CHAPTER 10 Mar. 31 
The Proverbs of Solomon
The Righteous and the Wicked- Their Attitudes Contrasted
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish son brings grief to his mother. 2Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death. 3Yahweh will not allow the soul of the righteous to go hungry, but He thrusts away the desire of the wicked. 4He becomes poor who works with a lazy hand, but the hand of the diligent brings wealth. 5He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during the harvest is a son who causes shame. 6Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked. 7The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot. 8The wise in heart accept commandments, but a chattering fool will fall. 9He who walks blamelessly walks surely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out. 10One winking with the eye causes sorrow, and a chattering fool will fall. 11The mouth of the righteous is a spring of life, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked. 12Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all wrongs. 13Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has discernment, but a rod is for the back of him who is void of understanding. 14Wise men lay up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near ruin.

A Disciplined Life
15The rich man’s wealth is his fortified city; the destruction of the poor is their poverty. 16The labour of the righteous leads to life; the increase of the wicked leads to sin. 17He is in the way of life who heeds correction, but he who forsakes reproof leads others astray. 18He who hides hatred has lying lips; he who utters a slander is a fool. 19In the multitude of words there is no lack of disobedience, but he who restrains his lips does wisely. 20The tongue of the righteous is like choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth. 21The lips of the righteous feed many, but the foolish die for lack of understanding.

Life Expanded by the Fear of God
22Yahweh’s blessing brings wealth, and He adds no trouble to it. 23It is a fool’s pleasure to do wickedness, but wisdom is a man of understanding’s pleasure. 24What the wicked fear will overtake them, but the desire of the righteous will be granted. 25When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more; but the righteous stand firm forever. 26As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him. 27The fear of Yahweh prolongs days, but the years of the wicked shall be shortened. 28The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hope of the wicked will perish. 29The way of Yahweh is a stronghold to the upright, but it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity. 30The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not dwell in the land. 31The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off. 32The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked is perverse. 

Commentary

10:1 Solomon has himself in view here, for he was known internationally for his wisdom. Yet much of his apparent spirituality and zeal for God seems to have been a result of living out David’s parental expectation. The emphasis he places in Proverbs upon pleasing fathers reflects Solomon’s personal living out of parental hopes. Hence his collapse of faith later in life.
10:11 Our words really can be the water of life to others; this is why how we speak is so important. 
10:12 Love covers all wrongs- The first and second halves of the verses in Proverbs are often related to each other. The way of love is not to turn a blind eye; but it covers wrongs in the sense that it doesn’t ‘stir up strife’ in the sense of continually exposing the fault lines which there are in every relationship but rather covers them.
10:15,16 These verses speak of attitudes to wealth; the rich trust in their wealth and become isolated by it, like a man within a fortified city. The poor are soul destroyed because they are poor, and because they think that not having wealth means they are nothing. However, the righteous labour for God with eternal life as their end in view (:16), thus making their economic status simply not an item in their self-perception.
10:20 Note the frequent parallel in Proverbs between the tongue and the heart. Our words reflect how we think; we can’t think badly and never reflect it in our speech. Jesus understood, maybe from studying Proverbs, that our mouth speaks in reflection of our heart (Lk. 6:45).