Proverbs 15:1-16 - Compare All Versions

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A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly. The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit. A fool spurns a parent’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence. The house of the righteous contains great treasure, but the income of the wicked brings ruin. The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but the hearts of fools are not upright. The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him. The LORD detests the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue righteousness. Stern discipline awaits anyone who leaves the path; the one who hates correction will die. Death and Destruction lie open before the LORD— how much more do human hearts! Mockers resent correction, so they avoid the wise. A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly. All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast. Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil.

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly. The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. A fool despises his father’s instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent. In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but trouble befalls the income of the wicked. The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but he loves him who pursues righteousness. There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way; whoever hates reproof will die. Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD; how much more the hearts of the children of man! A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the wise. A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed. The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly. All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast. Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it.

A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness. The LORD is watching everywhere, keeping his eye on both the evil and the good. Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. Only a fool despises a parent’s discipline; whoever learns from correction is wise. There is treasure in the house of the godly, but the earnings of the wicked bring trouble. The lips of the wise give good advice; the heart of a fool has none to give. The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but he delights in the prayers of the upright. The LORD detests the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue godliness. Whoever abandons the right path will be severely disciplined; whoever hates correction will die. Even Death and Destruction hold no secrets from the LORD. How much more does he know the human heart! Mockers hate to be corrected, so they stay away from the wise. A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit. A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash. For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast. Better to have little, with fear for the LORD, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil.

A gentle answer turns away anger,  but a harsh word stirs up wrath.  The tongue of the wise makes knowledge attractive, but the mouth of fools blurts out foolishness.  The eyes of the  LORD are everywhere, observing the wicked and the good.  The tongue that heals is a tree of life,  but a devious tongue  breaks the spirit. A fool despises his father’s discipline, but a person who accepts correction is sensible.  The house of the righteous has great wealth, but trouble accompanies the income of the wicked. The lips of the wise broadcast knowledge, but not so the heart of fools. The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the  LORD,  but the prayer of the upright is his delight.  The LORD detests the way of the wicked, but he loves the one who pursues righteousness.  Discipline is harsh for the one who leaves the path; the one who hates correction will die. Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the  LORD    —  how much more, human hearts.  A mocker doesn’t love one who corrects him;  he will not consult the wise. A joyful heart makes a face cheerful, but a sad heart produces a broken spirit.  A discerning mind seeks knowledge,  but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.  All the days of the oppressed are miserable, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast. Better a little with the fear of the  LORD than great treasure with turmoil.

A soft answer turneth away wrath: But grievous words stir up anger. The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: But the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness. The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Beholding the evil and the good. A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: But perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit. A fool despiseth his father's instruction: But he that regardeth reproof is prudent. In the house of the righteous is much treasure: But in the revenues of the wicked is trouble. The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: But the heart of the foolish doeth not so. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: But the prayer of the upright is his delight. The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD: But he loveth him that followeth after righteousness. Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: And he that hateth reproof shall die. Hell and destruction are before the LORD: How much more then the hearts of the children of men? A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him: Neither will he go unto the wise. A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: But the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness. All the days of the afflicted are evil: But he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast. Better is little with the fear of the LORD Than great treasure and trouble therewith.

A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good. A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit. A fool despises his father’s instruction, But he who receives correction is prudent. In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble. The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, But the heart of the fool does not do so. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But He loves him who follows righteousness. Harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way, And he who hates correction will die. Hell and Destruction are before the LORD; So how much more the hearts of the sons of men. A scoffer does not love one who corrects him, Nor will he go to the wise. A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness. All the days of the afflicted are evil, But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast. Better is a little with the fear of the LORD, Than great treasure with trouble.

A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire. Knowledge flows like spring water from the wise; fools are leaky faucets, dripping nonsense. GOD doesn’t miss a thing— he’s alert to good and evil alike. Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim. Moral dropouts won’t listen to their elders; welcoming correction is a mark of good sense. The lives of God-loyal people flourish; a misspent life is soon bankrupt. Perceptive words spread knowledge; fools are hollow—there’s nothing to them. GOD can’t stand pious poses, but he delights in genuine prayers. A life frittered away disgusts GOD; he loves those who run straight for the finish line. It’s a school of hard knocks for those who leave God’s path, a dead-end street for those who hate God’s rules. Even hell holds no secrets from GOD— do you think he can’t read human hearts? Know-it-alls don’t like being told what to do; they avoid the company of wise men and women. A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day. An intelligent person is always eager to take in more truth; fools feed on fast-food fads and fancies. A miserable heart means a miserable life; a cheerful heart fills the day with song. A simple life in the Fear-of-GOD is better than a rich life with a ton of headaches.

