A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. You know you are on the right path When your gentle reply turns away wrath, But you also know you are going all wrong When your harsh word brings anger along. 2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.

1. PROVERBS 15 I

2. POETRY
PROVERBS 15 I

3. POETRY
By Glenn Pease
1 A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
You know you are on the right path
When your gentle reply turns away wrath,
But you also know you are going all wrong
When your harsh word brings anger along.
2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.
You are wiser than those who have finished college
If you can use your tongue to commend knowledge,
But only a fool can be happy and jolly
With a mouth that gushes forth with folly
3 The eyes of the LORD are everywhere,
keeping watch on the wicked and the good.
This is a truth I need to share,
For God's eyes are everywhere.
He is watching both bad and good
To see if we are living as we should.
4 The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life,
but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
Truly, it is a tree of life
The tongue that brings forth healing.
But a deceitful tongue produces strife
That sends the spirit realing.
5 A fool spurns his father's discipline,
but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.
A son who hates his father's school
Will surely turn out to be a fool,
But he who sees its love and worth
Will be among the wise of earth.
6 The house of the righteous contains great treasure,
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4. PROVERBS 15 I

5. POETRY
but the income of the wicked brings them trouble.
Living right can bring great treasure
Greater than the mind can measure,
But living wrong can bring great trouble
And burst your silver lining bubble.
7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge;
not so the hearts of fools.
The wise person everywhere he goes
Is sharing what he learns and knows,

6. ot so from the hearts of ignorant fools,
For there's nothing to share without the tools.
8 The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked,
but the prayer of the upright pleases him.
God hates the wicked sacrifice
Of those whose life is far from nice,
But he is so pleasantly pleased
When the upright are down on their knees.
9 The LORD detests the way of the wicked
but he loves those who pursue righteousness.
God just hates the wicked way
Some walk in life day by day,
But how he loves the righteous who
Day by day his way pursue.
10 Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the path;
he who hates correction will die.
When foolish people leave a righteous path
They head straight for God's righteous wrath.
Rejection of all correction is their cry,
But they can't win, for they will die.
11 Death and Destruction [a] lie open before the LORD—
how much more the hearts of men!
There is no reality that can be stored
That is not ever open to the Lord,
So it is folly for men to try and hide
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8. POETRY
All the evil that in their hearts reside.
12 A mocker resents correction;
he will not consult the wise.
You cannot tell a mocker he is going astray
For it is advice he will not hear or obey.
He is going just fine in his own eyes,
So he will never bother to consult the wise.
13 A happy heart makes the face cheerful,
but heartache crushes the spirit.
When happy thoughts make your heart race
You can see it reflected in your cheerful face,
But when your spirit is crushed and down
Your face will reflect it in a frown.
14 The discerning heart seeks knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.
Some hearts are curious and are ever peeking
For it is knowledge they are ever seeking,
But others never attend this school,
For they feed on folly with the fool.
15 All the days of the oppressed are wretched,
but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.
When life is down and you are feeling oppressed

9. othing is good, and nothing tastes best,
But when life is down, yet you are cheerful at least,
Everything tastes good, for life still is a feast.
16 Better a little with the fear of the LORD
than great wealth with turmoil.
Life can be hard and life can be rough
But with the fear of the Lord, little is enough.
Those who have it all, but fear the Lord not
Have nothing but turmoil with all they've got.
17 Better a meal of vegetables where there is love
than a fattened calf with hatred.
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10. PROVERBS 15 I

11. POETRY
A vegetarian meal is a gift from above
When those who are eating are salted with love,
But the best stake meal ever on plate
Is as worthless as leather when salted with hate.
18 A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension,
but a patient man calms a quarrel.
Trouble is double with a hot-tempered man,
Everyone's angry when his stuff hits the fan.
Just the opposite is true with the patient man,
For all remain then just as calm as the can.
19 The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns,
but the path of the upright is a highway.
The way of the sluggard goes against the grain,
And the thorns in his path will give him much pain,
But the upright have a path of wide open spaces,
Like a highway where thorns have not even traces.
20 A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish man despises his mother.
Wise is the boy who bring his father joy
But then there's another who despises his mother.
Children can be such a burden or treasure,
Bringing to parents much sorrow or pleasure.
21 Folly delights a man who lacks judgment,
but a man of understanding keeps a straight course.
A fool wanders aimless through his days and his nights
But his foolishness still fills him with superficial delights,
But the man with good common sense in his head
Can with deep confident pleasure move on ahead.
22 Plans fail for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.
Those who fail to plan, plan to fail it is said,
Such is the fate of those to whom counsel is dead,
But those who are wise and seek to avoid mess
Will listen to many advisers on the road to success.
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13. POETRY
23 A man finds joy in giving an apt reply—
and how good is a timely word!
When a friend in sorrow comes asking Why?
What a joy to be able to give a helpful reply,
And seldom can anything ever be heard
Than encouragment that comes with just the right word.
24 The path of life leads upward for the wise
to keep him from going down to the grave.
The path that leads up is the path of the wise
For their goal is nothing short of the skies,
And this upward look their life will save,
and keep them from going down to the grave.
25 The LORD tears down the proud man's house
but he keeps the widow's boundaries intact.
The proud man's house is coming down
For God looks on it with anger and frown,
But this good news is also a fact,
He preserves the widows things intact.
26 The LORD detests the thoughts of the wicked,
but those of the pure are pleasing to him.
When God looks into the brain of the evil man
He detests every thought he sees in his scan,
But when he gazes into the mind of the pure
He finds many pleasing thoughts for sure.
27 A greedy man brings trouble to his family,
but he who hates bribes will live.
A family is not happy with a greedy man
For he is ever taking all that he can,
But the man whose focus is always on giving

14. ever takes bribes to enhance their just living.
28 The heart of the righteous weighs its answers,
but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.
Wise is the man who always thinks first
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16. POETRY
Before he lets words from his mouth burst,
But a wicked man never thinks twice
But lets evil gush forth like China with rice.
29 The LORD is far from the wicked
but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
From wicked people the Lord stays away
And will never come near if that way they stay,
But he will now and ever be right there
When the righteous bow down to him in prayer.
30 A cheerful look brings joy to the heart,
and good news gives health to the bones.
You heart cheers up when you see a face
On which there is nothing but joy to trace,
And when they add good news in their tones
It even give good health to your bones.
31 He who listens to a life-giving rebuke
will be at home among the wise.
It is often so hard to take a rebuke
And hear a friend your folly nuke,
But when you listen and from defeat rise,
You will be welcome to the home of the wise.
32 He who ignores discipline despises himself,
but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.
All you have to do to be your worst foe
Is ignore discipline, and let it just go,
But you are a best friend to yourself indeed
If to helpful correction you seriously give heed.
33 The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom,
and humility comes before honor.
If you want wisdom, fear the Lord;
This means that he is fully adored.
You then will be fully able to see
That always before honor comes humility.
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