11:1  A FALSE balance {and} unrighteous dealings are extremely offensive {and} shamefully sinful to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight.

11:2  When swelling {and} pride come, then emptiness {and} shame come also, but with the humble (those who are lowly, who have been pruned or chiseled by trial, and renounce self) are skillful {and} godly Wisdom {and} soundness.

11:3  The integrity of the upright shall guide them, but the willful contrariness {and} crookedness of the treacherous shall destroy them.

11:4  Riches provide no security in any day of wrath {and} judgment, but righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God) delivers from death.

11:5  The righteousness of the blameless shall rectify {and} make plain their way {and} keep it straight, but the wicked shall fall by their own wickedness.

11:6  The righteousness of the upright [their rectitude in every area and relation] shall deliver them, but the treacherous shall be taken in their own iniquity {and} greedy desire.

11:7  When the wicked man dies, his hope [for the future] perishes; and the expectation of the godless comes to nothing.

11:8  The [uncompromisingly] righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked gets into it instead.

11:9  With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge {and} superior discernment shall the righteous be delivered.

11:10  When it goes well with the [uncompromisingly] righteous, the city rejoices, but when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

11:11  By the blessing of the influence of the upright {and} God's favor [because of them] the city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

11:12  He who belittles {and} despises his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding keeps silent.

11:13  He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy {and} faithful in spirit keeps the matter hidden.

11:14  Where no wise guidance is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

11:15  He who becomes security for an outsider shall smart for it, but he who hates suretyship is secure [from its penalties].

11:16  A gracious {and} good woman wins honor [for her husband], and violent men win riches {but} {a woman who hates righteousness is a throne of dishonor for him}.

11:17  The merciful, kind, {and} generous man benefits himself [for his deeds return to bless him], but he who is cruel {and} callous [to the wants of others] brings on himself retribution.

11:18  The wicked man earns deceitful wages, but he who sows righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation) shall have a sure reward [permanent and satisfying].

11:19  He who is steadfast in righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God) attains to life, but he who pursues evil does it to his own death.

11:20  They who are willfully contrary in heart are extremely disgusting {and} shamefully vile in the eyes of the Lord, but such as are blameless {and} wholehearted in their ways are His delight!

11:21  Assuredly [I pledge it] the wicked shall not go unpunished, but the multitude of the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall be delivered.

11:22  As a ring of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman who is without discretion.

11:23  The desire of the [consistently] righteous brings only good, but the expectation of the wicked brings wrath.

11:24  There are those who [generously] scatter abroad, and yet increase more; there are those who withhold more than is fitting {or} what is justly due, but it results only in want.

11:25  The liberal person shall be enriched, and he who waters shall himself be watered.

11:26  The people curse him who holds back grain [when the public needs it], but a blessing [from God and man] is upon the head of him who sells it.

11:27  He who diligently seeks good seeks [God's] favor, but he who searches after evil, it shall come upon him.

11:28  He who leans on, trusts in, {and} is confident in his riches shall fall, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like a green bough.

11:29  He who troubles his own house shall inherit the wind, and the foolish shall be servant to the wise of heart.

11:30  The fruit of the [uncompromisingly] righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise captures human lives [for God, as a fisher of men--he gathers and receives them for eternity].

11:31  Behold, the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall be recompensed on earth; how much more the wicked and the sinner! {And} {if the righteous are barely saved, what will become of the ungodly and wicked?}