| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them; | 1Don't envy evil men or desire to be with them, |
| 2For their heart devises violence, And their lips talk of troublemaking. | 2for their hearts plan violence, and their words stir up trouble. |
| 3Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; | 3A house is built by wisdom, and it is established by understanding; |
| 4By knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. | 4by knowledge the rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure. |
| 5A wise man is strong, Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; | 5A wise warrior is better than a strong one, and a man of knowledge than one of strength; |
| 6For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, And in a multitude of counselors there is safety. | 6for you should wage war with sound guidance-- victory comes with many counselors. |
| 7Wisdom is too lofty for a fool; He does not open his mouth in the gate. | 7Wisdom is inaccessible to a fool; he does not open his mouth at the gate. |
| 8He who plots to do evil Will be called a schemer. | 8The one 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 people. |
| 10If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small. | 10If you do nothing in a difficult time, your strength is limited. |
| 11Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. | 11Rescue those being taken off to death, and save those stumbling toward 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, "But we didn't know about this," won't He who weighs hearts consider it? Won't He who protects your life know? Won't He repay a person according to his work? |
| 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 palate; |
| 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. | 14realize that wisdom is the same for you. If you find it, you will have a future, and your hope will never fade. |
| 15Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; Do not plunder his resting place; | 15Wicked man, don't set an ambush, at the camp of the righteous man; don't destroy his dwelling. |
| 16For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity. | 16Though a righteous man falls seven times, he will get up, but the wicked will stumble into ruin. |
| 17Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; | 17Don't gloat when your enemy falls, and don't 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, be displeased, and turn His wrath away from him. |
| 19Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked; | 19Don't be agitated by evildoers, and don't envy the wicked. |
| 20For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out. | 20For the evil have no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out. |
| 21My son, fear the LORD and the king; Do not associate with those given to change; | 21My son, fear the LORD, as well as the king, and don't associate with rebels, |
| 22For their calamity will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin those two can bring? | 22for destruction from them will come suddenly; who knows what distress these two can bring? |
| 23These things also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment. | 23These sayings also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment. |
| 24He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,” Him the people will curse; Nations will abhor him. | 24Whoever says to the guilty, "You are innocent"-- people will curse him, and tribes 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 a generous blessing will come to them. |
| 26He who gives a right answer kisses the lips. | 26He who gives an honest answer gives 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; afterward, build your house. |
| 28Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, For would you deceive with your lips? | 28Don't testify against your neighbor without cause. Don't 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.” | 29Don't say, "I'll do to him what he did to me; I'll repay the man for what he has done." |
| 30I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; | 30I went by the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking sense. |
| 31And there it was, all overgrown with thorns; Its surface was covered with nettles; Its stone wall was broken down. | 31Thistles had come up everywhere, weeds covered the ground, and the stone wall was ruined. |
| 32When I saw it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction: | 32I saw, 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 arms to rest, |
| 34So shall your poverty come like a prowler, And your need like an armed man. | 34and your poverty will come like a robber, your need, like a bandit. |
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