Proverbs · Brenton's English Septuagint
Proverbs 21 Brenton's English Septuagint
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (2)
- Square brackets mark words Brenton supplied for English sense.
- Old Testament only (no New Testament). First printed 1844; the 1851 edition added the deuterocanonical books.
1 As a rush of water, so is the king's heart in God's hand: he turns it whithersoever he may desire to point out.
1 The king’s heart is in Yahweh’s hand like the watercourses. He turns it wherever he desires.
2 Every man seems to himself righteous; but the Lord directs the hearts.
2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but Yahweh weighs the hearts.
3 To do justly and to speak truth, are more pleasing to God than the blood of sacrifices.
3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to Yahweh than sacrifice.
4 A high-minded man is stout-hearted in [his] pride; and the lamp of the wicked is sin.
4 A high look and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, is sin. 5 The plans of the diligent surely lead to profit; and everyone who is hasty surely rushes to poverty.
6 He that gathers treasures with a lying tongue pursues vanity [on] to the snares of death.
6 Getting treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor for those who seek death.
7 Destruction shall lodge with the ungodly; for they refuse to do justly.
7 The violence of the wicked will drive them away, because they refuse to do what is right.
8 To the froward God sends froward ways; for his works are pure and right.
8 The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.
9 [It is] better to dwell in a corner on the house-top, than in plastered [rooms] with unrighteousness, and in an open house.
9 It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop than to share a house with a contentious woman.
10 The soul of the ungodly shall not be pitied by any man.
10 The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.
11 When an intemperate man is punished the simple becomes wiser: and a wise man understanding will receive knowledge.
11 When the mocker is punished, the simple gains wisdom. When the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.
12 A righteous man understands the hearts of the ungodly: and despises the ungodly for their wickedness.
12 The Righteous One considers the house of the wicked, and brings the wicked to ruin.
13 He that stops his ears from hearing the poor, himself also shall cry, and there shall be none to hear [him].
13 Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor, he will also cry out, but shall not be heard.
14 A secret gift calms anger: but he that forbears to give stirs up strong wrath.
14 A gift in secret pacifies anger, and a bribe in the cloak, strong wrath.
15 [It is] the joy of the righteous to do judgment: but a holy [man] is abominable with evil-doers.
15 It is joy to the righteous to do justice; but it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity.
16 A man that wanders out of the way of righteousness, shall rest in the congregation of giants.
16 The man who wanders out of the way of understanding shall rest in the assembly of the departed spirits.
17 A poor man loves mirth, loving wine and oil in abundance;
17 He who loves pleasure will be a poor man. He who loves wine and oil won’t be rich.
18 and a transgressor is the abomination of a righteous man.
18 The wicked is a ransom for the righteous, the treacherous for the upright.
19 [It is] better to dwell in a wilderness than with a quarrelsome and talkative and passionate woman.
19 It is better to dwell in a desert land, than with a contentious and fretful woman.
20 A desirable treasure will rest on the mouth of the wise; but foolish men will swallow it up.
20 There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man swallows it up.
21 The way of righteousness and mercy will find life and glory.
21 He who follows after righteousness and kindness finds life, righteousness, and honor.
22 A wise man assaults strong cities, and demolishes the fortress in which the ungodly trusted.
22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty, and brings down the strength of its confidence.
23 He that keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from trouble.
23 Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from troubles.
24 A bold and self-willed and insolent [man] is called a pest: and he that remembers injuries is a transgressor.
24 The proud and arrogant man—“Scoffer” is his name— he works in the arrogance of pride.
25 Desires kill the sluggard; for his hands do not choose to do anything.
25 The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.
26 An ungodly man entertains evil desires all the day: but the righteous is unsparingly merciful and compassionate.
26 There are those who covet greedily all day long; but the righteous give and don’t withhold.
27 The sacrifices of the ungodly are abomination to the Lord, for they offer them wickedly.
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination— how much more, when he brings it with a wicked mind!
28 A false witness shall perish; but an obedient man will speak cautiously.
28 A false witness will perish. A man who listens speaks to eternity.
29 An ungodly man impudently withstands with his face; but the upright man himself understands his ways.
29 A wicked man hardens his face; but as for the upright, he establishes his ways.
30 There is no wisdom, there is no courage, there is no counsel against the ungodly.
30 There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against Yahweh.
31 A horse is prepared for the day of battle; but help is of the Lord.
31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle; but victory is with Yahweh.
