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Proverbs · Brenton's English Septuagint

Proverbs 16 Brenton's English Septuagint

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About Brenton
  • Individual translator
  • OT: Septuagint (Greek)
  • Septuagint Old Testament (no New Testament)
  • Formal (word for word)
  • 1844
  • Public domain

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

Notes on this text (2)
Brenton Brenton's English Septuagint
WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)
2 All the works of the humble [man] are manifest with God; but the ungodly shall perish in an evil day.
1 The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from Yahweh. 2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes, but Yahweh weighs the motives. 3 Commit your deeds to Yahweh, and your plans shall succeed. 4 Yahweh has made everything for its own end— yes, even the wicked for the day of evil.
5 Every one that is proud in heart is unclean before God, and he that unjustly strikes hands with hand shall not be held guiltless.
5 Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to Yahweh; they shall certainly not be unpunished. 6 By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for. By the fear of Yahweh men depart from evil.
7 The beginning of a good way is to do justly; and it is more acceptable with God than to offer sacrifices.
7 When a man’s ways please Yahweh, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
8 He that seeks the Lord shall find knowledge with righteousness: and they that rightly seek him shall find peace.
8 Better is a little with righteousness, than great revenues with injustice.
9 All the works of the Lord [are done] with righteousness; and the ungodly [man] is kept for the evil day.
9 A man’s heart plans his course, but Yahweh directs his steps.
10 [There is] an oracle upon the lips of a king; and his mouth shall not err in judgment.
10 Inspired judgments are on the lips of the king. He shall not betray his mouth.
11 The poise of the balance is righteousness with the Lord; and his works are righteous measures.
11 Honest balances and scales are Yahweh’s; all the weights in the bag are his work.
12 An evil-doer is an abomination to a king; for the throne of rule is established by righteousness.
12 It is an abomination for kings to do wrong, for the throne is established by righteousness.
13 Righteous lips are acceptable to a king; and he loves right words.
13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings. They value one who speaks the truth.
14 The anger of a king is a messenger of death; but a wise man will pacify him.
14 The king’s wrath is a messenger of death, but a wise man will pacify it.
15 The son of a king is in the light of life; and they that are in favour with him are as a cloud of latter rain.
15 In the light of the king’s face is life. His favor is like a cloud of the spring rain.
16 The brood of wisdom is more to be chosen than gold, and the brood of prudence more to be chosen than silver.
16 How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! Yes, to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
17 The paths of life turn aside from evil; and the ways of righteousness are length of life. He that receives instruction shall be in prosperity; and he that regards reproofs shall be made wise. He that keeps his ways, preserves his own soul; and he that loves his life will spare his mouth.
17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil. He who keeps his way preserves his soul.
18 Pride goes before destruction, and folly before a fall.
18 Pride goes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.
19 Better is a meek-spirited [man] with lowliness, than one who divides spoils with the proud.
19 It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor, than to divide the plunder with the proud.
20 [He who is] skilful in business finds good: but he that trusts in God is most blessed.
20 He who heeds the Word finds prosperity. Whoever trusts in Yahweh is blessed.
21 [Men] call the wise and understanding evil: but they that are pleasing in speech shall hear more.
21 The wise in heart shall be called prudent. Pleasantness of the lips promotes instruction.
22 Understanding is a fountain of life to its possessors; but the instruction of fools is evil.
22 Understanding is a fountain of life to one who has it, but the punishment of fools is their folly.
23 The heart of the wise will discern the [things which proceed] from his own mouth; and on his lips he will wear knowledge.
23 The heart of the wise instructs his mouth, and adds learning to his lips.
24 Good words are honeycombs, and the sweetness thereof is a healing of the soul.
24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
25 There are ways that seem to be right to a man, but the end of them looks to the depth of hell.
25 There is a way which seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
26 A man who labours, labours for himself, and drives from [him] his own ruin.
26 The appetite of the laboring man labors for him, for his mouth urges him on.
27 But the perverse bears destruction upon his own mouth: a foolish man digs up evil for himself, and treasures fire on his own lips.
27 A worthless man devises mischief. His speech is like a scorching fire.
28 A perverse man spreads mischief, and will kindle a torch of deceit with mischiefs; and he separates friends.
28 A perverse man stirs up strife. A whisperer separates close friends.
29 A transgressor tries [to ensnare] friends, and leads them in ways [that are] not good.
29 A man of violence entices his neighbor, and leads him in a way that is not good.
30 And the man that fixes his eyes devises perverse things, and marks out with his lips all evils: he is a furnace of wickedness.
30 One who winks his eyes to plot perversities, one who compresses his lips, is bent on evil.
31 Old age is a crown of honour, but it is found in the ways of righteousness.
31 Gray hair is a crown of glory. It is attained by a life of righteousness.
32 A man slow to anger is better than a strong [man]; and he that governs [his] temper better than he that takes a city.
32 One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; one who rules his spirit, than he who takes a city.
33 All [evils] come upon the ungodly into [their] bosoms; but all righteous things [come] of the Lord.
33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from Yahweh.
Cross references (29)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

