# Proverbs 16.11
**Book:** [Proverbs](/codex/proverbs/) · NASB95
## Immediate context (±2 verses)
**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> 9. A man's heart deviseth his way; But Jehovah directeth his steps. 10. A divine sentence is in the lips of the king; His mouth shall not transgress in judgment.
>
> **11. A just balance and scales are Jehovah's; All the weights of the bag are his work.**
>
> 12. It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness; For the throne is established by righteousness. 13. Righteous lips are the delight of kings; And they love him that speaketh right. (Proverbs 16:9-13, ASV)
**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> 9. A man’s heart plans his course, but Yahweh directs his steps. 10. Inspired judgments are on the lips of the king. He shall not betray his mouth.
>
> **11. Honest balances and scales are Yahweh’s; all the weights in the bag are his work.**
>
> 12. It is an abomination for kings to do wrong, for the throne is established by righteousness. 13. Righteous lips are the delight of kings. They value one who speaks the truth. (Proverbs 16:9-13, WEB)
**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> 9. A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps. 10. A divine sentence is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment. A divine: Heb. Divination
>
> **11. A just weight and balance are the LORD'S: all the weights of the bag are his work. the weights: Heb. the stones**
>
> 12. It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness. 13. Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right. (Proverbs 16:9-13, KJV)
**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> 9. The heart of man deviseth his way, And Jehovah establisheth his step. 10. An oath [is] on the lips of a king, In judgment his mouth trespasseth not.
>
> **11. A just beam and balances [are] Jehovah's, His work [are] all the stones of the bag.**
>
> 12. An abomination to kings [is] doing wickedness, For by righteousness is a throne established. 13. The delight of kings [are] righteous lips, And whoso is speaking uprightly he loveth, (Proverbs 16:9-13, YLT)
## Setting
- **Speaker:** _TBD_
- **Audience:** _TBD_
- **Location:** _TBD_
- **Time period:** _TBD_
## Theological reading
_Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._
## Key words
_Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word._
- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_
## Quoted in
**Arguments and defeaters:**
- [The Scales Argument](/codex/the-scales-argument/)
## Notes
_Your annotations._
## Why these four translations
ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.
The four:
- **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.
See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.