Proverbs 18

A friend closer than a brother

An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.a ²Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.b ³When wickedness comes, so does contempt, and with shame comes reproach.

⁴The words of the mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream. ⁵It is not good to be partial to the wicked and so deprive the innocent of justice. ⁶The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating.

⁷The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives.c ⁸The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts. ⁹One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.d

¹⁰The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.e ¹¹The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it a wall too high to scale. ¹²Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.f

¹³To answer before listening— that is folly and shame.g ¹⁴The human spirit can endure in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?h ¹⁵The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.i

¹⁶A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great. ¹⁷In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.j ¹⁸Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart.

¹⁹A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city; disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel. ²⁰From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied. ²¹The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.k

²²He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.l ²³The poor plead for mercy, but the rich answer harshly. ²⁴One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.m