The Way of the Trusting Heart: Faith and Trust in Proverbs 11

False scales are an abomination to GOD,Who finds an honest weight pleasing. When arrogance appears, disgrace follows,But wisdom is with those who are unassuming. The integrity of the upright guides them;The deviousness of the treacherous leads them to ruin. Wealth is of no avail on the day of wrath,But righteousness saves from death. The righteousness of the blameless smooths their way,But the wicked fall by their wickedness. The righteousness of the upright saves them,But the treacherous are trapped by their malice. At death the hopes of a wicked person are doomed,And the ambition of evildoers comes to nothing. A righteous person is rescued from troubleAnd it comes to the wicked instead. An impious person destroys a neighbor through speech,But through knowledge the righteous are rescued. When the righteous prosper the city exults;When the wicked perish there are shouts of joy. A city is built up by the blessing of the upright,But it is torn down by the speech of the wicked. One who speaks contemptuously of neighbors is devoid of sense;A prudent man keeps his peace. A base fellow gives away secrets,But a trustworthy soul keeps a confidence. For want of strategy an army falls,But victory comes with much planning. Harm awaits one who stands surety for another; One who spurns pledging shall be secure. A graceful woman obtains honor;Ruthless men obtain wealth. A kindly man benefits himself;A cruel one makes trouble for himself. A wicked person earns illusory wages,But one who sows righteousness has a true reward. Righteousness is a prop of life,But to pursue evil leads to death. Crooked minds are an abomination to GOD,But those whose way is blameless are pleasing. Assuredly, the evildoer will not escape,But the offspring of the righteous will be safe. Like a gold ring in the snout of a pigIs a beautiful woman bereft of sense. What the righteous desire can only be good;What the wicked hope for [stirs] wrath. Some give generously and end with more;Others stint on doing the right thing and incur a loss. A generous person enjoys prosperity;One who satisfies others shall likewise be sated. Whoever withholds grain earns the curses of the people,But blessings are on the head of the one who dispenses it. One who earnestly seeks good pursues what is pleasing;Evil comes to someone who is bent on it. One who trusts in wealth shall fall,But the righteous shall flourish like foliage. He who makes trouble for his household shall inherit the wind;A fool is a slave to the wise-hearted. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life;The wise captivate people. If the righteous on earth get their deserts,How much more evildoers and sinners.

Proverbs 11:1-20 (ESV)