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Proverbs

About this book
Chapter 10

1 The proverbs of Solomon: A wise child makes a father rejoice, but a foolish child is a grief to his mother. 2 Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death. 3 The Lord satisfies the appetite of the righteous, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked. 4 The one who is lazy becomes poor, but the one who works diligently becomes wealthy.⁠ 5 The one who gathers crops in the summer is a wise son, but the one who sleeps during harvest is a shameful son. 6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the speech of the wicked conceals violence. 7 The memory of the righteous is a blessing,⁠ but the reputation of the wicked will rot.⁠ 8 The wise person accepts instructions, but the one who speaks foolishness will come to ruin. 9 The one who conducts himself in integrity will live securely, but the one who behaves perversely will be found out. 10 The one who winks his eye causes trouble, and the one who speaks foolishness will come to ruin. 11 The speech of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the speech of the wicked conceals violence. 12 Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers all transgressions.⁠ 13 Wisdom is found in the words of the discerning person, but the one who lacks sense will be disciplined. 14 Those who are wise store up knowledge, but foolish speech leads to imminent destruction. 15 The wealth of a rich person is like a fortified city, but the poor are brought to ruin by their poverty. 16 The reward that the righteous receive is life; the recompense that the wicked receive is judgment. 17 The one who heeds instruction is on the way to life, but the one who rejects rebuke goes astray. 18 The one who conceals hatred utters lies, and the one who spreads slander is certainly a fool. 19 When words abound, transgression is inevitable, but the one who restrains his words is wise.⁠ 20 What the righteous say is like the best silver, but what the wicked think is of little value. 21 The teaching of the righteous feeds many, but fools die for lack of sense. 22 The blessing from the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow to it. 23 Carrying out a wicked scheme is enjoyable to a fool, and so is wisdom for the one who has discernment. 24 What the wicked fears will come on him; what the righteous desire will be granted. 25 When the storm passes through, the wicked are swept away, but the righteous are an everlasting foundation. 26 Like vinegar to the teeth and like smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him. 27 Fearing the Lord prolongs life, but the life span of the wicked will be shortened. 28 The hope of the righteous is joy, but the expectation of the wicked perishes. 29 The way of the Lord is like a stronghold for the upright, but it is destruction to evildoers. 30 The righteous will never be moved, but the wicked will not inhabit the land. 31 The speech of the righteous bears the fruit of wisdom, but the one who speaks perversion will be destroyed. 32 The lips of the righteous know what is pleasing, but the speech of the wicked is perverse.

Texts in conversation

Compare Proverbs 10:4 and Ecclesiastes 9:11

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Proverbs presents diligence as a path to prosperity, but Ecclesiastes reflects on how life often fails to reward effort in predictable ways. Ecclesiastes challenges this wisdom tradition and places it in a more uncertain view of human experience.

Passages

Proverbs 10:4

Hebrew Bible
2 Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death. 3 The Lord satisfies the appetite of the righteous, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked. 4 The one who is lazy becomes poor, but the one who works diligently becomes wealthy. 5 The one who gathers crops in the summer is a wise son, but the one who sleeps during harvest is a shameful son. 6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the speech of the wicked conceals violence.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Proverbs

Ecclesiastes 9:11

Hebrew Bible
10 Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, the place where you will eventually go. 11 Again, I observed this on the earth: The race is not always won by the swiftest, the battle is not always won by the strongest; prosperity does not always belong to those who are the wisest; wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning, nor does success always come to those with the most knowledge—for time and chance may overcome them all. 12 Surely, no one knows his appointed time. Like fish that are caught in a deadly net and like birds that are caught in a snare—just like them, all people are ensnared at an unfortunate time that falls upon them suddenly.
300–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Ecclesiastes

References

"... In the book of Ecclesiastes, Qohelet holds the retribution principle at arm’s length, but he does hold it. He advises his readers to fulfill ritual obligations to avoid inciting divine wrath (Ecclesiastes 5:1-7), but his most direct discussion of the retribution principle is in Ecclesiastes 8:12—9:4. He labels the experiences that contradict the retribution principle as meaningless (Ecclesiastes 8:14), but despite those contradictions he advises that it will go better for those who fear God (Ecclesiastes 8:12-13). His teaching can be summarized in the advice that people should live as if the retribution principle were true, but that they should not expect it to be reflected in their personal circumstances. He refuses to employ the retribution principle in theodicy because “No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 8:17). A further caveat, however, is that the retribution principle itself is ultimately meaningless because “all share a common destiny” (Ecclesiastes 9:2): death overtakes them all ..."
Tremper Longman and Peter Enns, Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings (Inter-Varsity, 2008), 652.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Proverbs 10:4 and Ecclesiastes 9:11

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