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Read the Bible
THE MESSAGE
Proverbs 16:11
God cares about honesty in the workplace; your business is his business.
Jump to:Bible Study Tools • Parallel Bible Verse • Bible Contextual Overview • Bible Cross-References • Gill's Bible Notes • Clarke's Bible Notes • Barnes' Bible Notes
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- CharlesEncyclopedias:
- InternationalParallel Translations
Christian Standard Bible®
Honest balances and scales are the Lord’s;all the weights in the bag are his concern.
Honest balances and scales are the Lord’s;all the weights in the bag are his concern.
Hebrew Names Version
Honest balances and scales are the LORD's; All the weights in the bag are his work.
Honest balances and scales are the LORD's; All the weights in the bag are his work.
King James Version
A just weight and balance are the Lord 's: all the weights of the bag are his work.
A just weight and balance are the Lord 's: all the weights of the bag are his work.
English Standard Version
A just balance and scales are the Lord 's; all the weights in the bag are his work.
A just balance and scales are the Lord 's; all the weights in the bag are his work.
New American Standard Bible
A just balance and scales belong to the LORD; All the weights of the bag are His concern.
A just balance and scales belong to the LORD; All the weights of the bag are His concern.
New Century Version
The Lord wants honest balances and scales; all the weights are his work.
The Lord wants honest balances and scales; all the weights are his work.
Amplified Bible
A just balance and [honest] scales are the LORD'S; All the weights of the bag are His concern [established by His eternal principles].
A just balance and [honest] scales are the LORD'S; All the weights of the bag are His concern [established by His eternal principles].
World English Bible
Honest balances and scales are Yahweh's; All the weights in the bag are his work.
Honest balances and scales are Yahweh's; All the weights in the bag are his work.
Geneva Bible (1587)
A true weight & balance are of the Lord: all the weightes of the bagge are his worke.
A true weight & balance are of the Lord: all the weightes of the bagge are his worke.
Legacy Standard Bible
A just balance and scales belong to Yahweh;All the weights of the bag are His work.
A just balance and scales belong to Yahweh;All the weights of the bag are His work.
Berean Standard Bible
Honest scales and balances are from the LORD; all the weights in the bag are His concern.
Honest scales and balances are from the LORD; all the weights in the bag are His concern.
Contemporary English Version
The Lord doesn't like it when we cheat in business.
The Lord doesn't like it when we cheat in business.
Complete Jewish Bible
The balance and scales of justice have their origin in Adonai ; all the weights in the bag are his doing.
The balance and scales of justice have their origin in Adonai ; all the weights in the bag are his doing.
Darby Translation
The just balance and scales are Jehovah's; all the weights of the bag are his work.
The just balance and scales are Jehovah's; all the weights of the bag are his work.
Easy-to-Read Version
The Lord wants all scales and balances to be right; he wants all business agreements to be fair.
The Lord wants all scales and balances to be right; he wants all business agreements to be fair.
George Lamsa Translation
The weight of a just balance is the LORDS judgment; all his works are just weights.
The weight of a just balance is the LORDS judgment; all his works are just weights.
Good News Translation
The Lord wants weights and measures to be honest and every sale to be fair.
The Lord wants weights and measures to be honest and every sale to be fair.
Lexham English Bible
A balance and scales of justice belong to Yahweh; all the weights of the bag are his work.
A balance and scales of justice belong to Yahweh; all the weights of the bag are his work.
Literal Translation
A just scale and balances are to Jehovah, all the stones of the bag are His work.
A just scale and balances are to Jehovah, all the stones of the bag are His work.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
A true measure & a true balauce are ye LORDES, he maketh all weightes.
A true measure & a true balauce are ye LORDES, he maketh all weightes.
American Standard Version
A just balance and scales are Jehovah's; All the weights of the bag are his work.
A just balance and scales are Jehovah's; All the weights of the bag are his work.
Bible in Basic English
True measures and scales are the Lord's: all the weights of the bag are his work.
True measures and scales are the Lord's: all the weights of the bag are his work.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
A just balance and scales are the LORD'S; all the weights of the bag are His work.
A just balance and scales are the LORD'S; all the weights of the bag are His work.
King James Version (1611)
A iust weight and ballance are the Lords: all the weights of the bagge are his worke.
A iust weight and ballance are the Lords: all the weights of the bagge are his worke.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
A true wayght and ballaunce are the Lordes iudgement: all the wayghtes of the bagge are his worke.
