Proverbs 21
The full text of Proverbs 21 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
1 The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD;
he turns it wherever he will.
2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
but the LORD weighs the heart.
3 To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart —
the lamp of the wicked is sin.
5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue
is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.
7 The violence of the wicked will sweep them away,
because they refuse to do what is just.
8 The way of the guilty is crooked,
but the conduct of the pure is upright.
9 It is better to live in a corner of a rooftop
than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
10 The soul of the wicked desires evil;
his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.
11 When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise;
when the wise is instructed, he gains knowledge.
12 The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked;
he throws the wicked down to ruin.
13 Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor
will himself call out and not be answered.
14 A gift in secret averts anger,
and a concealed bribe, strong wrath.
15 When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous
but terror to evildoers.
16 One who wanders from the way of understanding
will rest in the assembly of the dead.
17 Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man;
he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
18 The wicked is a ransom for the righteous,
and the traitor for the upright.
19 It is better to live in a desert land
than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.
20 Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man's dwelling,
but a foolish man devours it.
21 Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
will find life, righteousness, and honor.
22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty
and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.
23 Whoever keeps his mouth and tongue
keeps himself out of trouble.
24 Scoffer is the name of the arrogant, haughty man
who acts with arrogant pride.
25 The craving of the sluggard kills him,
for his hands refuse to labor.
26 All day long the wicked covets,
but the righteous gives and does not hold back.
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
how much more when he brings it with evil intent.
28 A lying witness will perish,
but the word of a man who hears will endure.
29 A wicked man puts on a bold face,
but the upright gives thought to his ways.
30 No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel
can avail against the LORD.
31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but the victory belongs to the LORD.
Translation notes (8)
- Proverbs 21:1a Hebrew palgei-mayim, 'channels of water', is plural and denotes the small irrigation ditches a farmer cuts and redirects at will, as in Psalm 1:3. The image is not a wild river but water under complete human control: as easily as a farmer diverts an irrigation channel, the LORD directs the king's heart.
- Proverbs 21:3a The pairing tsedaqah, 'righteousness', and mishpat, 'justice', is a standard Hebrew word pair for right social order. Nivchar, literally 'chosen', means preferred by the LORD over zavach, 'sacrifice'. The proverb echoes the prophetic critique of ritual without obedience, as in 1 Samuel 15:22 and Hosea 6:6.
- Proverbs 21:9a Israelite houses had flat roofs used as living space (Deuteronomy 22:8 requires a parapet for them), so a corner of the rooftop was a real if exposed dwelling place. The Hebrew phrase beit chaver, literally 'a house of association', underlies the rendering 'a house shared'; the proverb recurs verbatim at Proverbs 25:24.
- Proverbs 21:12a Hebrew tsaddiq, 'righteous one', lacks the definite article, and some interpreters take it of a righteous person who wisely considers the wicked man's house. Because the verb salaph, 'to throw down' or 'overthrow', elsewhere describes an act of judgment beyond human power, this translation understands the subject as God, the Righteous One, and capitalizes accordingly.
- Proverbs 21:16a The phrase rendered 'the assembly of the dead' is qehal repha'im, where repha'im (רְפָאִים) designates the shades of the underworld, the powerless inhabitants of Sheol also named in Isaiah 14:9 and Job 26:5. The verb yanuach, 'will rest', is grimly ironic: the wanderer finds repose only among the dead.
- Proverbs 21:18a Kofer (כֹּפֶר), 'ransom', denotes a payment given in exchange for a forfeited life (Exodus 21:30). The proverb inverts the image: calamity aimed at the righteous falls instead upon the wicked, who thus serves as the substitute, an idea echoed in Isaiah 43:3, where nations are given as a kofer for Israel. Tachat, 'in place of', in the second line reinforces the exchange.
- Proverbs 21:22a The image presumes ancient siege warfare, in which attackers scaled fortified walls; the proverb claims that wisdom prevails over military strength, personified as gibborim, 'mighty men'. The phrase rendered here as 'the stronghold in which they trust' is literally oz mivtechah, 'the strength of its confidence'. A similar claim for wisdom against besieging power appears in Ecclesiastes 9:14-16.
- Proverbs 21:28a Hebrew ish shomea lanetsach yedabber is literally 'a man who hears will speak forever'. The listening witness, who testifies to what he has actually heard, gives testimony that stands, in contrast to the perishing liar. Since lanetsach ('forever', or in some contexts 'successfully') modifies his speaking, the clause is rendered by its evident sense: his word will endure.
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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