Proverbs — Chapter 18
aMeaning of verse uncertain. Those who isolate themselves pursue their desires;They disdain all competence.
Fools do not desire understanding,But only to air their thoughts.
Along with the wicked comes derision,And with rogues, contempt.
The words a person speaks are deep waters,A flowing stream, a fountain of wisdom.
It is not right to be partial to the guiltyAnd subvert the innocent in judgment.
The words of fools lead to strife;Their speech invites blows.
The fools’ speech is their ruin;Their words are a trap for them.
The words of a grumbler are bruising;bbruising Meaning of Heb. uncertain. They penetrate one’s inmost parts.
One who is slack at workIs akincakin Lit. “a brother.” to a vandal.
GOD’s name is a tower of strengthTo which the righteous run and are safe.
The wealth of the rich is their fortress;In their fancydIn their fancy Meaning of Heb. uncertain. it is a protective wall.
Before ruin a person’s heart is proud;Humility goes before honor.
To answer before listening—This is foolish and disgraceful.
A person’s spirit can endure an illness;But low spirits—who can bear them?
The mind of an intelligent person acquires knowledge;The ears of the wise seek out knowledge.
A gift eases a person’s wayAnd gives access to the great.
The first to speak in court seems rightTill the other party cross-examines.
The lot puts an end to strifeAnd separates those locked in dispute.
A sibling offended is more formidable than a stronghold;Such strife is like the bars of a fortress.
A man’s belly is filled by the fruit of his mouth;He will be filled by the produce of his lips.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue;Those who love it will eat its fruit.
He who finds a wife has found happinessAnd has won GOD’s favor.
The pauper speaks in terms of mercy;The rich person’s answer is harsh.
There are companions to keep one company,And there is a friend more devoted than a sibling.
✦ Connected Across Traditions
The Golden Rule
Matthew 7:12
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
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 10:1
“All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.”
Divine Compassion & Mercy
Quran 1:1
“In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”
Luke 6:36
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
Snp 1.8
“As a mother would risk her life to protect her child, her only child, even so should one cultivate a limitless heart with regard to all beings.”
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 1
“One Universal Creator God. The Name Is Truth. Creative Being Personified. No Fear. No Hatred.”
Impermanence & Letting Go
Dhammapada 20:277
“All conditioned things are impermanent. When one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering.”
Tao Te Ching 76
“A man is born gentle and weak. At his death he is hard and stiff. The soft and yielding is the disciple of life.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.”
Bhagavad Gita 2:22
“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.”
The Path to Wisdom
Dhammapada 20:282
“Wisdom springs from meditation; without meditation wisdom wanes.”
Analects 2:11
“If you study the past and use it to understand the present, you are worthy of being a teacher.”
Tao Te Ching 33
“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.”
Quran 39:9
“Are those who know equal to those who do not know?”