Immerse: Poets Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 243
21:1-17
P ro v er b s
The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord;
he guides it wherever he pleases.
People may be right in their own eyes,
but the Lord examines their heart.
The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just
than when we offer him sacrifices.
Haughty eyes, a proud heart,
and evil actions are all sin.
Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity,
but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.
Wealth created by a lying tongue
is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap.
The violence of the wicked sweeps them away,
because they refuse to do what is just.
The guilty walk a crooked path;
the innocent travel a straight road.
It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic
than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home.
Evil people desire evil;
their neighbors get no mercy from them.
If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded become wise;
if you instruct the wise, they will be all the wiser.
The Righteous One knows what is going on in the homes of the
wicked;
he will bring disaster on them.
Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor
will be ignored in their own time of need.
A secret gift calms anger;
a bribe under the table pacifies fury.
Justice is a joy to the godly,
but it terrifies evildoers.
The person who strays from common sense
will end up in the company of the dead.
Those who love pleasure become poor;
those who love wine and luxury will never be rich.
231
