Proverbs 18 — TOJB

18Verse 1A man who separates himself seeks his own ta'avah (desire);
he defies all tushiyyah (wisdom, sound judgment).
^{Verse 2}A kesil (fool) hath no delight in tevunah (understanding),
but only in airing out his lev (mind, opinions).
^{Verse 3}When the rashah cometh, then cometh also contempt,
and with dishonor, cherpah (reproach, disgrace).
^{Verse 4}The devarim of a manʼs mouth are deep mayim;
the makor chochmah is a flowing stream.
^{Verse 5}It is not tov to show partiality to the rashah,
to subvert the tzaddik in mishpat.
^{Verse 6}The sfatayim (lips) of a kesil enter into contention,
and his peh (mouth) inviteth blows.
^{Verse 7}The peh (mouth) of a kesil is his undoing,
and his sfatayim (lips) are the mokesh (snare) of his nefesh.
^{Verse 8}The devarim of a nirgan (gossip, talebearer, slanderer) are like mitlachamim (delicious tidbits),
and they go down into the innermost parts of the beten (belly).
^{Verse 9}He also that is slack in his work
is brother to him that is ba'al mashchit (master of destruction).
^{Verse 10}The Shem of Hashem is a strong migdal (tower),
the tzaddik runneth into it, and is safe.
^{Verse 11}The oisherʼs wealth is his strong city,
and is a high chomah in his own conceit.
^{Verse 12}Before shever (destruction) the lev ish is haughty,
and before kavod is anavah (humility).
^{Verse 13}He that answereth a matter before he heareth it,
it is folly and kelimmah (reproach, shame) unto him.
^{Verse 14}The ruach ish will sustain him in sickness,
but a crushed ruach who can bear?
^{Verse 15}The lev of the prudent acquireth da'as,
and the ozen of the chachamim seeketh da'as.
^{Verse 16}The mattan adam (gift of a man) openeth the way for him,
and bringeth him before gedolim.
^{Verse 17}He that is harishon (the first) to make his case seemeth tzaddik,
but his re'a cometh and doth cross-examine him.
^{Verse 18}The goral (lot) causeth contentions to cease,
and keepeth the mighty apart.
^{Verse 19}A brother offended is harder to be won
than a strong city,
and their contentious quarrelings are like the bars of an armon (citadel).
^{Verse 20}An ishʼs beten shall be filled with the fruit of his peh (mouth),
and with the produce of his sfatayim (lips) shall he be satisfied.
^{Verse 21}Mavet and chayyim are in the power of the lashon,
and they that love it shall eat the p'ri (fruit) thereof.
^{Verse 22}He who findeth an isha (wife) findeth tov,
and obtaineth ratzon (favor) from Hashem.
^{Verse 23}The poor useth entreaties,
but the oisher answereth roughly.
^{Verse 24}An ish of many companions may come to ruin,
but there is an ohev (friend) that sticketh closer than a brother.