{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 11,24 Spr 11,24
The wicked earneth deceitful wages;But he that soweth righteousness hath a sure reward.
Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto Jehovah,And his good deed will he pay him again.
Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did {Or, blow it away}blow upon it. Why? saith Jehovah of hosts. Because of my house that lieth waste, while ye run every man to his own house.
Therefore {Or, over you}for your sake the heavens withhold the dew, and the earth withholdeth its fruit.
And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the grain, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labor of the hands.
He that augmenteth his substance by interest and increase,Gathereth it for him that hath pity on the poor.
{Hebrew: since those days were.}Through all that time, when one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten; when one came to the winevat to draw out fifty vessels, there were but twenty.
I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the work of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith Jehovah.
Consider, I pray you, from this day and backward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, since the day that the foundation of Jehovah's temple was laid, consider it.
Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, the vine, and the fig-tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive-tree have not brought forth; from this day will I bless you.
Thou shalt surely give him, and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all thy work, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto.
He hath dispersed, he hath given to the needy;His righteousness endureth for ever:His horn shall be exalted with honor.
{Or, Send forth}Cast thy bread {Hebrew: upon the face of the waters}upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days.
{Or, Divide a portion into seven, yea, even into eight}Give a portion to seven, yea, even unto eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand; for thou knowest not which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.
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.
And the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send {Greek: for ministry. Compare chapter 6:1.}relief unto the brethren that dwelt in Judea:
which also they did, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.
I thought it necessary therefore to entreat the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your aforepromised {Greek: blessing.}bounty, that the same might be ready as a matter of bounty, and not of {Or, covetousness}extortion.
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.