Reflections on Proverbs 10

 Proverbs 10 (Contemporary English Version)

1. Here are some proverbs of Solomon: Children with good sense make their parents happy, but foolish children make them sad.
   
2. What you gain by doing evil won't help you at all, but being good can save you from death.
   
3. If you obey the LORD, you won't go hungry; if you are wicked, God won't let you have what you want.
   
4. Laziness leads to poverty; hard work makes you rich.
   
5. At harvest season it's smart to work hard, but stupid to sleep.
   
6. Everyone praises good people, but evil hides behind the words of the wicked.
   
7. Good people are remembered long after they are gone, but the wicked are soon forgotten.
   
8. If you have good sense, you will listen and obey; if all you do is talk, you will destroy yourself.
   
9. You will be safe, if you always do right, but you will get caught, if you are dishonest.
   
10. Deceit causes trouble, and foolish talk will bring you to ruin.
    
11. The words of good people are a source of life, but evil hides behind the words of the wicked.
    
12. Hatred stirs up trouble; love overlooks the wrongs that others do.
    
13. If you have good sense, it will show when you speak. But if you are stupid, you will be beaten with a stick.
    
14. If you have good sense, you will learn all you can, but foolish talk will soon destroy you.
    
15. Great wealth can be a fortress, but poverty is no protection at all.
    
16. If you live right, the reward is a good life; if you are evil, all you have is sin.
    
17. Accept correction, and you will find life; reject correction, and you will miss the road.
    
18. You can hide your hatred by telling lies, but you are a fool to spread lies.
    
19. You will say the wrong thing if you talk too much-- so be sensible and watch what you say.
    
20. The words of a good person are like pure silver, but the thoughts of an evil person are almost worthless.
    
21. Many are helped by useful instruction, but fools are killed by their own stupidity.
    
22. When the LORD blesses you with riches, you have nothing to regret.
    
23. Fools enjoy doing wrong, but anyone with good sense enjoys acting wisely.
    
24. What evil people dread most will happen to them, but good people will get what they want most.
    
25. Those crooks will disappear when a storm strikes, but God will keep safe all who obey him.
    
26. Having a lazy person on the job is like a mouth full of vinegar or smoke in your eyes.
    
27. If you respect the LORD, you will live longer; if you keep doing wrong, your life will be cut short.
    
28. If you obey the Lord, you will be happy, but there is no future for the wicked.
    
29. The LORD protects everyone who lives right, but he destroys anyone who does wrong.
    
30. Good people will stand firm, but the wicked will lose their land.
    
31. Honest people speak sensibly, but deceitful liars will be silenced.
    
32. If you obey the Lord, you will always know the right thing to say. But no one will trust you if you tell lies.

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Proverbs 10 is a collection of sayings given in contrasting statements joined with a "but." For instance, verse 1 says, "A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son, heartache to his mother." Each verse is a saying moving from one verse to the next without any particular connection between verses. While no evident pattern seems apparent throughout the chapter, there are two predominate topics: use of the tongue and righteous living. Minor topics are laziness and wisdom, though wisdom is an overarching theme in all of the sayings.

Select sayings concerning the righteous:

• The remembrance of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.
  
• The hope of the righteous is joy, but the expectation of the wicked comes to nothing.
  
• The way of the LORD is a stronghold for the honorable, but destruction awaits the malicious.
  

Select sayings about use of the tongue:

• The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
  
• When there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is wise.
  
• The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out.
  

Sayings about laziness:

• Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring riches.
  
• The son who gathers during summer is prudent; the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful.
  
• Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so the slacker is to the one who sends him on an errand.
  

Sayings on wisdom:

• Solomon's proverbs: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son, heartache to his mother.
  
• As shameful conduct is pleasure for a fool, so wisdom is for a man of understanding.
  
• The one who follows instruction is on the path to life, but the one who rejects correction goes astray.
  

Miscellaneous sayings:

• Ill-gotten gains do not profit anyone, but righteousness rescues from death.
  
• Hatred stirs up conflicts, but love covers all offenses.
  
• A rich man's wealth is his fortified city; the poverty of the poor is their destruction.