Proverbs of Solomon - Ferrar Fenton Bible Translation page 792
The Psalms, Solomon and Sacred Writers
10--20
PROVERBS.
20
21
22
26
28
11
IO I1 I211-13
Choice silver is the tongue of the good, But the heart of the wicked worthless. The lips of the good feed many; But they die by the cowardice of fools. The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, And toil adds nothing to that. To practise sin is sport to fools, But prudent men seek wisdom! The terrors of the wicked catch him, But the wish of the good will be done. Like a passing storm, sin goes; But goodness endures for ever! Like acid to teeth, and smoke to the eyes, Is a sluggard to him who sends him. The fear of the LORD. adds days, But sin will shorten our years. The hope of the good is to benefit, But the wish of the had is destruction. The way of the LORD is strength to the good, But horror to the doers of wrong. The Good will not always be sh-aken, Nor the Bad always dwell on the Earth. The mouth of the Good utters wisdom, But the perverted tongue destruction. A deceptive scale disgusts the LORD, But He delights in an honest weight. Insolence comes,——then follows disgrace, But Wisdom is with the lowly. The ]ust are guided by Right; But the cunning of rogues destroys them. Wealth helps not in the day of wrath, But Rectitude saves from Death. Goodness smoothes the path of the True But the wicked falls by his sin. Goodness releases the honest, But rascals are caught by their crimes. The hope of the Bad ends in Death, When his objects of passion vanish. The Good is prepared for danger, But it comes on the Bad in-his stead. A traitor wrecks his friend by his mouth, But the faithful saves by his skill. When the good prosper, the town exults, But it shouts when the wicked fail! Honest endeavours raise a state; But it falls by the thought of the bad. The base of heart defames his neighbour, But a man of reflection is silent. A rascal goes and reveals a secret, But a faithful spirit conceals a thing. 792
