| New International Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Better the poor whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse. | 1Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and a fool. |
| 2Desire without knowledge is not good-- how much more will hasty feet miss the way! | 2Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes. |
| 3A person's own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the LORD. | 3People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD. |
| 4Wealth attracts many friends, but even the closest friend of the poor person deserts them. | 4Wealth makes many “friends”; poverty drives them all away. |
| 5A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will not go free. | 5A false witness will not go unpunished, nor will a liar escape. |
| 6Many curry favor with a ruler, and everyone is the friend of one who gives gifts. | 6Many seek favors from a ruler; everyone is the friend of a person who gives gifts! |
| 7The poor are shunned by all their relatives-- how much more do their friends avoid them! Though the poor pursue them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found. | 7The relatives of the poor despise them; how much more will their friends avoid them! Though the poor plead with them, their friends are gone. |
| 8The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper. | 8To acquire wisdom is to love yourself; people who cherish understanding will prosper. |
| 9A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will perish. | 9A false witness will not go unpunished, and a liar will be destroyed. |
| 10It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury-- how much worse for a slave to rule over princes! | 10It isn’t right for a fool to live in luxury or for a slave to rule over princes! |
| 11A person's wisdom yields patience; it is to one's glory to overlook an offense. | 11Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs. |
| 12A king's rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass. | 12The king’s anger is like a lion’s roar, but his favor is like dew on the grass. |
| 13A foolish child is a father's ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof. | 13A foolish child is a calamity to a father; a quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping. |
| 14Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD. | 14Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the LORD can give an understanding wife. |
| 15Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless go hungry. | 15Lazy people sleep soundly, but idleness leaves them hungry. |
| 16Whoever keeps commandments keeps their life, but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die. | 16Keep the commandments and keep your life; despising them leads to death. |
| 17Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done. | 17If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD— and he will repay you! |
| 18Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death. | 18Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives. |
| 19A hot-tempered person must pay the penalty; rescue them, and you will have to do it again. | 19Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty. If you rescue them once, you will have to do it again. |
| 20Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. | 20Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life. |
| 21Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. | 21You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail. |
| 22What a person desires is unfailing love; better to be poor than a liar. | 22Loyalty makes a person attractive. It is better to be poor than dishonest. |
| 23The fear of the LORD leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble. | 23Fear of the LORD leads to life, bringing security and protection from harm. |
| 24A sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth! | 24Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth. |
| 25Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence; rebuke the discerning, and they will gain knowledge. | 25If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded will learn a lesson; if you correct the wise, they will be all the wiser. |
| 26Whoever robs their father and drives out their mother is a child who brings shame and disgrace. | 26Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother are an embarrassment and a public disgrace. |
| 27Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge. | 27If you stop listening to instruction, my child, you will turn your back on knowledge. |
| 28A corrupt witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil. | 28A corrupt witness makes a mockery of justice; the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil. |
| 29Penalties are prepared for mockers, and beatings for the backs of fools. | 29Punishment is made for mockers, and the backs of fools are made to be beaten. |
| New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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