Proverbs 11
The full text of Proverbs 11 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
1 A false balance is an abomination to the LORD,
but an accurate weight is his delight.
2 When pride comes, disgrace comes also,
but with the humble is wisdom.
3 The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
4 Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.
5 The righteousness of the blameless makes smooth his way,
but the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the treacherous are captured by their own desire.
7 When the wicked dies, hope perishes;
all the expectation of his power comes to nothing.
8 The righteous is delivered from trouble,
and the wicked walks into it instead.
9 With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor,
but through knowledge the righteous are delivered.
10 When the righteous prosper, the city exults;
when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.
11 By the blessing of the upright a city is lifted up,
but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
12 Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense,
but a man of understanding keeps silent.
13 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets,
but a trustworthy man keeps a matter quiet.
14 Where there is no guidance a nation falls,
but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.
15 Whoever puts up security for a stranger suffers harm,
but whoever refuses to shake hands with one is safe.
16 A gracious woman gains honor,
and ruthless men gain only wealth.
17 A man who is kind benefits himself,
but a cruel man harms himself.
18 The wicked earns deceptive wages,
but whoever sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.
19 He who is steadfast in righteousness will live,
but he who pursues evil will die.
20 Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the LORD,
but those of blameless ways are his delight.
21 Be sure of this: an evil man will not go unpunished,
but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered.
22 Like a gold ring in a pig's snout
is a beautiful woman without discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good;
the hope of the wicked ends only in wrath.
24 One gives freely yet grows all the richer;
another withholds what he should give and only suffers want.
25 A generous person will be enriched,
and whoever waters others will himself be watered.
26 The people curse whoever withholds grain,
but a blessing rests on the head of one who sells it.
27 Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,
but whoever searches for evil, it will come to him.
28 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,
but the righteous will flourish like green foliage.
29 Whoever troubles his household inherits the wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and whoever captures souls is wise.
31 If the righteous are repaid on earth,
how much more the wicked and the sinner!
Translation notes (7)
- Proverbs 11:1a To'evah, 'abomination', is a covenantal term elsewhere applied to idolatry and false worship; its use here places dishonest commerce in the sphere of cultic offense against God. The phrase rendered 'accurate weight' is literally even shelemah, 'a complete stone', reflecting the stone weights used on ancient scales.
- Proverbs 11:15a Hebrew toqe'im, literally 'those who strike (hands)', names the ancient gesture of striking or clasping hands to seal a pledge of surety for another's debt, rendered here as 'shake hands'. The same idiom appears in Proverbs 6:1, 17:18, and 22:26, always in warnings against guaranteeing a stranger's obligations.
- Proverbs 11:16a The Masoretic Text has only the two lines translated here, contrasting the gracious woman with aritsim, 'ruthless men'. The Septuagint expands the verse into four lines, adding that a woman who hates righteousness is a throne of dishonor and that the lazy lack wealth while the diligent secure it; this translation follows the shorter Hebrew text.
- Proverbs 11:22a The nezem ('ring') was a nose ring worn as fine jewelry (compare Genesis 24:47), so the ornament sits precisely where the image places it. Since the chazir ('pig') was unclean under Israelite law (Leviticus 11:7), the incongruity is doubly sharp. The Hebrew ta'am, here 'discretion', is literally 'taste', denoting sound judgment.
- Proverbs 11:29a The Hebrew yinchal ruach, literally 'inherits wind', is an idiom for gaining nothing of substance, since ruach ('wind' or 'breath') is proverbially empty and ungraspable. The verb okher, 'troubles', is the same root behind the Valley of Achor and Achan, who brought trouble on Israel's household (Joshua 7:25).
- Proverbs 11:30a The Hebrew loqeach nefashot, literally 'one who takes souls', elsewhere describes taking a life (1 Kings 19:10; Ezekiel 33:6), yet here it stands in parallel with the tree of life and is best read as winning persons over. The Septuagint reflects a different text, reading that the lives of the lawless are taken away untimely, and some critics emend accordingly; the Masoretic Text is retained here.
- Proverbs 11:31a The Masoretic Text reads yeshullam, 'is repaid', with the recompense taking place ba'arets, 'on earth'. The Septuagint renders the line "If the righteous is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?", and it is this Greek form that 1 Peter 4:18 quotes.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is Trinity Bible's own modern English translation, worked directly from the original Hebrew and honest to the earliest manuscripts. It was completed in 2026 — the most modern English Bible translation — and is exclusive to Trinity Bible. Every chapter, including all of Proverbs, is free to read here on the web.
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