11:1 The LORD hates anyone who cheats, but he likes everyone who is honest. |
11:2 Too much pride can put you to shame. It's wiser to be humble. |
11:3 If you do the right thing, honesty will be your guide. But if you are crooked, you will be trapped by your own dishonesty. |
11:4 When God is angry, money won't help you. Obeying God is the only way to be saved from death. |
11:5 If you are truly good, you will do right; if you are wicked, you will be destroyed by your own sin. |
11:6 Honesty can keep you safe, but if you can't be trusted, you trap yourself. |
11:7 When the wicked die, their hopes die with them. |
11:8 Trouble goes right past the LORD's people and strikes the wicked. |
11:9 Dishonest people use gossip to destroy their neighbors; good people are protected by their own good sense. |
11:10 When honest people prosper and the wicked disappear, the whole city celebrates. |
11:11 When God blesses his people, their city prospers, but deceitful liars can destroy a city. |
11:12 It's stupid to say bad things about your neighbors. If you are sensible, you will keep quiet. |
11:13 A gossip tells everything, but a true friend will keep a secret. |
11:14 A city without wise leaders will end up in ruin; a city with many wise leaders will be kept safe. |
11:15 It's a dangerous thing to guarantee payment for someone's debts. Don't do it! |
11:16 A gracious woman will be respected, but a man must work hard to get rich. |
11:17 Kindness is rewarded-- but if you are cruel, you hurt yourself. |
11:18 Meanness gets you nowhere, but goodness is rewarded. |
11:19 Always do the right thing, and you will live; keep on doing wrong, and you will die. |
11:20 The LORD hates sneaky people, but he likes everyone who lives right. |
11:21 You can be sure of this: All crooks will be punished, but God's people won't. |
11:22 A beautiful woman who acts foolishly is like a gold ring on the snout of a pig. |
11:23 Good people want what is best, but troublemakers hope to stir up trouble. |
11:24 Sometimes you can become rich by being generous or poor by being greedy. |
11:25 Generosity will be rewarded: Give a cup of water, and you will receive a cup of water in return. |
11:26 Charge too much for grain, and you will be cursed; sell it at a fair price, and you will be praised. |
11:27 Try hard to do right, and you will win friends; go looking for trouble, and you will find it. |
11:28 Trust in your wealth, and you will be a failure, but God's people will prosper like healthy plants. |
11:29 Fools who cause trouble in the family won't inherit a thing. They will end up as slaves of someone with good sense. |
11:30 Live right, and you will eat from the life-giving tree. And if you act wisely, others will follow. |
11:31 If good people are rewarded here on this earth, all who are cruel and mean will surely be punished. |