God Speaks
The Lord detests the use of dishonest scales,
but he delights in accurate weights.
2 Pride leads to disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom.
3 Honesty guides good people;
dishonesty destroys treacherous people.
4 Riches won’t help on the day of judgment,
but right living can save you from death.
5 The godly are directed by honesty;
the wicked fall beneath their load of sin.
6 The godliness of good people rescues them;
the ambition of treacherous people traps them.
7 When the wicked die, their hopes die with them,
for they rely on their own feeble strength.
8 The godly are rescued from trouble,
and it falls on the wicked instead.
9 With their words, the godless destroy their friends,
but knowledge will rescue the righteous.
10 The whole city celebrates when the godly succeed;
they shout for joy when the wicked die.
11 Upright citizens are good for a city and make it prosper,
but the talk of the wicked tears it apart.
12 It is foolish to belittle one’s neighbor;
a sensible person keeps quiet.
13 A gossip goes around telling secrets,
but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.
14 Without wise leadership, a nation falls;
there is safety in having many advisers.
15 There’s danger in putting up security for a stranger’s debt;
it’s safer not to guarantee another person’s debt.
16 A gracious woman gains respect,
but ruthless men gain only wealth.
17 Your kindness will reward you,
but your cruelty will destroy you.
18 Evil people get rich for the moment,
but the reward of the godly will last.
19 Godly people find life;
evil people find death.
20 The Lord detests people with crooked hearts,
but he delights in those with integrity.
21 Evil people will surely be punished,
but the children of the godly will go free.
22 A beautiful woman who lacks discretion
is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.
23 The godly can look forward to a reward,
while the wicked can expect only judgment.
24 Give freely and become more wealthy;
be stingy and lose everything.
25 The generous will prosper;
those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
26 People curse those who hoard their grain,
but they bless the one who sells in time of need.
27 If you search for good, you will find favor;
but if you search for evil, it will find you!
28 Trust in your money and down you go!
But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.
29 Those who bring trouble on their families inherit the wind.
The fool will be a servant to the wise.
30 The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life;
a wise person wins friends.
31 If the righteous are rewarded here on earth,
what will happen to wicked sinners?
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: For purpose of study in comparison and contrast, Proverbs 11 is presented here with the good or godly statements in italic.
1. The LORD detests the use of dishonest scales, but He delights in accurate weights.
2. Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
3. Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people.
4. Riches won’t help on the day of judgment, but right living can save you from death.
5. The godly are directed by honesty; the wicked fall beneath their load of sin.
6. The godliness of good people rescues them; the ambition of treacherous people traps them.
7. When the wicked die, their hopes die with them, for they rely on their own feeble strength.
8. The godly are rescued from trouble, and it falls on the wicked instead.
9. With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous.
10. The whole city celebrates when the righteous succeed; they shout for joy when the wicked die.
11. Upright citizens are good for a city and make it prosper, but the talk of the wicked tears it apart.
12. It is foolish to belittle one’s neighbor; a sensible person keeps quiet.
13. A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.
14. Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers.
15. There is danger in putting up security for a stranger’s debt; it’s safer not to guarantee another’s debt.
16. A gracious woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth.
17. Your kindness will reward you, but your cruelty will destroy you.
18. Evil people get rich for the moment, but the reward of the godly will last.
19. Godly people find life; evil people find death.
20. The LORD detests people with crooked hearts, but He delights in those with integrity.
21. Evil people will surely be punished, but the children of the godly will go free.
22. A beautiful woman who lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.
23. The godly can look forward to a reward, while the wicked can expect only judgment.
24. Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything.
25. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
26. People curse those who hoard their grain, but they bless the one who sells in time of need.
27. If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you!
28. Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.
29. Those who bring trouble on their families inherit the wind. The fool will be a servant to the wise.
30. The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life; a wise person wins friends. [or and those who win souls are wise.]*
31. If the righteous are rewarded here on earth, what will happen to wicked sinners? [Greek version reads If the righteous are barely saved, / what will happen to godless sinners?] *
* The One Year Bible: Pray for America Bible edition, NLT 2020 p. 339, (emphasis in original).
Consider the following questions regarding Proverbs 11
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
1. God is the One who determines what is wise and what is wicked.
2. People who ignore or rebel against the LORD God and His ways and commands are both foolish and wicked.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Proverbs 11?
Dear LORD God, thank You that, although not one of us as human beings can be holy, or righteous, or godly, or wise on our own, You have provided salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection. You also provided the Scriptures to inform us and the Holy Spirit to enable us to do according to Your plans and purposes. Holy Spirit, please help me to pay attention to and obey God’s instructions. Please help me to forsake pride and pursue humility, to search for goodness that leads to favor and life, to avoid falsehood that leads to calamity and death, to be gracious and receive respect vs being ruthless and gaining only empty wealth. May I be generous and prosper as well as refreshing others and be refreshed in return. I desire to give freely and not to be stingy. Most of all, I determine to be wise and good, not foolish, or wicked. All for the glory of Your name, O LORD, AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Proverbs 11? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will increase my giving to my local congregation.
- I will look for a way to show respect (not ridicule) to leaders with whom I may disagree, then act on it.
- I will search for at least one good action every day this week and praise it.
- I will be careful to be completely honest as I fill out my tax forms.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.