Proverbs 10:1-32·~1 min

Solomon’s Proverbs: The Wise Son

A wise son brings gladness while a foolish son brings grief, and the early sayings immediately connect righteousness, diligent labor, and timely gathering with life and provision. Wicked gain, idleness, and sloth, by contrast, fail to profit and lead toward want.

T¹he proverbs of Solomon: ²Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing, ³The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, ⁴Idle hands make one poor, ⁵He who gathers in summer is a wise son,

The righteous are marked by blessing, honorable memory, receptivity to command, integrity, and life-giving speech, while the wicked are characterized by concealed violence, ruin, hatred, and babbling folly. Wisdom is shown especially in how one receives instruction and uses the mouth either to nourish life or stir conflict.

⁶Blessings are on the head of the righteous, ⁷The memory of the righteous is a blessing, ⁸A wise heart will receive commandments, ⁹He who walks in integrity walks securely, ¹⁰He who winks the eye causes grief, ¹¹The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, ¹²Hatred stirs up dissension, ¹³Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, ¹⁴The wise store up knowledge,

These sayings weigh wealth, labor, instruction, and speech, showing that riches can feel like security but that righteous labor and guarded speech are what truly serve life. The righteous feed many with their words, stay on the path through correction, and finally receive enrichment as the LORD's blessing rather than as anxious accumulation.

¹⁵The wealth of the rich man is his fortified city, ¹⁶The labor of the righteous leads to life, ¹⁷Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, ¹⁸The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, ¹⁹When words are many, sin is unavoidable, ²⁰The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, ²¹The lips of the righteous feed many, ²²The blessing of the LORD enriches,

The chapter closes by opposing the delights, fears, hopes, and outcomes of the wicked and the righteous. Fools enjoy shameful conduct and are swept away, but the righteous stand firm, find refuge in the LORD's way, and speak fitting wisdom that accords with joy and stability.

²³The fool delights in shameful conduct, ²⁴What the wicked man dreads will overtake him, ²⁵When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, ²⁶Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, ²⁷The fear of the LORD prolongs life, ²⁸The hope of the righteous is joy, ²⁹The way of the LORD is a refuge to the upright, ³⁰The righteous will never be shaken, ³¹The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, ³²The lips of the righteous know what is fitting,

Section summaryThe chapter gathers a series of brief contrasts that compare the wise with the foolish and the righteous with the wicked in matters of diligence, provision, reputation, speech, discipline, wealth, and destiny. Taken together, the sayings teach that moral character is not abstract but steadily revealed in the fruit of one's words, work, desires, and response to instruction.

Role in the chapterThis section functions as the opening sample of the Solomonic proverb collection proper. Its work is to train the reader in moral discernment through compressed comparisons that invite reflection on how everyday choices accumulate into either life and stability or shame and ruin.