Cross references (30)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Proverbs 16:9; Ezra 6:22; Proverbs 20:24; Acts 7:10; Proverbs 16:1
- 2 Proverbs 16:2; Luke 16:15; Proverbs 16:25; Jeremiah 17:10; Proverbs 30:12
- 3 1 Samuel 15:22; Hosea 6:6; Proverbs 15:8; Micah 6:6–8; Mark 12:33
- 4 Proverbs 6:17; 1 Peter 5:5; Proverbs 8:13; Isaiah 2:17; Luke 18:14
- 6 Proverbs 13:11; Proverbs 10:2; Proverbs 20:21; Jeremiah 17:11; Proverbs 8:36
- 7 Proverbs 21:21; Ephesians 5:6; Micah 3:9–12; Zechariah 5:3–4; Proverbs 22:22–23
- 8 1 John 3:3; Daniel 12:10; 1 Peter 1:22–23; Proverbs 2:15; 1 Corinthians 3:3
- 9 Proverbs 19:13; Proverbs 21:19; Proverbs 27:15–16; Proverbs 25:24; Proverbs 12:4
- 10 1 John 2:16; Micah 3:2–3; Proverbs 3:29; Mark 7:21–22; 1 Corinthians 10:6
- 11 Proverbs 19:25; Proverbs 18:15; Proverbs 9:9; Acts 5:5; Proverbs 18:1
- 12 Proverbs 14:11; Psalm 37:35–36; Psalm 107:43; 2 Peter 3:6–7; Proverbs 14:32
- 13 Proverbs 1:28; Proverbs 28:27; Matthew 6:14; James 2:13–16; Matthew 7:2
- 14 Proverbs 19:6; Proverbs 18:16; Proverbs 17:8; Matthew 6:3–4; 1 Samuel 25:35
- 15 Proverbs 10:29; Matthew 7:23; Isaiah 64:5; Ecclesiastes 3:12; Job 29:12–17
- 16 Hebrews 10:38; Psalm 125:5; Hebrews 10:26–27; Zephaniah 1:6; Psalm 49:14
- 17 Proverbs 23:21; 1 Timothy 5:6; 2 Timothy 3:4; Proverbs 5:10–11; Proverbs 21:20
- 18 Proverbs 11:8; Isaiah 43:3–4; Isaiah 53:4–5; 1 Peter 3:18; Isaiah 55:8–9
- 19 Proverbs 21:9; Psalm 55:6–7; Psalm 120:5–6; Jeremiah 9:2
- 20 Matthew 25:3–4; Psalm 112:3; Ecclesiastes 5:19; Proverbs 15:6; Ecclesiastes 7:11
- 21 Matthew 5:6; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Proverbs 22:4; Proverbs 15:9; 1 Timothy 6:11
- 22 Ecclesiastes 7:19; Proverbs 24:5; Ecclesiastes 9:13–18; 2 Samuel 5:6–9; 2 Samuel 20:16–22
- 23 Proverbs 13:3; Proverbs 18:21; Proverbs 17:27–28; James 1:26; Proverbs 12:13
- 24 Psalm 1:1; Ecclesiastes 7:8–9; Matthew 2:16; Proverbs 18:12; Proverbs 1:22
- 25 Proverbs 13:4; Matthew 25:26; Proverbs 19:24; Proverbs 12:24; Proverbs 26:16
- 26 Psalm 37:26; Psalm 112:9; Acts 20:33–35; Ephesians 4:28; Luke 6:30–36
- 27 Isaiah 66:3; Proverbs 15:8; Matthew 23:13; Jeremiah 6:20; Amos 5:21–22
- 28 2 Corinthians 4:13; Proverbs 19:5; Proverbs 19:9; Deuteronomy 19:16–19; Exodus 23:1
- 29 1 Thessalonians 3:11; Haggai 1:7; Proverbs 11:5; Haggai 2:18–19; Ezekiel 18:28
- 30 Acts 5:39; Proverbs 19:21; Jeremiah 9:23; Isaiah 14:27; 1 Corinthians 3:19–20
- 31 Psalm 20:7; Isaiah 31:1; Psalm 33:17–18; Psalm 147:10; Psalm 3:3
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).
… end, when he said, "All these are delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will I give them." For it is not he who has appointed the kingdoms of this world, but God; for "the heart of the king is in the hand of God." And the Word also says by Solomon, "By me kings do reign, and princes administer …
For the waters are fled from the rebuke of God; because "the heart of kings is in the hand of God, He hath bent it whither He would;" He commanded peace to be given by them to the Christians; the authority of the Apostles sprang up and towered high....The waters fled from the rebuke of God.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
Let each, as he can recall to mind what he hath heard, by mutual conversation stir up the food ye have received, ruminate on what ye have heard, let it not descend in you into the bowels of forgetfulness. Let the treasure to be desired rest upon your lips.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)