He that is surety for a stranger {Hebrew: shall be sore broken.}shall smart for it;
But he that hateth {Hebrew: those that strike hands.}suretyship is secure.
A gracious woman obtaineth honor;
And violent men obtain riches.
The merciful man doeth good to his own soul;
But he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.
The wicked earneth deceitful wages;
But he that soweth righteousness hath a sure reward.
{Or, So righteousness tendeth to life, and he &c.}He that is stedfast in righteousness shall attain unto life;
And he that pursueth evil doeth it to his own death.
They that are perverse in heart are an abomination to Jehovah;
But such as are perfect in their way are his delight.
{Or, My hand upon it! Hebrew: Hand to hand.}Though hand join in hand, the evil man shall not be unpunished;
But the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.
As a ring of gold in a swine's snout,
So is a fair woman that {Hebrew: turneth aside from.}is without discretion.
The desire of the righteous is only good;
But the expectation of the wicked is {Or, arrogance}wrath.
There is that scattereth, and increaseth yet more;
And there is that withholdeth {Or, what is justly due}more than is meet, but it tendeth only to want.
The liberal soul shall be made fat;
And he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
He that withholdeth grain, the people shall curse him;
But blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.
He that diligently seeketh good seeketh favor;
But he that searcheth after evil, it shall come unto him.
He that trusteth in his riches shall fall;
But the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf.
He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind;
And the foolish shall be servant to the wise of heart.
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life;
And he that is wise winneth souls.
Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth:
How much more the wicked and the sinner!
Querverweise zu Sprüche 11,17 Spr 11,17
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.Blessed is he that considereth {Or, the weak}the poor:Jehovah will deliver him in the day of evil.
Jehovah will preserve him, and keep him alive,And he shall be blessed {Or, in the land}upon the earth;And deliver not thou him unto the will of his enemies.
Jehovah will support him upon the couch of languishing:Thou {Hebrew: turnest, or, changest.}makest all his bed in his sickness.
I said, O Jehovah, have mercy upon me:Heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.
He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house;But he that hateth bribes shall live.
Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness:He is gracious, and merciful, and righteous.
Well is it with the man that dealeth graciously and lendeth;He shall maintain his cause in judgment.
For he shall never be moved;The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance.
He shall not be afraid of evil tidings:His heart is fixed, trusting in Jehovah.
His heart is established, he shall not be afraid,Until he see his desire upon his adversaries.
He hath dispersed, he hath given to the needy;His righteousness endureth for ever:His horn shall be exalted with honor.
For he hath oppressed and forsaken the poor;He hath violently taken away a house, {Or, which he builded not}and he shall not build it up.
Because he knew no quietness {Or, in his greed Hebrew: in his belly.}within him,He shall not save aught of that wherein he delighteth.
There was nothing left that he devoured not;Therefore his prosperity shall not endure.
In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits:The hand of every one that is in misery shall come upon him.
{Or, Let it be for the filling of his belly that God shall cast &c.}When he is about to fill his belly,God will cast the fierceness of his wrath upon him,And will rain it upon him {Or, as his food}while he is eating.
And the instruments of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the {Or, poor}meek with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right.
There is one that is alone, and he hath not a second; yea, he hath neither son nor brother; yet is there no end of all his labor, neither are his eyes satisfied with riches. For whom then, saith he, do I labor, and deprive my soul of good? This also is vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.
But the noble deviseth noble things; and in {Or, by liberal things shall he stand}noble things shall he continue.
For judgment is without mercy to him that hath showed no mercy: mercy glorieth against judgment.
The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; and {Or, godly}merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away {Or, through wickedness}from the evil to come.
Come now, ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you.
Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.
Your gold and your silver are rusted; and their rust shall be for a testimony {Or, unto}against you, and shall eat your flesh as fire. Ye have laid up your treasure in the last days.
Behold, the hire of the laborers who mowed your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth out: and the cries of them that reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
Ye have lived delicately on the earth, and taken your pleasure; ye have nourished your hearts in a day of slaughter.
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy healing shall spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of Jehovah shall be thy rearward.
Then shalt thou call, and Jehovah will answer; thou shalt cry, and he will say, Here I am.If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking wickedly;
and if thou {Or, bestow on the hungry that which thy soul desireth}draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul: then shall thy light rise in darkness, and thine obscurity be as the noonday;
and Jehovah will guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in {Or, drought}dry places, and make strong thy bones; and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places; thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and {Or, redeem}break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if there may be {Or, as otherwise read, a healing of thine error}a lengthening of thy tranquillity.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
for I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in;
naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or athirst, and gave thee drink?
And when saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
And when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me.
give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again.
But this I say, He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth {Greek: with blessings. Compare verse 5.}bountifully shall reap also {Greek: with blessings. Compare verse 5.}bountifully.
Let each man do according as he hath purposed in his heart: not {Greek: of sorrow.}grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
And God is able to make all grace abound unto you; that ye, having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good work:
as it is written, {Psalm 112:9.}He hath scattered abroad, he hath given to the poor;His righteousness abideth for ever.
And he that supplieth seed to the sower and bread for food, shall supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness:
ye being enriched in everything unto all {Greek: singleness. Compare chapter 8:2.}liberality, which worketh through us thanksgiving to God.
For the ministration of this service not only filleth up the measure of the wants of the saints, but aboundeth also through many thanksgivings unto God;
seeing that through the proving of you by this ministration they glorify God for the obedience of your confession unto the {Greek: good tidings. See marginal note on chapter 2:12.}gospel of Christ, and for the {Greek: singleness. Compare chapter 8:2.}liberality of your contribution unto them and unto all;
while they themselves also, with supplication on your behalf, long after you by reason of the exceeding grace of God in you.
Not that I seek for the gift; but I seek for the fruit that increaseth to your account.