Proverbs 16

¹It pertaineth to man to prepare the heart: and to our Lord to govern the tongue.

²All the ways of man are open to his eyes: our Lord is the weigher of spirits.

³Reveal thy works to our Lord: and thy cogitations shall be directed.

⁴Our Lord hath wrought all things for himself: the impious also to the evil day.

⁵Every arrogant man is an abomination to our Lord: although hand shall be to hand he is not innocent. The beginning of a good way, is to do justice: and it is more acceptable with God, than to immolate hosts.

⁶By mercy and truth iniquity is redeemed: and in the fear of our Lord evil is avoided.

⁷When the ways of man shall please our Lord, he will convert also his enemies to peace.

⁸Better is a little with justice, than much fruit with iniquity.

⁹The heart of man disposeth his way: but it pertaineth to our Lord to direct his progress.

¹⁰Divination is in the lips of the king, his mouth shall not err in judgment.

¹¹Weight and balance are judgments of our Lord: and his work all the stones of the bag.

¹²They are abominable to the king that do impiously: because the throne is established by justice.

¹³The will of kings are just lips: he that speaketh right things shall be beloved.

¹⁴The king's indignation, messengers of death: and the wise man will pacify it.

¹⁵In the cheerfulness of the king's countenance is life: and his clemency is as the later shower.

¹⁶Possess wisdom, because it is better than gold: and get prudence, because it is more precious than silver.

¹⁷The path of the just avoideth evils: the keeper of his soul keepeth his way.

¹⁸Pride goeth before destruction, and before ruin the spirit shall be exalted.

¹⁹It is better to be humbled with the meek, than to divide spoils with the proud.

²⁰The learned in word shall find good things: and he that hopeth in our Lord, is blessed.

²¹He that is wise in heart, shall be called prudent: and he that is sweet in speech shall find greater things.

²²A fountain of life the learning of him that possesseth it: the doctrine of fools foolishness.

²³The heart of the wise shall instruct his mouth: and shall add grace to his lips.

²⁴Well set words are a honey comb: sweetness of the soul the health of the bones.

²⁵There is a way that seemeth to a man right: and the later ends thereof lead to death.

²⁶The soul of him that laboureth doth labour to himself, because his mouth hath compelled him.

²⁷The impious man diggeth evil, and in his lips fire burneth.

²⁸A perverse man raiseth contentions: and one full of words separateth Princes.

²⁹An unjust man allureth his friend: and leadeth him by a way not good.

³⁰He that with astonished eyes thinketh wicked things, biting his lips bringeth evil to pass.

³¹A crown of dignity old age, which shall be found in the ways of justice.

³²Better is the patient than a strong man: and he that ruleth his mind, than the overthrower of cities.

³³Lots are cast into the bosom, but they are ordered of our Lord.