| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them; | 1Do not envy wicked men or desire their company; |
| 2For their heart devises violence, And their lips talk of troublemaking. | 2for their hearts devise violence, and their lips declare trouble. |
| 3Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; | 3By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established; |
| 4By knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. | 4through knowledge its rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure. |
| 5A wise man is strong, Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; | 5A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge enhances his strength. |
| 6For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, And in a multitude of counselors there is safety. | 6Only with sound guidance should you wage war, and victory lies in a multitude of counselors. |
| 7Wisdom is too lofty for a fool; He does not open his mouth in the gate. | 7Wisdom is too high for a fool; he does not open his mouth in the meeting place. |
| 8He who plots to do evil Will be called a schemer. | 8He who plots evil will be called a schemer. |
| 9The devising of foolishness is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to men. | 9A foolish scheme is sin, and a mocker is detestable to men. |
| 10If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small. | 10If you faint in the day of distress, how small is your strength! |
| 11Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. | 11Rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter. |
| 12If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds? | 12If you say, “Behold, we did not know about this,” does not He who weighs hearts consider it? Does not the One who guards your life know? Will He not repay a man according to his deeds? |
| 13My son, eat honey because it is good, And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste; | 13Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste. |
| 14So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; If you have found it, there is a prospect, And your hope will not be cut off. | 14Know therefore that wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, there is a future for you, and your hope will never be cut off. |
| 15Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; Do not plunder his resting place; | 15Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, near the dwelling of the righteous; do not destroy his resting place. |
| 16For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity. | 16For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up; but the wicked stumble in bad times. |
| 17Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; | 17Do not gloat when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles, |
| 18Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him. | 18or the LORD will see and disapprove, and turn His wrath away from him. |
| 19Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked; | 19Do not fret over evildoers, and do not be envious of the wicked. |
| 20For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out. | 20For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished. |
| 21My son, fear the LORD and the king; Do not associate with those given to change; | 21My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not associate with the rebellious. |
| 22For their calamity will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin those two can bring? | 22For they will bring sudden destruction. Who knows what ruin they can bring? |
| 23These things also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment. | 23These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good. |
| 24He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,” Him the people will curse; Nations will abhor him. | 24Whoever tells the guilty, “You are innocent”—peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce him; |
| 25But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, And a good blessing will come upon them. | 25but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them. |
| 26He who gives a right answer kisses the lips. | 26An honest answer given is like a kiss on the lips. |
| 27Prepare your outside work, Make it fit for yourself in the field; And afterward build your house. | 27Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field; after that, you may build your house. |
| 28Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, For would you deceive with your lips? | 28Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips. |
| 29Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.” | 29Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will repay the man according to his work.” |
| 30I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; | 30I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment. |
| 31And there it was, all overgrown with thorns; Its surface was covered with nettles; Its stone wall was broken down. | 31Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down. |
| 32When I saw it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction: | 32I observed and took it to heart; I looked and received instruction: |
| 33A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest; | 33A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, |
| 34So shall your poverty come like a prowler, And your need like an armed man. | 34and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit. |
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