Proverbs 11:1-16

GOD hates cheating in the marketplace; he loves it when business is aboveboard. The stuck-up fall flat on their faces, but down-to-earth people stand firm. The integrity of the honest keeps them on track; the deviousness of crooks brings them to ruin. A thick bankroll is no help when life falls apart, but a principled life can stand up to the worst. Moral character makes for smooth traveling; an evil life is a hard life. Good character is the best insurance; crooks get trapped in their sinful lust. When the wicked die, that’s it— the story’s over, end of hope. A good person is saved from much trouble; a bad person runs straight into it. The loose tongue of the godless spreads destruction; the common sense of the godly preserves them. When it goes well for good people, the whole town cheers; when it goes badly for bad people, the town celebrates. When right-living people bless the city, it flourishes; evil talk turns it into a ghost town in no time. Mean-spirited slander is heartless; quiet discretion accompanies good sense. A gadabout gossip can’t be trusted with a secret, but someone of integrity won’t violate a confidence. Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances. Whoever makes deals with strangers is sure to get burned; if you keep a cool head, you’ll avoid rash bargains. A woman of gentle grace gets respect, but men of rough violence grab for loot.