Proverbs

Chapter 11

Dishonest Scales

Proverbs 11 contrasts upright integrity with crooked gain, showing how righteousness guides, delivers, builds up communities, and bears life-giving fruit, while wickedness collapses under its own deceit, pride, and misplaced trust. The chapter repeatedly returns to the social consequences of character, especially in speech, counsel, generosity, and the use of wealth.

As the eleventh chapter of Proverbs, this passage extends the Solomonic contrast-pattern into public life and neighbor-love. It teaches that wisdom is not merely private prudence but covenant-shaped integrity that affects cities, households, commerce, reputation, and the eventual harvest of a person's desires and dealings.

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Proverbs 11

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vv. 1-31

Dishonest Scales

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D¹ishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, ²When pride comes, disgrace follows, ³The integrity of the upright guides them, ⁴Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, ⁵The righteousness of the blameless directs their path, ⁶The righteousness of the upright delivers them, ⁷When the wicked man dies, his hope perishes, ⁸The righteous man is delivered from trouble;

⁹With his mouth the ungodly man destroys his neighbor, ¹⁰When the righteous thrive, the city rejoices, ¹¹By the blessing of the upright a city is built up, ¹²Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks judgment, ¹³A gossip reveals a secret, ¹⁴For lack of guidance, a nation falls, ¹⁵He who puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer,

¹⁶A gracious woman attains honor, ¹⁷A kind man benefits himself, ¹⁸The wicked man earns an empty wage, ¹⁹Genuine righteousness leads to life, ²⁰The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD, ²¹Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished, ²²Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout ²³The desire of the righteous leads only to good,

²⁴One gives freely, yet gains even more; ²⁵A generous soul will prosper, ²⁶The people will curse the hoarder of grain, ²⁷He who searches out good finds favor, ²⁸He who trusts in his riches will fall, ²⁹He who brings trouble on his house will inherit the wind, ³⁰The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, ³¹If the righteous receive their due on earth,

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01vv. 1-31Dishonest ScalesThe chapter opens with the LORD's hatred of dishonest scales and moves through a broad series of comparisons between the righteous and the wicked in pride, guidance, speech, civic health, surety, kindness, desire, generosity, and final recompense. Again and again, integrity proves durable and life-giving, while deception and selfishness isolate, expose, and undo the one who practices them.