  1. 2 Proverbs 21:2; 1 Samuel 16:7; Luke 16:15; Proverbs 30:12; Jeremiah 17:10
  2. 5 Proverbs 6:16–17; Proverbs 8:13; Proverbs 11:21; Romans 2:8–9; James 4:6
  3. 7 Romans 8:31; 1 John 3:22; 2 Chronicles 17:10; Colossians 1:10; Jeremiah 15:11
  4. 8 Proverbs 15:16; Psalm 37:16; 1 Timothy 6:6–9; Jeremiah 17:11; Proverbs 21:6–7
  5. 9 Proverbs 19:21; Psalm 37:23; Proverbs 16:1; Proverbs 20:24; Jeremiah 10:23
  6. 10 Isaiah 32:1–2; Genesis 44:5; Genesis 44:15; Hosea 10:4; Deuteronomy 17:18–20
  7. 11 Proverbs 11:1; Proverbs 20:10; Proverbs 20:23; Deuteronomy 25:13–15; Leviticus 19:35–36
  8. 12 Proverbs 25:5; Proverbs 29:14; Proverbs 28:9; Luke 12:48; Psalm 99:4
  9. 13 Proverbs 14:35; Proverbs 22:11; Psalm 101:5–7
  10. 14 Proverbs 20:2; Proverbs 19:12; Ecclesiastes 10:4; Luke 12:4–5; Proverbs 17:11
  11. 15 Psalm 72:6; Job 29:23–24; Hosea 6:3; Acts 2:28; Psalm 21:6
  12. 16 Proverbs 8:10–11; Matthew 16:26; Proverbs 8:19; Luke 12:21; Proverbs 3:15–18
  13. 17 Isaiah 35:8; Proverbs 19:16; Proverbs 10:9; Jude 21; Revelation 3:10
  14. 18 Proverbs 11:2; Isaiah 2:11–12; Proverbs 18:12; Obadiah 3–4; Proverbs 29:23
  15. 19 Matthew 5:3; Psalm 138:6; Isaiah 57:15; Exodus 15:9; Psalm 34:18
  16. 20 Jeremiah 17:7–8; Isaiah 30:18; Psalm 2:12; Isaiah 26:3–4; Psalm 34:8
  17. 21 Proverbs 16:23–24; Isaiah 50:4; Proverbs 15:7; Proverbs 27:9; James 3:17
  18. 22 Proverbs 13:14; John 6:63; Matthew 15:14; John 5:24; Proverbs 18:4
  19. 23 Proverbs 15:28; Matthew 12:34–35; Proverbs 22:17–18; Colossians 3:16; Psalm 45:1
  20. 24 Proverbs 12:18; Proverbs 24:13–14; Proverbs 4:22; Proverbs 25:11–12; Proverbs 23:16
  21. 25 Proverbs 14:12; Proverbs 12:15; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Proverbs 12:26; John 7:47–49
  22. 26 Ecclesiastes 6:7; Proverbs 14:23; Proverbs 9:12; 2 Thessalonians 3:8–12; 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12
  23. 27 James 3:6; Proverbs 6:14; Isaiah 5:18; Psalm 17:14–15; Psalm 52:2–4
  24. 28 Proverbs 17:9; James 3:14–16; Romans 1:29; Proverbs 18:8; Proverbs 6:14
  25. 29 Proverbs 2:12–15; 2 Peter 3:17; Proverbs 12:26; Proverbs 3:31; Proverbs 1:10–14
  26. 30 Proverbs 6:12–14; Matthew 13:15; Proverbs 16:27; Isaiah 6:10; Matthew 14:7–8
  27. 31 Proverbs 20:29; Leviticus 19:32; Proverbs 3:1–2; Proverbs 17:6; 1 Samuel 12:2–5
  28. 32 James 1:19; Proverbs 15:18; Proverbs 25:28; Proverbs 14:29; Proverbs 19:11
  29. 33 Proverbs 18:18; Jonah 1:7; Acts 1:26; Proverbs 29:26; 1 Samuel 14:41–42

Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences

What the Fathers said

Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).

How these were chosen

“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).

  1. Quotes verse 16:32 Augustine of Hippo, Expositions on the Psalms (Psalm VII)

    … which seeth in secret will reward." Lest then he repay them that recompense evil, he overcomes his anger rather than another man, being instructed too by those writings, wherein it is written, "Better is he that overcometh his anger, than he that taketh a city." "If I have repaid them that recompense me evil, may I therefore fall by my …

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)