UNROLL
A small heap of silver lumps and plain rings on a worn wool cloth on a stone ledge, a stone weight beside it, a calm plastered wall above.

Solomon’s sayings

Proverbs 11

What does your money say about you when nobody is checking the weights?

31 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 11
  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

Dishonest Scales

A seller holds up a hand-held beam balance, a dome-shaped stone in one pan and small lumps of silver in the other, the beam level, as a buyer watches.

Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD,

but an accurate weight is His delight.

Tap to go deeper: meaning, history and related Scripture

When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom.

Sayings

How each life turns out

  1. Justice

    Integrity as a guide

    The integrity of the upright guides them,

    but the perversity of the faithless destroys them.

  2. Money

    Worthless on that day

    Riches are worthless in the day of wrath,

    but righteousness brings deliverance from death.

  3. Justice

    A straight path

    The righteousness of the blameless directs their path,

    but the wicked fall by their own wickedness.

  4. Temptation

    Caught by desire

    The righteousness of the upright delivers them,

    but the faithless are trapped by their own desires.

  5. Hope that dies

    When the wicked man dies, his hope perishes,

    and the hope of his strength vanishes.

  6. Justice

    Trouble changes hands

    The righteous man is delivered from trouble;

    in his place the wicked man goes in.

  7. Words

    Mouth or knowledge

    With his mouth the ungodly man destroys his neighbor,

    but through knowledge the righteous are rescued.

When the righteous thrive, the city rejoices,

and when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

By the blessing of the upright a city is built up,

but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.

Reflect

Check your own balance

Where is your own balance off, even slightly? A price, a promise, a story told a little in your favor. Name it, and set the weight right.

Sayings

Neighbors and strangers

  1. Words

    Contempt and silence

    Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks judgment,

    but a man of understanding remains silent.

  2. Keeping a confidence

    A gossip reveals a secret,

    but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.

  3. Kings

    Many counselors

    For lack of guidance, a nation falls,

    but with many counselors comes deliverance.

  4. Money

    Security for a stranger

    He who puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer,

    but the one who hates indebtedness is secure.

A gracious woman attains honor,

but ruthless men gain only wealth.

A sower scattering seed by hand across a furrowed field at sunrise, seen from behind.

A kind man benefits himself,

but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.

The wicked man earns an empty wage,

but he who sows righteousness reaps a true reward.

Genuine righteousness leads to life,

but the pursuit of evil brings death.

The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD,

but the blameless in their walk are His delight.

Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished,

but the offspring of the righteous will escape.

0:29

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

Question

Quick question

Back to the market stall in verse 1.

How did a dishonest seller cheat with a balance?

Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout

is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

The desire of the righteous leads only to good,

but the hope of the wicked brings wrath.

He who searches out good finds favor, but evil will come to him who seeks it.

Dust blows through the open courtyard of a house gone quiet: a tipped clay jar, an empty loom frame, a door hanging open, no people.

He who trusts in his riches will fall,

but the righteous will thrive like foliage.

He who brings trouble on his house will inherit the wind,

and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

and he who wins souls is wise.

Proverbs 11:30

If the righteous receive their due on earth,

how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

Pray

An open hand, a true weight

Ask God for honest dealing when no one is checking, and for an open hand toward someone in need this week. Ask Him to keep you from leaning on what you have.

You’ve experienced

Proverbs 11

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A verse to carry with you

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

Proverbs 11:30

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