Proverbs 11

²Pride always leads to shame. Humility is where wisdom lives. The person who thinks too highly of themselves will fall. But the humble one keeps growing in wisdom.

³Living with integrity guides you on the right path. But disobeying God and twisting the truth will destroy you. Good character leads you safely forward.

⁴Money and riches cannot save you when God judges. Only righteousness can deliver you from death. On your most important day, only how you lived before God matters.

⁵The person who lives rightly will have their path directed by God. But the wicked person will be tripped up and fall by their own wrong choices.

⁶The righteous person is delivered — rescued — by their own upright living. But those who keep disobeying God get caught in their own doing wrong.

⁷When a wicked person dies, every hope they had dies with them. Their plans and wishes all come to nothing. Only those who trust God have real hope beyond death.

⁸God delivers the righteous person out of trouble. And the wicked person steps into that same trouble in their place. God's protection on the righteous is real.

⁹A hypocrite uses words to hurt and destroy the people around them. But the just person — who knows truth — is protected. Words have great power to harm or to save.

¹⁰When good and righteous people do well, the whole city is happy! And when wicked people are removed from power, people shout with relief. Righteousness blesses everyone around it.

¹¹The blessing that comes through upright people lifts a whole city up. But the wicked person's words can tear a whole city down. Character shapes communities.

¹²A foolish person looks down on and despises those around them. But a wise person with understanding knows when to stay quiet. Wisdom speaks carefully — or not at all.

¹³A person who gossips shares secrets that were never theirs to tell. But a faithful, trustworthy person keeps a secret safe. Being trustworthy with private things is a mark of true friendship.

¹⁴When people refuse to listen to wise advice, things go wrong. But when many wise people give their counsel together, there is safety in that. Never think you already know everything.

¹⁵If you promise to pay someone else's debts without knowing them well, you will be hurt by it. But the person who avoids risky financial promises stays safe. Be wise with your money commitments.

¹⁶A gracious woman holds on to honour and respect through her kindness and character. Strong and diligent men hold on to the things they have worked for. Character retains what it earns.

¹⁷Being merciful and kind to others actually does good to your own soul. But cruelty and harshness harm your own life from the inside. Kindness is a gift you give yourself too.

¹⁸The wicked person works hard at deception — but that work leads nowhere good. The person who sows righteousness, however, will receive a sure and certain reward from God.

¹⁹Righteousness leads to life. This is certain. But evil is a road that ends in death. Those who chase after evil are chasing their own destruction without knowing it.

²⁰A twisted and disobedient heart is an abomination to God — He hates what it produces. But the person who walks uprightly before God is His delight. God cares about our hearts, not just our actions.

²¹Even if many wicked people join together and make a pact, they will not escape God's punishment. But the children of the righteous will be delivered and kept safe by God.

²²A gold ring in a pig's snout looks completely wrong. Beauty without wisdom and careful thinking is just as out of place. Real beauty includes wisdom and godly character.

²³What the righteous person wants is only good — their desires are shaped by God. But what the wicked person expects to receive is wrath and judgment. Our desires reveal who we truly are.

²⁴Some people give generously and keep getting more. Others hold tightly to what they have — and end up with less. This is God's upside-down economy: generosity grows, hoarding shrinks.

²⁵The generous person will be richly satisfied — their own soul will be nourished. The one who waters others will themselves be watered. You cannot out-give God.

²⁶The person who hoards grain when people are hungry will be cursed by those around them. But the one who makes food available will be blessed by all. Hoarding in a time of need is cruel.

²⁷The person who keeps looking for ways to do good will find favour with God and people. But whoever keeps looking for trouble will find trouble coming right back at them.

²⁸Trusting in money and riches will cause you to fall. But the righteous person will flourish and grow like a healthy, living branch on a tree. God is a better foundation than gold.

²⁹A person who causes trouble inside their own family will end up with nothing — only wind to hold. And the fool will end up serving the wise person. What you build in your home matters.

³⁰The righteous person produces fruit that gives life — like a tree of life to those around them. And the person who cares about others knowing God is truly wise. Share the good news of God with others.

³¹Even the righteous receive consequences for their actions here on earth. How much more, then, will the wicked and the sinner receive what they deserve! God's justice is real — even now, not just later.