ERV -Proverbs Chapter 16 to 17

16 People make their plans. But it is the Lord who makes those things happen. ²A person thinks everything he does is right. But the Lord judges the real reasons people do things. ³Always turn to the Lord for help in everything you do, and you will be successful. ⁴The Lord has a plan for everything. And in the Lord’s plan, evil people will be destroyed. ⁵The Lord hates every person who thinks that he is better than other people. The Lord will surely punish all those proud people. ⁶True love and loyalty will make you pure.* Respect the Lord, and you will stay far away from evil. ⁷If a person is living a good life, pleasing to the Lord, then even that person’s enemies will be at peace with him. ⁸It is better to gain only a little the right way than to gain much through cheating. ⁹A person can make plans about the things that he wants to do. But it is the Lord who decides what will happen. ¹⁰When a king speaks, his words are law. His decisions should always be fair. ¹¹The Lord wants all scales and balances to be honest. He wants all business agreements to be fair. ¹²Kings hate people who do evil. Goodness will make his kingdom stronger. ¹³Kings want to hear the truth. Kings like people who don’t lie. ¹⁴When a king is angry, he can kill someone. And a wise person will try to keep the king happy. ¹⁵When the king is happy, life will be better for everyone. If the king is pleased with you, then it will be like spring rain falling from a cloud. ¹⁶Wisdom is worth much more than gold. Understanding is worth much more than silver. ¹⁷Good people live their lives trying to stay away from evil. The person who is careful with his life, is guarding his soul. ¹⁸If a person is proud, then he is in danger of destruction. If a person thinks he is better than other people, then he is in danger of defeat. ¹⁹It is better to be humble and live with poor people than to share wealth with people who think they are better than other people. ²⁰The person who listens when people try to teach him will profit. And the person who trusts in the Lord will be blessed. ²¹People will know if a person is wise. And a person that carefully chooses his words can be very persuasive. ²²Wisdom brings true life to people who have it. But fools only learn to be more foolish. ²³A wise man always thinks before he speaks. And the words he says are good and worth hearing. ²⁴Kind words are like honey. They are easy to accept and good for your health. ²⁵There is a way that seems right to people. But that way leads only to death. ²⁶A worker’s appetite keeps him working. His hunger makes him work so that he can eat. ²⁷A worthless person plans bad things to do. His advice destroys like fire. ²⁸A troublemaker is always causing problems. That person spreads gossip and causes trouble between close friends. ²⁹A troublemaker causes a lot of trouble for his friends. He will lead them in a way that is not good. ³⁰That person winks his eye while planning something destructive. He smiles while he is planning to hurt his neighbor. ³¹Gray hair is the crown of glory on people who have lived good lives. ³²It is better to be patient than to be a strong soldier. It is better to control your anger than to take control over a whole city. ³³People throw lots* to make decisions. But the decisions always come from God.

make … pure Or, “make atonement.” The Hebrew word means “to cover or erase a person’s sins.” lots Sticks, stones, or pieces of bone used like dice for making decisions.

17 It is better to have only a dry piece of bread to eat in peace than to have a whole house full of food with everyone arguing. ²A smart servant will gain control over his master’s foolish son. That wise servant will be treated like a son and get a share of the inheritance. ³Gold and silver are put into fire to make them pure. But the Lord is the One who makes peoples’ hearts pure. ⁴An evil person listens to the evil things other people say. People who tell lies also listen to lies. ⁵Some people make fun of poor people. They laugh at people who have problems. This shows that those bad people don’t respect God who made them. These bad people will be punished. ⁶Grandchildren make old people happy. And children are proud of their parents. ⁷It is not wise for a fool to speak too much. In the same way, it is not wise for a ruler to tell lies. ⁸Some people think a bribe is like a lucky charm—wherever they go, it seems to work. ⁹If you forgive a person who does wrong to you, then you can be friends. But if you continue to remember the wrong that he did, then it will hurt your friendship. ¹⁰A smart person learns from the things he does wrong. But a fool learns nothing, even after a hundred lessons. ¹¹An evil person only wants to do wrong. In the end, God will send a messenger to punish him. ¹²It is very dangerous to meet a mother bear that is angry because her cubs are stolen. But that is better than to meet a fool that is busy doing his foolishness. ¹³Don’t do bad things to people who do good things to you. If you do, then you will have trouble for the rest of your life. ¹⁴If you start an argument, it is like breaking a hole in a dam. So stop the argument before it becomes bigger and bigger. ¹⁵The Lord hates these two things—punishing someone that has done nothing wrong, and forgiving someone that is guilty. ¹⁶If a foolish person has money, it is wasted. Why? Because that foolish person does not use the money to become wise. ¹⁷A friend loves at all times. A true brother always supports you, even in times of trouble. ¹⁸Only a fool will promise to be responsible for another person’s debts. ¹⁹A troublemaker loves to start arguments. A person that likes to brag is setting himself up for a fall. Both of them will end up in trouble.* ²⁰A crooked person will not get a good profit. A liar will get into bad trouble. ²¹A father with a foolish son will be very sad. A fool’s father won’t be happy. ²²Happiness is like good medicine. But sorrow is like a sickness. ²³An evil person accepts secret payment for cheating other people. ²⁴The wise man is always thinking of the best thing to do. But a foolish person is always dreaming about faraway places. ²⁵A foolish son brings sorrow to his father. And a foolish son brings sadness to the mother that gave birth to him. ²⁶It is wrong to punish a person who has done nothing wrong. It is wrong to punish leaders when they are honest. ²⁷A wise person uses words carefully. A wise person does not become angry easily. ²⁸Even a fool seems wise if he keeps quiet. People think he is wise if he doesn’t say anything.

A troublemaker ... in trouble This parable is hard to translate because of several word plays in Hebrew.