Wise children bring joy to their father,
but foolish children bring grief to their mother.
2 Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value,
but righteousness delivers from death.
3 The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry,
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
4 Lazy hands make for poverty,
but diligent hands bring wealth.
5 He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son,
but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.
6 Blessings crown the head of the righteous,
but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.
7 The name of the righteous is used in blessings,
but the name of the wicked will rot.
8 The wise in heart accept commands,
but a chattering fool comes to ruin.
9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.
10 Whoever winks maliciously causes grief,
and a chattering fool comes to ruin.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up dissension,
but love covers over all wrongs.
13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
but a rod is for the back of one who has no sense.
14 The wise store up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.
15 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city,
but poverty is the ruin of the poor.
16 The wages of the righteous is life,
but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death.
Questions to consider:
- Which of the pieces of wisdom offered in this passage feels most relevant for your life?
- Do you see a common theme in the proverbs offered here?
- What does it mean for the wages of the righteous to be life, when we know that Jesus paid the price to cover over our sin--and we are often NOT righteous?
Possibilities for prayer:
Verse 12 speaks strongly to the power of love: it covers over all wrongs. That’s a pretty intense statement for Solomon to make, especially in the pre-Jesus context. We have a model for what real love looks like, and 1 Corinthians 13 pretty clearly spells it out for us. But even hundreds of years before Jesus would walk this earth, there was an understanding of the deep power that love has. Let’s thank God for the power of this love and ask that He would continue to show us what that true, deep love looks like, and how to use it best in this world.
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