A true wayght and ballaunce are the Lordes iudgement: all the wayghtes of the bagge are his worke.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
The poise of the balance is righteousness with the Lord; and his works are righteous measures.
The poise of the balance is righteousness with the Lord; and his works are righteous measures.
English Revised Version
A just balance and scales are the LORD'S: all the weights of the bag are his work.
A just balance and scales are the LORD'S: all the weights of the bag are his work.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The domes of the Lord ben weiyte and a balaunce; and hise werkis ben alle the stoonys of the world.
The domes of the Lord ben weiyte and a balaunce; and hise werkis ben alle the stoonys of the world.
Update Bible Version
A just balance and scales are Yahweh's; All the weights of the bag are his work.
A just balance and scales are Yahweh's; All the weights of the bag are his work.
Webster's Bible Translation
A just weight and balance [are] the LORD'S: all the weights of the bag [are] his work.
A just weight and balance [are] the LORD'S: all the weights of the bag [are] his work.
New English Translation
Honest scales and balances are from the Lord ; all the weights in the bag are his handiwork.
Honest scales and balances are from the Lord ; all the weights in the bag are his handiwork.
New King James Version
Honest weights and scales are the LORD's; All the weights in the bag are His work.
Honest weights and scales are the LORD's; All the weights in the bag are His work.
New Living Translation
The Lord demands accurate scales and balances; he sets the standards for fairness.
The Lord demands accurate scales and balances; he sets the standards for fairness.
New Life Bible
What is fair in telling the weight of something belongs to the Lord. He cares about all the weights of the bag.
What is fair in telling the weight of something belongs to the Lord. He cares about all the weights of the bag.
New Revised Standard
Honest balances and scales are the Lord 's; all the weights in the bag are his work.
Honest balances and scales are the Lord 's; all the weights in the bag are his work.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The balance and scales of justice, belong to Yahweh, and, his handiwork, are all the weights of the bag.
The balance and scales of justice, belong to Yahweh, and, his handiwork, are all the weights of the bag.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Weight and balance are judgments of the Lord: and his work all the weights of the bag.
Weight and balance are judgments of the Lord: and his work all the weights of the bag.
Revised Standard Version
A just balance and scales are the LORD's; all the weights in the bag are his work.
A just balance and scales are the LORD's; all the weights in the bag are his work.
Young's Literal Translation
A just beam and balances [are] Jehovah's, His work [are] all the stones of the bag.
A just beam and balances [are] Jehovah's, His work [are] all the stones of the bag.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
A just balance and scales belong to the LORD; All the weights of the bag are His concern.
A just balance and scales belong to the LORD; All the weights of the bag are His concern.
Contextual Overview
11 God cares about honesty in the workplace; your business is his business.
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
just: Proverbs 11:1, Proverbs 20:10, Proverbs 20:23, Leviticus 19:35, Leviticus 19:36, Deuteronomy 25:13-15, Ezekiel 45:10, Hosea 12:7, Amos 8:5, Micah 6:11
weight: Heb. stones
Reciprocal: Job 31:6 - Let me be weighed in an even balance Philippians 4:8 - are just 1 Thessalonians 4:6 - go
Cross-References
Genesis 17:19
But God said, "That's not what I mean. Your wife, Sarah, will have a baby, a son. Name him Isaac (Laughter). I'll establish my covenant with him and his descendants, a covenant that lasts forever.
But God said, "That's not what I mean. Your wife, Sarah, will have a baby, a son. Name him Isaac (Laughter). I'll establish my covenant with him and his descendants, a covenant that lasts forever.
Exodus 3:7
God said, "I've taken a good, long look at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I've heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. And now I have come down to help them, pry them loose from the grip of Egypt, get them out of that country and bring them to a good land with wide-open spaces, a land lush with milk and honey, the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
God said, "I've taken a good, long look at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I've heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. And now I have come down to help them, pry them loose from the grip of Egypt, get them out of that country and bring them to a good land with wide-open spaces, a land lush with milk and honey, the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
Exodus 3:9
"The Israelite cry for help has come to me, and I've seen for myself how cruelly they're being treated by the Egyptians. It's time for you to go back: I'm sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the People of Israel, out of Egypt."
"The Israelite cry for help has come to me, and I've seen for myself how cruelly they're being treated by the Egyptians. It's time for you to go back: I'm sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the People of Israel, out of Egypt."
1 Samuel 1:20
Before the year was out, Hannah had conceived and given birth to a son. She named him Samuel, explaining, "I asked God for him."
Before the year was out, Hannah had conceived and given birth to a son. She named him Samuel, explaining, "I asked God for him."
