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Proverbs 10

Proverbs 10 traces how wisdom and wickedness shape everyday conduct and lead toward life or ruin under YHWH’s rule.

A collection identified as Solomon’s proverbs opens with a son whose choices bring gladness or grief to his parents. Short sayings then contrast righteous and wicked conduct in work, speech, and the handling of wealth. These are compact observations and instructions rather than a single unfolding speech. YHWH’s care and judgment frame the contrasts: diligence has consequences, words can sustain or harm others, and the righteous and wicked face different ends.

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1The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.
2Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death.
3The LORD will not allow the soul of the righteous to go hungry, but he thrusts away the desire of the wicked.
4He becomes poor who works with a lazy hand, but the hand of the diligent brings wealth.
5He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during the harvest is a son who causes shame.
6Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
7The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot.
8The wise in heart accept commandments, but a chattering fool will fall.
9He who walks blamelessly walks surely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out.
10One who winks with the eye causes sorrow, but a chattering fool will fall.
11The mouth of the righteous is a spring of life, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
12Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all wrongs.
13Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has discernment, but a rod is for the back of him who is void of understanding.
14Wise men lay up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near ruin.
15The rich man’s wealth is his strong city. The destruction of the poor is their poverty.
16The labor of the righteous leads to life. The increase of the wicked leads to sin.
17He is in the way of life who heeds correction, but he who forsakes reproof leads others astray.
18He who hides hatred has lying lips. He who utters a slander is a fool.
19In the multitude of words there is no lack of disobedience, but he who restrains his lips does wisely.
20The tongue of the righteous is like choice silver. The heart of the wicked is of little worth.
21The lips of the righteous feed many, but the foolish die for lack of understanding.
22The LORD’s blessing brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.
23It is a fool’s pleasure to do wickedness, but wisdom is a man of understanding’s pleasure.
24What the wicked fear will overtake them, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
25When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more; but the righteous stand firm forever.
26As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.
27The fear of the LORD prolongs days, but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
28The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hope of the wicked will perish.
29The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the upright, but it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity.
30The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not dwell in the land.
31The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
32The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked is perverse.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Proverbs 10:22This saying locates the source of wealth in YHWH’s blessing within a chapter that also commends diligent work.
Proverbs 10:19Restraint in speech anchors the chapter’s repeated contrast between words that nourish others and words that bring ruin.
Proverbs 10:12The contrast between hatred and love shows how a person’s response to wrongs can fuel conflict or restrain it.
Where this chapter reaches

Psalm shares the contrast between the enduring righteous and the perishing wicked, while James shares the concern for restrained speech and the harm a tongue can cause. Ecclesiastes also treats wealth and labor as gifts under God’s rule and considers their limits.

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After reading the whole chapter

Which contrast about speech helps you examine a recent conversation, and what do you notice?

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How do the sayings about diligence, poverty, and YHWH’s blessing challenge your view of wealth?

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Questions people ask about Proverbs 10

Does Proverbs 10:22 promise that every believer will be rich?

Verse 22 credits YHWH’s blessing as the source of wealth and says he adds no trouble to it. The chapter also values diligence and recognizes poverty’s destructive effects. As a wisdom saying, it describes God’s good ordering of life; it does not give each believer a timetable or guarantee of riches.

What does “love covers all wrongs” mean in Proverbs 10:12?

The phrase contrasts love with hatred that fuels strife. Love covers wrongs by refusing to keep offenses alive as fuel for conflict. The saying does not explain every case of wrongdoing or command concealment of abuse. Elsewhere in this chapter, correction is valued and lying lips are condemned.

Who wrote Proverbs 10?

Verse 1 identifies this collection as “The proverbs of Solomon.” That heading attributes the sayings to Solomon, though the chapter does not describe how they were collected or arranged. Its form is a series of short sayings, often contrasting two ways of life, rather than a speech tied to one recorded occasion.

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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).