| Good News Translation (GNT) |
New International Version (NIV) |
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1 Dead flies can make a whole bottle of perfume stink, and a little stupidity can cancel out the greatest wisdom.
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1 As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
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2 It is natural for the wise to do the right thing and for fools to do the wrong thing.
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2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.
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3 Their stupidity will be evident even to strangers they meet along the way; they let everyone know that they are fools.
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3 Even as he walks along the road, the fool lacks sense and shows everyone how stupid he is.
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4 If your ruler becomes angry with you, do not hand in your resignation; serious wrongs may be pardoned if you keep calm.
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4 If a ruler's anger rises against you, do not leave your post; calmness can lay great errors to rest.
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5 Here is an injustice I have seen in the world - an injustice caused by rulers.
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5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, the sort of error that arises from a ruler:
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6 Stupid people are given positions of authority while the rich are ignored.
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6 Fools are put in many high positions, while the rich occupy the low ones.
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7 I have seen slaves on horseback while noblemen go on foot like slaves.
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7 I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves.
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8 If you dig a pit, you fall in it; if you break through a wall, a snake bites you.
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8 Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
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9 If you work in a stone quarry, you get hurt by stones. If you split wood, you get hurt doing it.
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9 Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them; whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.
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10 If your ax is dull and you don't sharpen it, you have to work harder to use it. It is smarter to plan ahead.
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10 If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success.
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11 Knowing how to charm a snake is of no use if you let the snake bite first.
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11 If a snake bites before it is charmed, there is no profit for the charmer.
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12 What the wise say brings them honor, but fools are destroyed by their own words.
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12 Words from a wise man's mouth are gracious, but a fool is consumed by his own lips.
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13 They start out with silly talk and end up with pure madness.
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13 At the beginning his words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness--
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14 A fool talks on and on. No one knows what is going to happen next, and no one can tell us what will happen after we die.
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14 and the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming-- who can tell him what will happen after him?
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15 Only someone too stupid to find his way home would wear himself out with work.
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15 A fool's work wearies him; he does not know the way to town.
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16 A country is in trouble when its king is a youth and its leaders feast all night long.
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16 Woe to you, O land whose king was a servant and whose princes feast in the morning.
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17 But a country is fortunate to have a king who makes his own decisions and leaders who eat at the proper time, who control themselves and don't get drunk.
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17 Blessed are you, O land whose king is of noble birth and whose princes eat at a proper time-- for strength and not for drunkenness.
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18 When you are too lazy to repair your roof, it will leak, and the house will fall in.
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18 If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks.
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19 Feasting makes you happy and wine cheers you up, but you can't have either without money.
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19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.
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20 Don't criticize the king, even silently, and don't criticize the rich, even in the privacy of your bedroom. A bird might carry the message and tell them what you said.
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20 Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say.
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| Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission. (The Good News Translation - The Holy Bible Online) |
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online) |