Luke 1:13
But the angel reassured him, "Don't fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John. You're going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you—many will delight in his birth. He'll achieve great stature with God. "He'll drink neither wine nor beer. He'll be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment he leaves his mother's womb. He will turn many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God. He will herald God's arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics—he'll get the people ready for God." Zachariah said to the angel, "Do you expect me to believe this? I'm an old man and my wife is an old woman." But the angel said, "I am Gabriel, the sentinel of God, sent especially to bring you this glad news. But because you won't believe me, you'll be unable to say a word until the day of your son's birth. Every word I've spoken to you will come true on time—God's time." Meanwhile, the congregation waiting for Zachariah was getting restless, wondering what was keeping him so long in the sanctuary. When he came out and couldn't speak, they knew he had seen a vision. He continued speechless and had to use sign language with the people. When the course of his priestly assignment was completed, he went back home. It wasn't long before his wife, Elizabeth, conceived. She went off by herself for five months, relishing her pregnancy. "So, this is how God acts to remedy my unfortunate condition!" she said. In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin's name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her: Good morning! You're beautiful with God's beauty, Beautiful inside and out! God be with you. She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, "Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus. He will be great, be called ‘Son of the Highest.' The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David; He will rule Jacob's house forever— no end, ever, to his kingdom." Mary said to the angel, "But how? I've never slept with a man." The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God. "And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God." And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I'm the Lord's maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. Then the angel left her. Mary didn't waste a minute. She got up and traveled to a town in Judah in the hill country, straight to Zachariah's house, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sang out exuberantly, You're so blessed among women, and the babe in your womb, also blessed! And why am I so blessed that the mother of my Lord visits me? The moment the sound of your greeting entered my ears, The babe in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy. Blessed woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true! And Mary said, I'm bursting with God-news; I'm dancing the song of my Savior God. God took one good look at me, and look what happened— I'm the most fortunate woman on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten, the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others. His mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before him. He bared his arm and showed his strength, scattered the bluffing braggarts. He knocked tyrants off their high horses, pulled victims out of the mud. The starving poor sat down to a banquet; the callous rich were left out in the cold. He embraced his chosen child, Israel; he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high. It's exactly what he promised, beginning with Abraham and right up to now. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months and then went back to her own home. When Elizabeth was full-term in her pregnancy, she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives, seeing that God had overwhelmed her with mercy, celebrated with her. On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child and were calling him Zachariah after his father. But his mother intervened: "No. He is to be called John." "But," they said, "no one in your family is named that." They used sign language to ask Zachariah what he wanted him named. Asking for a tablet, Zachariah wrote, "His name is to be John." That took everyone by surprise. Surprise followed surprise—Zachariah's mouth was now open, his tongue loose, and he was talking, praising God! A deep, reverential fear settled over the neighborhood, and in all that Judean hill country people talked about nothing else. Everyone who heard about it took it to heart, wondering, "What will become of this child? Clearly, God has his hand in this." Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he came and set his people free. He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives, and in the very house of David his servant, Just as he promised long ago through the preaching of his holy prophets: Deliverance from our enemies and every hateful hand; Mercy to our fathers, as he remembers to do what he said he'd do, What he swore to our father Abraham— a clean rescue from the enemy camp, So we can worship him without a care in the world, made holy before him as long as we live. And you, my child, "Prophet of the Highest," will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways, Present the offer of salvation to his people, the forgiveness of their sins. Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God's Sunrise will break in upon us, Shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, Then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace. The child grew up, healthy and spirited. He lived out in the desert until the day he made his prophetic debut in Israel.
