CHAPTER 12 Apr. 2 
The Basis of a Righteous Life
Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid. 2A good man shall obtain favour from Yahweh, but He will condemn a man of wicked devices. 3A man shall not be established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous shall not be moved. 4A worthy woman is the crown of her husband, but a disgraceful wife is as rottenness in his bones. 5The thoughts of the righteous are just, but the advice of the wicked is deceitful. 6The words of the wicked are about lying in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them. 7The wicked are overthrown, and are no more, but the house of the righteous shall stand. 8A man shall be commended according to his wisdom, but he who has a warped mind shall be despised. 9Better is he who is lightly esteemed and has a servant, than he who honours himself, and lacks bread. 10A righteous man respects the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. 11He who tills his land shall have plenty of bread, but he who chases fantasies is void of understanding. 12The wicked desires the plunder of evil men, but the root of the righteous flourishes.

The Importance of Truthfulness
13An evil man is trapped by the sinfulness of his lips, but the righteous shall come out of trouble. 14A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth; the work of a man’s hands shall be rewarded to him. 15The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who is wise listens to counsel. 16A fool shows his annoyance the same day, but one who overlooks an insult is prudent. 17He who is truthful testifies honestly, but a false witness lies. 18There is one who speaks rashly like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise heals. 19Truth’s lips will be established forever, but a lying tongue is only momentary. 20Deceit is in the heart of those who plot evil, but joy comes to the promoters of peace. 21No mischief shall happen to the righteous, but the wicked shall be filled with evil. 22Lying lips are an abomination to Yahweh, but those who do the truth are His delight. 23A prudent man keeps his knowledge, but the hearts of fools proclaim foolishness. 24The hands of the diligent ones shall rule, but laziness ends in slave labour. 25Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but a kind word makes it glad. 26A righteous person is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. 27The slothful man doesn’t roast his game, but the possessions of diligent men are prized. 28In the way of righteousness is life; in its path there is no death.

Commentary

12:10 A gracious and sensitive spirit will be reflected in how we treat the natural creation.
12:14 The way we talk is here paralleled with our works, what we do with our hands. How we speak is really so important; good actions don’t displace bad speaking.
12:15 Right in his own eyes- What seems right to us isn’t necessarily so. We aren’t born with any natural wisdom; unless we have a teachable spirit, open to God’s teaching, then we will have only our very dysfunctional natural senses to guide us.
12:17 He who is truthful testifies honestly- This may seem to be obvious; but the idea is that the person who is truthful as a way of life, within their own heart, is going to also be truthful when it comes to having to testify in court.
12:25 A kind word makes it glad- Here and in :18 we see how powerful good words can be (Job 6:25). There’s a positive power in words, even just one word, which we are prone to ignore, thinking that actions are so much more important than words.
12:28 In its path there is no death- We have here an Old Testament equivalent of the times when Jesus says we can have eternal life right now. It doesn’t mean that the righteous don’t die. They do, and will be resurrected to eternal life at Christ’s return. But we can start living right now the kind of Kingdom life which we will eternally live. In this sense we “have eternal life”, and there is “no death” in the way of life of the righteous.