A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge pleasant, But the mouth of fools spouts foolishness. The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Watching the evil and the good. A soothing tongue is a tree of life, But perversion in it crushes the spirit. A fool rejects his father’s discipline, But he who complies with rebuke is sensible. Great wealth is in the house of the righteous, But trouble is in the income of the wicked. The lips of the wise spread knowledge, But the hearts of fools are not so. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But He loves the one who pursues righteousness. There is severe punishment for one who abandons the way; One who hates a rebuke will die. Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD, How much more the hearts of mankind! A scoffer does not love one who rebukes him; He will not go to the wise. A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken. The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness. All the days of the needy are bad, But a cheerful heart has a continual feast. Better is a little with the fear of the LORD Than great treasure, and turmoil with the treasure.

A soft and gentle and thoughtful answer turns away wrath, But harsh and painful and careless words stir up anger. [Prov 25:15] The tongue of the wise speaks knowledge that is pleasing and acceptable, But the [babbling] mouth of fools spouts folly. The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Watching the evil and the good [in all their endeavors]. [Job 34:21; Prov 5:21; Jer 16:17; 32:19; Heb 4:13] A soothing tongue [speaking words that build up and encourage] is a tree of life, But a perversive tongue [speaking words that overwhelm and depress] crushes the spirit. A [flippant, arrogant] fool rejects his father’s instruction and correction, But he who [is willing to learn and] regards and keeps in mind a reprimand acquires good sense. Great and priceless treasure is in the house of the [consistently] righteous one [who seeks godly instruction and grows in wisdom], But trouble is in the income of the wicked one [who rejects the laws of God]. The lips of the wise spread knowledge [sifting it as chaff from the grain]; But the hearts of [shortsighted] fools are not so. The sacrifice of the wicked is hateful and exceedingly offensive to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight! [Is 1:11; Jer 6:20; Amos 5:22] The way [of life] of the wicked is hateful and exceedingly offensive to the LORD, But He loves one who pursues righteousness [personal integrity, moral courage and honorable character]. There is severe discipline for him who turns from the way [of righteousness]; And he who hates correction will die. Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) and Abaddon (the abyss, the place of eternal punishment) lie open before the LORD— How much more the hearts and inner motives of the children of men. [Job 26:6; Ps 139:8; Rev 9:2; 20:1, 2] A scoffer [unlike a wise man] resents one who rebukes him and tries to teach him; Nor will he go to the wise [for counsel and instruction]. A heart full of joy and goodness makes a cheerful face, But when a heart is full of sadness the spirit is crushed. [Prov 17:22] The mind of the intelligent and discerning seeks knowledge and eagerly inquires after it, But the mouth of the [stubborn] fool feeds on foolishness. [Is 32:6] All the days of the afflicted are bad, But a glad heart has a continual feast [regardless of the circumstances]. Better is a little with the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the LORD Than great treasure and trouble with it. [Ps 37:16; Prov 16:8; 1 Tim 6:6]

A gentle response turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath. The tongue of the wise treats knowledge correctly, but the mouth of the fool spouts out folly. The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on those who are evil and those who are good. Speech that heals is like a life-giving tree, but a perverse tongue breaks the spirit. A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds reproof shows good sense. In the house of the righteous is abundant wealth, but the income of the wicked brings trouble. The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but not so the heart of fools. The LORD abhors the sacrifices of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him. The LORD abhors the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue righteousness. Severe discipline is for the one who abandons the way; the one who hates reproof will die. Death and Destruction are before the LORD – how much more the hearts of humans! The scorner does not love one who corrects him; he will not go to the wise. A joyful heart makes the face cheerful, but by a painful heart the spirit is broken. The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on folly. All the days of the afflicted are bad, but one with a cheerful heart has a continual feast. Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth and turmoil with it.