But the angel reassured him, "Don't fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John. You're going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you—many will delight in his birth. He'll achieve great stature with God. "He'll drink neither wine nor beer. He'll be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment he leaves his mother's womb. He will turn many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God. He will herald God's arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics—he'll get the people ready for God." Zachariah said to the angel, "Do you expect me to believe this? I'm an old man and my wife is an old woman." But the angel said, "I am Gabriel, the sentinel of God, sent especially to bring you this glad news. But because you won't believe me, you'll be unable to say a word until the day of your son's birth. Every word I've spoken to you will come true on time—God's time." Meanwhile, the congregation waiting for Zachariah was getting restless, wondering what was keeping him so long in the sanctuary. When he came out and couldn't speak, they knew he had seen a vision. He continued speechless and had to use sign language with the people. When the course of his priestly assignment was completed, he went back home. It wasn't long before his wife, Elizabeth, conceived. She went off by herself for five months, relishing her pregnancy. "So, this is how God acts to remedy my unfortunate condition!" she said. In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin's name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her: Good morning! You're beautiful with God's beauty, Beautiful inside and out! God be with you. She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, "Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus. He will be great, be called ‘Son of the Highest.' The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David; He will rule Jacob's house forever— no end, ever, to his kingdom." Mary said to the angel, "But how? I've never slept with a man." The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God. "And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God." And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I'm the Lord's maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. Then the angel left her. Mary didn't waste a minute. She got up and traveled to a town in Judah in the hill country, straight to Zachariah's house, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sang out exuberantly, You're so blessed among women, and the babe in your womb, also blessed! And why am I so blessed that the mother of my Lord visits me? The moment the sound of your greeting entered my ears, The babe in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy. Blessed woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true! And Mary said, I'm bursting with God-news; I'm dancing the song of my Savior God. God took one good look at me, and look what happened— I'm the most fortunate woman on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten, the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others. His mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before him. He bared his arm and showed his strength, scattered the bluffing braggarts. He knocked tyrants off their high horses, pulled victims out of the mud. The starving poor sat down to a banquet; the callous rich were left out in the cold. He embraced his chosen child, Israel; he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high. It's exactly what he promised, beginning with Abraham and right up to now. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months and then went back to her own home. When Elizabeth was full-term in her pregnancy, she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives, seeing that God had overwhelmed her with mercy, celebrated with her. On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child and were calling him Zachariah after his father. But his mother intervened: "No. He is to be called John." "But," they said, "no one in your family is named that." They used sign language to ask Zachariah what he wanted him named. Asking for a tablet, Zachariah wrote, "His name is to be John." That took everyone by surprise. Surprise followed surprise—Zachariah's mouth was now open, his tongue loose, and he was talking, praising God! A deep, reverential fear settled over the neighborhood, and in all that Judean hill country people talked about nothing else. Everyone who heard about it took it to heart, wondering, "What will become of this child? Clearly, God has his hand in this." Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he came and set his people free. He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives, and in the very house of David his servant, Just as he promised long ago through the preaching of his holy prophets: Deliverance from our enemies and every hateful hand; Mercy to our fathers, as he remembers to do what he said he'd do, What he swore to our father Abraham— a clean rescue from the enemy camp, So we can worship him without a care in the world, made holy before him as long as we live. And you, my child, "Prophet of the Highest," will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways, Present the offer of salvation to his people, the forgiveness of their sins. Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God's Sunrise will break in upon us, Shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, Then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace. The child grew up, healthy and spirited. He lived out in the desert until the day he made his prophetic debut in Israel.
Luke 1:63
Asking for a tablet, Zachariah wrote, "His name is to be John." That took everyone by surprise. Surprise followed surprise—Zachariah's mouth was now open, his tongue loose, and he was talking, praising God!
Asking for a tablet, Zachariah wrote, "His name is to be John." That took everyone by surprise. Surprise followed surprise—Zachariah's mouth was now open, his tongue loose, and he was talking, praising God!
Gill's Notes on the Bible
A just weight and balance [are] the Lord's,.... These are of his devising; what he has put into the heart, of men to contrive and make use of, for the benefit of mankind, for the keeping and maintaining truth and justice in commercial affairs; these are of his appointing, commanding, and approving, Leviticus 19:35;
all the weights of the bag [are] his work; or, "all the stones" h; greater or smaller, which were formerly used in weighing, and were kept in a bag for that purpose; these are by the Lord's appointment and order. This may be applied to the Scriptures of truth, which are of God; are the balance of the sanctuary, in which every doctrine is to be weighed and tried; what agrees with them is to be received, and what is found wanting is to be rejected. The Targum is,
"his works, all of them, are weights of truth.''
h ××× × "lapides", Montanus, Vatablus, Piscator, Mercerus, Michaelis.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
See Proverbs 11:1 note. People are not to think that trade lies outside the divine law. God has commanded there also all that belongs to truth and right.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Proverbs 16:11. All the weights of the bag are his — Alluding, probably, to the standard weights laid up in a bag in the sanctuary, and to which all weights in common use in the land were to be referred, in order to ascertain whether they were just: but some think the allusion is to the weights carried about by merchants in their girdles, by which they weigh the money, silver and gold, that they take in exchange for their merchandise. As the Chinese take no coin but gold and silver by weight, they carry about with them a sort of small steelyard, by which they weigh those metals taken in exchange.
