1The proverbs of Solomon.
         A wise son makes a father glad,
         But a foolish son is a grief to his mother.

2Ill-gotten gains do not profit,
         But righteousness delivers from death.

3The LORD will not allow the righteous to hunger,
         But He will reject the craving of the wicked.

4Poor is he who works with a negligent hand,
         But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

5He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely,
         But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully.

6Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
         But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

7The memory of the righteous is blessed,
         But the name of the wicked will rot.

8The wise of heart will receive commands,
         But a babbling fool will be ruined.

9He who walks in integrity walks securely,
         But he who perverts his ways will be found out.

10He who winks the eye causes trouble,
         And a babbling fool will be ruined.

11The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
         But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

12Hatred stirs up strife,
         But love covers all transgressions.

13On the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found,
         But a rod is for the back of him who lacks understanding.

14Wise men store up knowledge,
         But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.

15The rich man’s wealth is his fortress,
         The ruin of the poor is their poverty.

16The wages of the righteous is life,
         The income of the wicked, punishment.

17He is on the path of life who heeds instruction,
         But he who ignores reproof goes astray.

18He who conceals hatred has lying lips,
         And he who spreads slander is a fool.

19When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable,
         But he who restrains his lips is wise.

20The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver,
         The heart of the wicked is worth little.

21The lips of the righteous feed many,
         But fools die for lack of understanding.

22It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich,
         And He adds no sorrow to it.

23Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool,
         And so is wisdom to a man of understanding.

24What the wicked fears will come upon him,
         But the desire of the righteous will be granted.

25When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more,
         But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.

26Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
         So is the lazy one to those who send him.

27The fear of the LORD prolongs life,
         But the years of the wicked will be shortened.

28The hope of the righteous is gladness,
         But the expectation of the wicked perishes.

29The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the upright,
         But ruin to the workers of iniquity.

30The righteous will never be shaken,
         But the wicked will not dwell in the land.

31The mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom,
         But the perverted tongue will be cut out.

32The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable,
         But the mouth of the wicked what is perverted.

Parallel Verses

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish son is a grief to his mother.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
The proverbs of Solomon:+b A wise son makes his father happy, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.

King James Bible
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.

Douay-Rheims Bible
A wise son maketh the father glad: but a foolish son is the sorrow of his mother.

Darby Bible Translation
The Proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father; but a foolish son is the grief of his mother.

English Revised Version
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.

Webster's Bible Translation
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.

World English Bible
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.

Young's Literal Translation
Proverbs of Solomon. A wise son causeth a father to rejoice, And a foolish son is an affliction to his mother.

Cross References

1 Kings 4:32 He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005.

Proverbs 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:

Proverbs 13:1 A wise son accepts his father's discipline, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

Proverbs 15:20 A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish man despises his mother.

Proverbs 17:21 He who sires a fool does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool has no joy.

Proverbs 17:25 A foolish son is a grief to his father And bitterness to her who bore him.

Proverbs 23:24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who sires a wise son will be glad in him.

Proverbs 27:11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, That I may reply to him who reproaches me.

Proverbs 29:3 A man who loves wisdom makes his father glad, But he who keeps company with harlots wastes his wealth.

Proverbs 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.

Proverbs 29:17 Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; He will also delight your soul.

Commentary

Matthew Henry's Whole Bible Commentary

Chapter 10

Hitherto we have been in the porch or preface to the proverbs, here they begin. They are short but weighty sentences; most of them are distichs, two sentences in one verse, illustrating each other; but it is seldom that there is any coherence between the verses, much less any thread of discourse, and therefore in these chapters we need not attempt to reduce the contents to their proper heads, the several sentences will appear best in their own places. The scope of them all is to set before us good and evil, the blessing and the curse. Many of the proverbs in this chapter relate to the good government of the tongue, without which men's religion is vain.

Verse 1

Solomon, speaking to us as unto children, observes here how much the comfort of parents, natural, political, and ecclesiastical, depends upon the good behaviour of those under their charge, as a reason, 1. Why parents should be careful to give their children a good education, and to train them up in the ways of religion, which, if it obtain the desired effect, they themselves will have the comfort of it, or, if not, they will have for their support under their heaviness that they have done their duty, have done their endeavour. 2. Why children should conduct themselves wisely and well, and live up to their good education, that they may gladden the hearts of their parents, and not sadden them. Observe, (1.) It adds to the comfort of young people that are pious and discreet that thereby they do something towards recompensing their parents for all the care and pains they have taken with them, and occasion pleasure to them in the evil days of old age, when they most need it; and it is the duty of parents to rejoice in their children's wisdom and well-doing, yea, though it arrive at such an eminency as to eclipse them. (2.) It adds to the guilt of those that conduct themselves ill that thereby they grieve those whom they ought to be a joy to, and are a heaviness particularly to their poor mothers who bore them with sorrow, but with greater sorrow see them wicked and vile.

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New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org.

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The Folly of Slander. Part 1.
"He that uttereth slander is a fool."--Prov. x. 18. General declamations against vice and sin are indeed excellently useful, as rousing men to consider and look about them: but they do often want effect, because they only raise confused apprehensions of things, and indeterminate propensions to action; which usually, before men thoroughly perceive or resolve what they should practise, do decay and vanish. As he that cries out "Fire!" doth stir up people, and inspireth them with a kind of hovering …
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In the discussion of this subject, I shall show-- I. What constitute the sanctions of law. 1. The sanctions of law are the motives to obedience, the natural and the governmental consequences or results of obedience and of disobedience. 2. They are remuneratory, that is, they promise reward to obedience. 3. They are vindicatory, that is, they threaten the disobedient with punishment. 4. They are natural, that is, happiness is to some extent naturally connected with, and the necessary consequence of, …
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Proverbs
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