New Living Translation

Holman Christian Standard Bible

1Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and a fool.

1Better a poor man who lives with integrity than someone who has deceitful lips and is a fool.

2Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes.

2Even zeal is not good without knowledge, and the one who acts hastily sins.

3People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD.

3A man's own foolishness leads him astray, yet his heart rages against the LORD.

4Wealth makes many “friends”; poverty drives them all away.

4Wealth attracts many friends, but a poor man is separated from his friend.

5A false witness will not go unpunished, nor will a liar escape.

5A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies will not escape.

6Many seek favors from a ruler; everyone is the friend of a person who gives gifts!

6Many seek a ruler's favor, and everyone is a friend of one who gives gifts.

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.

7All the brothers of a poor man hate him; how much more do his friends keep their distance from him! He may pursue them with words, but they are not there.

8To acquire wisdom is to love yourself; people who cherish understanding will prosper.

8The one who acquires good sense loves himself; one who safeguards understanding finds success.

9A false witness will not go unpunished, and a liar will be destroyed.

9A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies perishes.

10It isn’t right for a fool to live in luxury or for a slave to rule over princes!

10Luxury is not appropriate for a fool-- how much less for a slave to rule over princes!

11Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.

11A person's insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense.

12The king’s anger is like a lion’s roar, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

12A king's rage is like the roaring of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

13A foolish child is a calamity to a father; a quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping.

13A foolish son is his father's ruin, and a wife's nagging is an endless dripping.

14Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the LORD can give an understanding wife.

14A house and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a sensible wife is from the LORD.

15Lazy people sleep soundly, but idleness leaves them hungry.

15Laziness induces deep sleep, and a lazy person will go hungry.

16Keep the commandments and keep your life; despising them leads to death.

16The one who keeps commands preserves himself; one who disregards his ways will die.

17If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD— and he will repay you!

17Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will give a reward to the lender.

18Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives.

18Discipline your son while there is hope; don't be intent on killing him.

19Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty. If you rescue them once, you will have to do it again.

19A person with great anger bears the penalty; if you rescue him, you'll have to do it again.

20Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.

20Listen to counsel and receive instruction so that you may be wise later in life.

21You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.

21Many plans are in a man's heart, but the LORD's decree will prevail.

22Loyalty makes a person attractive. It is better to be poor than dishonest.

22What is desirable in a man is his fidelity; better to be a poor man than a liar.

23Fear of the LORD leads to life, bringing security and protection from harm.

23The fear of the LORD leads to life; one will sleep at night without danger.

24Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.

24The slacker buries his hand in the bowl; he doesn't even bring it back to his mouth.

25If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded will learn a lesson; if you correct the wise, they will be all the wiser.

25Strike a mocker, and the inexperienced learn a lesson; rebuke the discerning, and he gains knowledge.

26Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother are an embarrassment and a public disgrace.

26The one who assaults his father and evicts his mother is a disgraceful and shameful son.

27If you stop listening to instruction, my child, you will turn your back on knowledge.

27If you stop listening to correction, my son, you will stray from the words of knowledge.

28A corrupt witness makes a mockery of justice; the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.

28A worthless witness mocks justice, and a wicked mouth swallows iniquity.

29Punishment is made for mockers, and the backs of fools are made to be beaten.

29Judgments are prepared for mockers, and beatings for the backs of fools.

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.

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.