| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1Don’t envy evil people or desire their company. | 1Do not envy evil people, do not desire to be with them; |
| 2For their hearts plot violence, and their words always stir up trouble. | 2for their hearts contemplate violence, and their lips speak harm. |
| 3A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. | 3By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; |
| 4Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables. | 4by knowledge its rooms are filled with all kinds of precious and pleasing treasures. |
| 5The wise are mightier than the strong, and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger. | 5A wise warrior is strong, and a man of knowledge makes his strength stronger; |
| 6So don’t go to war without wise guidance; victory depends on having many advisers. | 6for with guidance you wage your war, and with numerous advisers there is victory. |
| 7Wisdom is too lofty for fools. Among leaders at the city gate, they have nothing to say. | 7Wisdom is unattainable for a fool; in court he does not open his mouth. |
| 8A person who plans evil will get a reputation as a troublemaker. | 8The one who plans to do evil will be called a scheming person. |
| 9The schemes of a fool are sinful; everyone detests a mocker. | 9A foolish scheme is sin, and the scorner is an abomination to people. |
| 10If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small. | 10If you faint in the day of trouble, your strength is small! |
| 11Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die; save them as they stagger to their death. | 11Deliver those being taken away to death, and hold back those slipping to the slaughter. |
| 12Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.” For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve. | 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 child, eat honey, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste. | 13Eat honey, my child, for it is good, and honey from the honeycomb is sweet to your taste. |
| 14In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short. | 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. |
| 15Don’t wait in ambush at the home of the godly, and don’t raid the house where the godly live. | 15Do not lie in wait like the wicked against the place where the righteous live; do not assault his home. |
| 16The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked. | 16Although a righteous person may fall seven times, he gets up again, but the wicked will be brought down by calamity. |
| 17Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall; don’t be happy when they stumble. | 17Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and when he stumbles do not let your heart rejoice, |
| 18For the LORD will be displeased with you and will turn his anger away from them. | 18lest the LORD see it, and be displeased, and turn his wrath away from him. |
| 19Don’t fret because of evildoers; don’t envy the wicked. | 19Do not fret because of evil people or be envious of wicked people, |
| 20For evil people have no future; the light of the wicked will be snuffed out. | 20for the evil person has no future, and the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished. |
| 21My child, fear the LORD and the king. Don’t associate with rebels, | 21Fear the LORD, my child, as well as the king, and do not associate with rebels, |
| 22for disaster will hit them suddenly. Who knows what punishment will come from the LORD and the king? More Sayings of the Wise | 22for suddenly their destruction will overtake them, and who knows the ruinous judgment both the LORD and the king can bring? |
| 23Here are some further sayings of the wise: It is wrong to show favoritism when passing judgment. | 23These sayings also are from the wise: To show partiality in judgment is terrible: |
| 24A judge who says to the wicked, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by many people and denounced by the nations. | 24The one who says to the guilty, "You are innocent," peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce him. |
| 25But it will go well for those who convict the guilty; rich blessings will be showered on them. | 25But there will be delight for those who convict the guilty, and a pleasing blessing will come on them. |
| 26An honest answer is like a kiss of friendship. | 26Like a kiss on the lips is the one who gives an honest answer. |
| 27Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house. | 27Establish your work outside and get your fields ready; afterward build your house. |
| 28Don’t testify against your neighbors without cause; don’t lie about them. | 28Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your words. |
| 29And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me! I’ll get even with them!” | 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 walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense. | 30I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of one who lacks wisdom. |
| 31I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were 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. |
| 32Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson: | 32When I saw this, I gave careful consideration to it; I received instruction from what I saw: |
| 33A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— | 33"A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to relax, |
| 34then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. | 34and your poverty will come like a bandit, and your need like an armed robber." |
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