Proverbs 10
What Happens in This Chapter
This chapter begins a long collection of short sayings from Solomon. Each saying puts two kinds of people side by side: the person who does right and the person who does wrong. Many of the sayings are about words, work, and money, and what each one leads to. They are written in pairs so they are easy to remember.
Plain reading written for kids. Short sentences, everyday words, one idea at a time.
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.
1These are the wise sayings of Solomon. A son who is wise makes his father happy. A son who is foolish makes his mother sad.
2Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.
2Money you get by doing wrong will not really help you. But doing right saves you from death.
3The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.
3The LORD, which is God's name, will not let good people go hungry. But he says no to what bad people want.
4He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
4Lazy hands make a person poor. Hard-working hands bring in plenty.
5He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.
5A wise son picks the crops in summer. A son who sleeps through harvest time brings shame.
6Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
6Good things come to people who do what is right. But bad people hide cruel plans behind their words.
7The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.
7People remember good people with joy. But the names of bad people are forgotten, like something rotting away.
8The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.
8A wise person listens and obeys good rules. A person who only babbles will fall.
9He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.
9Whoever lives an honest life walks safely. Whoever lives a crooked life will be found out.
10He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.
10Whoever winks the eye to trick people causes hurt. A person who only babbles will fall.
Winking the eye here means giving a sly secret signal, the way people do when they are tricking someone.
11The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
11The words of a good person are like fresh water that gives life. But bad people hide cruel plans behind their words.
12Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.
12Hate starts fights. But love covers over many wrongs.
13In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.
13Wise words are found on the lips of people who understand. But a person with no sense gets the stick on his back.
14Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
14Wise people save up what they learn. But when a fool talks, trouble is close by.
15The rich man’s wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty.
15A rich man's money is like a city with strong walls around him. Being poor is what ruins poor people.
16The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.
16The work of a good person leads to life. What a bad person gains brings him punishment.
17He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.
17Whoever listens when he is taught is on the path to life. Whoever will not be corrected wanders off.
18He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.
18Whoever hides his hate tells lies. Whoever spreads mean stories about others is a fool.
19In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.
19When someone talks and talks, some of it will be wrong. A wise person knows when to stop talking.
20The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.
20The words of a good person are worth as much as fine silver. The heart of a bad person is worth very little.
21The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.
21The words of good people help many others, like food. But fools die because they have no sense.
22The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
22When the LORD blesses someone, that person has plenty. And God does not add sorrow to it.
23It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom.
23A fool thinks doing wrong is a fun game. But a person who understands holds on to wisdom.
24The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.
24What a bad person is afraid of will happen to him. What a good person wants will be given to him.
25As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.
25A strong wind blows through, and bad people are gone. But good people stand firm forever.
26As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.
26Sour vinegar hurts the teeth, and smoke stings the eyes. A lazy worker is just as annoying to the one who sent him.
Vinegar is a very sour liquid. Drinking it makes your teeth ache, the way smoke makes your eyes sting.
27The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
27Respecting the LORD makes a life longer. But the years of bad people are cut short.
28The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.
28What good people hope for turns into joy. What bad people expect never comes.
29The way of the LORD is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.
29The LORD's way keeps safe those who live right. But it brings ruin to those who do evil.
30The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.
30Good people will never be shaken loose. But bad people will not stay in the land.
31The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out.
31Wise words come out of a good person's mouth. But a tongue that twists things will be cut out.
32The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.
32Good people know the right thing to say. But bad people say twisted things.
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