The Berean Pursuit

The wisest of women builds her house,
    but the foolish tears it down with her hands.
He who walks in uprightness fears Yahweh,
    but he who is devious in his ways displeases him.
In the mouth of a fool is the rod of pride,
    but the lips of the wise preserve them.
When there are no oxen the manger is empty,
    but an abundance of crops comes by the strength of an ox.
A faithful witness does not lie,
    but he who breathes out falsehood is a witness of deceit.
A scoffer seeks wisdom, but there is none,
    but knowledge comes easily to him who understands.
Leave the presence of a foolish man,
    for you will not come to know words of knowledge.
The wisdom of the clever is understanding his ways,
    but the folly of fools is deceit.
Fools mock the guilt offering,
    but among the upright, it is favorable.
The heart knows the bitterness of its soul,
    but in its joy, it will not share itself with a stranger.
The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
    but the tent of the upright will flourish.
There is a way that seems upright to a man,
    but its end is the way of death.
Even in laughter, a heart may be sad,
    and the end of joy may be grief.
From his ways, the perverse of heart will be satisfied,
    and from his own, so shall a good man.
The simple will believe every word,
    but the clever will consider his step.
The wise is cautious and turns from evil,
    but the fool throws off restraint and is confident.
He who is short of temper will act foolishly,
    and the man who schemes will be hated.
The simple are adorned with folly,
    but the clever are crowned with knowledge.
The evil bow down before the good,
    and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
The poor is disliked even by his neighbor,
    but the lovers of the rich are many.
He who despises his neighbor is a sinner,
    but he who has mercy on the poor blesses him.
Have they not erred, those who plan evil?
    But loyalty and faithfulness belong to those who plan good.
In all toil, there is profit,
    but the talk of lips leads only to poverty.
The crown of the wise is their wealth;
    the folly of fools is folly.
He who saves lives is a witness of truth,
    but he who utters lies is a betrayer.
In the fear of Yahweh, there is confidence of strength,
    and for his children, there will be refuge.
The fear of Yahweh is a fountain of life,
    in order to turn from the snares of death.
In the multitude of people is the glory of the king,
    but without a population, a prince is ruined.
He who is slow to anger has great understanding,
    but the hasty of spirit exalts folly.
A heart of tranquility is life to the flesh,
    but causes bones of passion to rot.
He who oppresses the poor insults him who made him,
    but he who has mercy on the poor honors him.
By his evildoing, the wicked will be overthrown,
    and the righteous will find refuge in his death.
In the heart of him who has understanding, wisdom rests,
    but even in the midst of fools it becomes known.
Righteousness will exalt a nation,
    but sin is a reproach to a people.
The favor of a king is for the servant who deals wisely,
    but his wrath will be on him who acts shamefully.

A soft answer will turn away wrath,
    but a word of trouble will stir anger.
The tongue of the wise will dispense knowledge,
    but the mouth of fools will pour out folly.
In every place, the eyes of Yahweh
    keep watch over the evil and the good.
Gentleness of tongue is a tree of life,
    but perverseness in it causes a break in spirit.
A fool will despise the instruction of his father,
    but he who guards reproof is prudent.
In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
    but the income of the wicked brings trouble.
The lips of the wise will spread knowledge,
    but the heart of fools, not so.
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination of Yahweh,
    but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
An abomination of Yahweh is the way of the wicked,
    but he who pursues righteousness he will love.
Severe discipline belongs to him who forsakes the way;
    he who hates a rebuke will die.
Sheol and Abaddon are before Yahweh,
    how much more the hearts of the children of men!
A scoffer does not like his rebuke;
    to the wise he will not go.
A heart of gladness will make good countenance,
    but in sorrow of heart a spirit is broken.
The heart of him who understands will seek knowledge,
    but the faces of fools, they will feed on folly.
All the days of the poor are hard,
    but goodness of heart is a continuous feast.
Better is little with the fear of Yahweh
    than great treasure and trouble with it.
Better is a dinner of vegetables when love is there
    than a fattened ox and hatred with it.
A man who is hot-tempered will stir up strife,
    but he who is slow to anger, he will calm contention.
The way of the lazy is like a hedge of thorns,
    but the path of the upright is a highway.
A child of wisdom will make a father glad,
    but a foolish person, he despises his mother.
Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense,
    and a person of understanding will walk upright.
Plans go wrong when there is no counsel,
    but with many advisors it will succeed.
Joy belongs to a man with answers in his mouth,
    and a word in its time, how good it is!
The path of life leads upward for him who has insight,
    in order to turn away from Sheol below.
The house of the proud, Yahweh will tear it down,
    but he will maintain the property line of the widow.
Plans of evil are an abomination of Yahweh,
    but gracious words are pure.
He who makes trouble for his house is he who is greedy for unjust gain,
    but he who hates bribes will live.
A heart of righteousness will ponder the answer,
    but a mouth of wickedness will pour out deceit.
Yahweh is far from the wicked,
    but the prayers of the righteous he will hear.
From the light of the eyes, the heart will rejoice,
    and good news will enliven the bones.
The ear of him who listens to admonitions of life,
    in the midst of the wise it will lodge.
He who ignores instruction despises himself,
    but he who hears admonition gains heart.
Fear of Yahweh is the instruction of the wise,
    and before honor comes humility.

"As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me,
and every tongue will praise God."