| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them; | 1Do not envy evil people, do not desire to be with them; |
| 2For their heart devises violence, And their lips talk of troublemaking. | 2for their hearts contemplate violence, and their lips speak harm. |
| 3Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; | 3By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; |
| 4By knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. | 4by knowledge its rooms are filled with all kinds of precious and pleasing treasures. |
| 5A wise man is strong, Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; | 5A wise warrior is strong, and a man of knowledge makes his strength stronger; |
| 6For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, And in a multitude of counselors there is safety. | 6for with guidance you wage your war, and with numerous advisers there is victory. |
| 7Wisdom is too lofty for a fool; He does not open his mouth in the gate. | 7Wisdom is unattainable for a fool; in court he does not open his mouth. |
| 8He who plots to do evil Will be called a schemer. | 8The one who plans to do evil will be called a scheming person. |
| 9The devising of foolishness is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to men. | 9A foolish scheme is sin, and the scorner is an abomination to people. |
| 10If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small. | 10If you faint in the day of trouble, your strength is small! |
| 11Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. | 11Deliver those being taken away to death, and hold back those slipping to 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, "But we did not know about this," does not the one who evaluates hearts consider? Does not the one who guards your life know? Will he not repay each person according to his deeds? |
| 13My son, eat honey because it is good, And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste; | 13Eat honey, my child, for it is good, and honey from 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. | 14Likewise, know that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, you will have a future, and your hope will not 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 like the wicked against the place where the righteous live; do not assault his home. |
| 16For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity. | 16Although a righteous person may fall seven times, he gets up again, but the wicked will be brought down by calamity. |
| 17Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; | 17Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and when he stumbles do not let your heart rejoice, |
| 18Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him. | 18lest the LORD see it, and be displeased, and turn his wrath away from him. |
| 19Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked; | 19Do not fret because of evil people or be envious of wicked people, |
| 20For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out. | 20for the evil person has no future, and the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished. |
| 21My son, fear the LORD and the king; Do not associate with those given to change; | 21Fear the LORD, my child, as well as the king, and do not associate with rebels, |
| 22For their calamity will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin those two can bring? | 22for suddenly their destruction will overtake them, and who knows the ruinous judgment both the LORD and the king can bring? |
| 23These things also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment. | 23These sayings also are from the wise: To show partiality in judgment is terrible: |
| 24He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,” Him the people will curse; Nations will abhor him. | 24The one who says to 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 there will be delight for those who convict the guilty, and a pleasing blessing will come on them. |
| 26He who gives a right answer kisses the lips. | 26Like a kiss on the lips is the one who gives an honest answer. |
| 27Prepare your outside work, Make it fit for yourself in the field; And afterward build your house. | 27Establish your work outside and get your fields ready; afterward build your house. |
| 28Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, For would you deceive with your lips? | 28Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your words. |
| 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 just as he has done to me; I will pay him back according to what he has done." |
| 30I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; | 30I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of one who lacks wisdom. |
| 31And there it was, all overgrown with thorns; Its surface was covered with nettles; Its stone wall was broken down. | 31I saw that thorns had grown up all over it, the ground was covered with weeds, and its stone wall was broken down. |
| 32When I saw it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction: | 32When I saw this, I gave careful consideration to it; I received instruction from what I saw: |
| 33A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest; | 33"A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to relax, |
| 34So shall your poverty come like a prowler, And your need like an armed man. | 34and your poverty will come like a bandit, and your need like an armed robber." |
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