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Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

¹ He who willfully separates himself from God and man seeks his own desire,
He ^(C1)quarrels against all sound wisdom.

² A closed-minded fool does not delight in understanding,
But only ^(C1)in revealing his personal opinions unwittingly displaying his self-indulgence and his stupidity.

³ When the wicked man comes to the depth of evil, contempt of all that is pure and good also comes,
And with inner baseness (dishonor) comes outer shame (scorn).

⁴ The words of a man's mouth are like ^(C1)deep waters copious and difficult to fathom;
The fountain of mature, godly wisdom is like a bubbling stream sparkling, fresh, pure, and life-giving.

⁵ To ^(C1)show respect to the wicked person is not good,
Nor to ^(C2)push aside and deprive the righteous of justice.

⁶ A fool's lips bring contention and strife,
And his mouth invites a ^(C1)beating.

⁷ A ^(C1)fool's mouth is his ruin,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.

⁸ The words of a whisperer (gossip) are like dainty morsels to be greedily eaten;
They go down into the innermost chambers of the body to be remembered and mused upon.

⁹ He who is ^(C1)careless in his work
^(C2)Is a brother to him who destroys.

¹⁰ The ^(C1)name of the LORD is a ^(C2)strong tower;
The righteous runs to it and ^(C3)is safe and set on high far above evil.

¹¹ The ^(C1)rich man's wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall of protection in his own imagination and conceit.

^12 (C1)Before disaster the heart of a man is haughty and filled with self-importance,
But ^(C2)humility comes before honor.

¹³ He who ^(C1)answers before he hears the facts—
It is folly and shame to him. ^(VR1)

¹⁴ The ^(C1)spirit of a man sustains him in sickness,
But as for a ^(C2)broken spirit, who can bear it?

¹⁵ The ^(C1)mind of the prudent always acquires knowledge,
And the ^(C2)ear of the wise always seeks knowledge.

¹⁶ A man's ^(C1)gift given in love or courtesy makes room for him
And brings him before great men. ^(VR1)

¹⁷ The first one to plead his case seems right,
Until another comes and cross-examines him.

^18 (F1)To cast ^(C1)lots puts an end to quarrels
And decides between powerful contenders.

¹⁹ A brother offended is harder to win over than a fortified city,
And contentions separating families are like the bars of a castle.

²⁰ A man's stomach will be satisfied with the ^(C1)fruit of his mouth;
^(C2)He will be satisfied with the consequence of his words.

^21 (C1)Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it and indulge it will eat its ^(C2)fruit and bear the consequences of their words. ^(VR1)

²² He who finds a ^(F1)true and faithful ^(C1)wife finds a good thing
And ^(C2)obtains favor and approval from the LORD. ^(VR1)

²³ The ^(C1)poor man pleads,
But the ^(C2)rich man ^(C3)answers roughly.

²⁴ The man of too many friends chosen indiscriminately will be broken in pieces and come to ruin,
But there is ^(C1)a true, loving friend who is reliable and sticks closer than a brother.