Proverbs

¹THE PLANS of the mind and orderly thinking belong to man, but from the Lord comes the [wise] answer of the tongue. ²All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits (the thoughts and intents of the heart). [I Sam. 16:7; Heb. 4:12.] ³Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed. ⁴The Lord has made everything [to accommodate itself and contribute] to its own end and His own purpose–even the wicked [are fitted for their role] for the day of calamity and evil. ⁵Everyone proud and arrogant in heart is disgusting, hateful, and exceedingly offensive to the Lord; be assured [I pledge it] they will not go unpunished. [Prov. 8:13; 11:20-21.] ⁶By mercy and love, truth and fidelity [to God and man–not by sacrificial offerings], iniquity is purged out of the heart, and by the reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord men depart from and avoid evil. ⁷When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.