Judaism
Proverbs 12
Text
Whoso loveth knowledge loveth correction; But he that is brutish hateth reproof.
A good man shall obtain favour of the LORD; But a man of wicked devices will He condemn.
A man shall not be established by wickedness; But the root of the righteous shall never be moved.
A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband; But she that doeth shamefully is as rottenness in his bones.
The thoughts of the righteous are right; But the counsels of the wicked are deceit.
The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood; But the mouth of the upright shall deliver them. .
The wicked are overthrown, and are not; But the house of the righteous shall stand.
A man shall be commended according to his intelligence; But he that is of a distorted understanding shall be despised.
Better is he that is lightly esteemed, and hath a servant, Than he that playeth the man of rank, and lacketh bread.
A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast; But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
He that tilleth his ground shall have plenty of bread; But he that followeth after vain things is void of understanding.
The wicked desireth the prey of evil men; But the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.
In the transgression of the lips is a snare to the evil man; But the righteous cometh out of trouble.
A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, And the doings of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him.
The way of a fool is straight in his own eyes; But he that is wise hearkeneth unto counsel.
A fool’s vexation is presently known; But a prudent man concealeth shame.
He that breatheth forth truth uttereth righteousness; But a false witness deceit.
There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword; But the tongue of the wise is health.
The lip of truth shall be established for ever; But a lying tongue is but for a moment.
Deceit is in the heart of them that devise evil; But to the counsellors of peace is joy.
There shall no mischief befall the righteous; But the wicked are filled with evil.
Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD; But they that deal truly are His delight. .
A prudent man concealeth knowledge; But the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.
The hand of the diligent shall bear rule; But the slothful shall be under tribute.
Care in the heart of a man boweth it down; But a good word maketh it glad.
The righteous is guided by his friend; But the way of the wicked leadeth them astray.
The slothful man shall not hunt his prey; But the precious substance of men is to be diligent.
In the way of righteousness is life, And in the pathway thereof there is no death.
Text: The Holy Scriptures, Jewish Publication Society (1917), public domain, via Sefaria.
✦ Connected Across Traditions
The Golden Rule
Matthew 7:12
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.”
Hadith (An-Nawawi 13)
“None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.”
Mahabharata 5.1517
“One should never do to another what one regards as injurious to oneself.”
Dhammapada 129 (trans. Bhikkhu Sujato)
“All tremble at the rod, all fear death. Treating others like oneself, neither kill nor incite to kill.”
Impermanence & Letting Go
Dhammapada 20:277 (trans. F. Max Müller)
“‘All created things perish,’ he who knows and sees this becomes passive in pain; this is the way to purity.”
Tao Te Ching 76 (trans. James Legge)
“Man at his birth is supple and weak; at his death, firm and strong. (So it is with) all things. Trees and plants, in their early growth, are soft and brittle; at their death, dry and withered.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2 (trans. Edwin Arnold)
“Nay, but as when one layeth His worn-out robes away, And taking new ones, sayeth, "These will I wear to-day!" So putteth by the spirit Lightly its garb of flesh, And passeth to inherit A residence afresh.”
The Path to Wisdom
Dhammapada 20:282 (trans. Bhikkhu Sujato)
“From meditation springs wisdom, without meditation, wisdom ends.”
Analects 2:11 (trans. James Legge)
“If a man keeps cherishing his old knowledge, so as continually to be acquiring new, he may be a teacher of others.”
Tao Te Ching 33 (trans. James Legge)
“He who knows other men is discerning; he who knows himself is intelligent.”
Quran 39:9
“Are those who know equal with those who know not?”
Good vs Evil / Light vs Darkness
Yasna 30:3
“Now the two primal Spirits, who reveal themselves as Twins, are the Better and the Bad, in thought and word and action.”
John 1:5
“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
Dhammapada 2 (trans. Bhikkhu Sujato)
“Intention is the leader of things; intention is first, they’re made by intention. If with pure intent you speak or act, happiness follows you like a shadow that never leaves.”
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16 (trans. Edwin Arnold)
“The Doors of Hell Are threefold, whereby men to ruin pass, The door of Lust, the door of Wrath, the door Of Avarice. Let a man shun those three!”