UNROLL
Early morning inside a town gate: two older men in wool tunics on a stone bench, one speaking and one listening with his head bent, a staff against the stone.

Solomon’s sayings

Proverbs 10

Two lines at a time, and a lot of them are about what comes out of your mouth.

32 verses≈ 4 minBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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Where we are

  1. 1–7The father's talksWhy the book exists, then a father to his son
  2. 8–9Wisdom callsHer house and Folly's
  3. 10–22:16Solomon's sayingsTwo lines at a timeChapter 10
  4. 22:17–24The sayings of the wiseThirty sayings, and a few more
  5. 25–29Hezekiah's collectionMore of Solomon, copied out later
  6. 30AgurNumbered sayings from a weary man
  7. 31LemuelA mother's words, and the noble wife

Solomon’s Proverbs: The Wise Son

The proverbs of Solomon:

A wise son brings joy to his father,

but a foolish son grief to his mother.

Tap to go deeper: meaning, history and related Scripture

Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing,

but righteousness brings deliverance from death.

Sayings

Mouths and memories

  1. Words

    Blessing or hidden violence

    Blessings are on the head of the righteous,

    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

  2. Wisdom

    A name that lasts

    The memory of the righteous is a blessing,

    but the name of the wicked will rot.

  3. A heart that receives

    A wise heart will receive commandments,

    but foolish lips will come to ruin.

  4. Justice

    The secure walk

    He who walks in integrity walks securely,

    but he who perverts his ways will be found out.

  5. Words

    The wink

    He who winks the eye causes grief,

    and foolish lips will come to ruin.

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,

but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

Hatred stirs up dissension,

but love covers all transgressions.

Proverbs 10:12

Reflect

Let it lie

Is there a quarrel you could let lie this week? Who is it with, and what would it take to stop bringing it up?

Sayings

What each one stores up

  1. Words

    Lips and a rod

    Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,

    but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.

  2. Wisdom

    Storing up knowledge

    The wise store up knowledge,

    but the mouth of the fool invites destruction.

  3. Money

    What money protects

    The wealth of the rich man is his fortified city,

    but poverty is the ruin of the poor.

  4. Work

    Where the wages lead

    The labor of the righteous leads to life,

    but the gain of the wicked brings punishment.

  5. Wisdom

    Heeding reproof

    Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,

    but he who ignores reproof goes astray.

By charcoal glow a silversmith's hands tip a small clay crucible with two green sticks, a thin bright stream of molten silver running into a stone mold, the dross skimmed aside.

The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,

and whoever spreads slander is a fool.

When words are many, sin is unavoidable,

but he who restrains his lips is wise.

The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,

but the heart of the wicked has little worth.

The lips of the righteous feed many,

but fools die for lack of judgment.

0:23

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

he who restrains his lips is wise

Question

Quick question

Nearly every saying so far turns on one small word.

What does “but” usually do in these sayings?

A tall column of dust crosses a stony valley toward a flattened reed shelter, while a stone house on rock beyond it stands untouched in flat bright light.

Sayings

What lasts

  1. The LORD

    The LORD’s blessing

    The blessing of the LORD enriches,

    and He adds no sorrow to it.

  2. Wisdom

    What each delights in

    The fool delights in shameful conduct,

    but a man of understanding has wisdom.

  3. The LORD

    Dread and desire

    What the wicked man dreads will overtake him,

    but the desire of the righteous will be granted.

  4. After the whirlwind

    When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more,

    but the righteous are secure forever.

Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,

so is the slacker to those who send him.

The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be cut short.

Sayings

The end of each road

  1. The LORD

    Hope and expectation

    The hope of the righteous is joy,

    but the expectations of the wicked will perish.

  2. The way of the LORD

    The way of the LORD is a refuge to the upright,

    but destruction awaits those who do evil.

  3. Who stays in the land

    The righteous will never be shaken,

    but the wicked will not inhabit the land.

  4. Words

    Wisdom or a cut tongue

    The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,

    but a perverse tongue will be cut out.

  5. Knowing what fits

    The lips of the righteous know what is fitting,

    but the mouth of the wicked is perverse.

Pray

A guard on my mouth

Ask God to set a guard on your mouth today. Ask for fewer words and truer ones, and for love in place of stirring things up. Name one person your words could feed.

You’ve experienced

Proverbs 10

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A verse to carry with you

Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers all transgressions.

Proverbs 10:12

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