| Good News Translation (GNT) |
New International Version (NIV) |
|
1 Better to eat a dry crust of bread with peace of mind than have a banquet in a house full of trouble.
|
1 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.
|
|
2 A shrewd servant will gain authority over a master's worthless son and receive a part of the inheritance.
|
2 A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son, and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.
|
|
3 Gold and silver are tested by fire, and a person's heart is tested by the Lord.
|
3 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart.
|
|
4 Evil people listen to evil ideas, and liars listen to lies.
|
4 A wicked man listens to evil lips; a liar pays attention to a malicious tongue.
|
|
5 If you make fun of poor people, you insult the God who made them. You will be punished if you take pleasure in someone's misfortune.
|
5 He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.
|
|
6 Grandparents are proud of their grandchildren, just as children are proud of their parents.
|
6 Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.
|
|
7 Respected people do not tell lies, and fools have nothing worthwhile to say.
|
7 Arrogant lips are unsuited to a fool-- how much worse lying lips to a ruler!
|
|
8 Some people think a bribe works like magic; they believe it can do anything.
|
8 A bribe is a charm to the one who gives it; wherever he turns, he succeeds.
|
|
9 If you want people to like you, forgive them when they wrong you. Remembering wrongs can break up a friendship.
|
9 He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
|
|
10 An intelligent person learns more from one rebuke than a fool learns from being beaten a hundred times.
|
10 A rebuke impresses a man of discernment more than a hundred lashes a fool.
|
|
11 Death will come like a cruel messenger to wicked people who are always stirring up trouble.
|
11 An evil man is bent only on rebellion; a merciless official will be sent against him.
|
|
12 It is better to meet a mother bear robbed of her cubs than to meet some fool busy with a stupid project.
|
12 Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.
|
|
13 If you repay good with evil, you will never get evil out of your house.
|
13 If a man pays back evil for good, evil will never leave his house.
|
|
14 The start of an argument is like the first break in a dam; stop it before it goes any further.
|
14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
|
|
15 Condemning the innocent or letting the wicked go - both are hateful to the Lord.
|
15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent-- the LORD detests them both.
|
|
16 It does a fool no good to spend money on an education, because he has no common sense.
|
16 Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?
|
|
17 Friends always show their love. What are relatives for if not to share trouble?
|
17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
|
|
18 Only someone with no sense would promise to be responsible for someone else's debts.
|
18 A man lacking in judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor.
|
|
19 To like sin is to like making trouble. If you brag all the time, you are asking for trouble.
|
19 He who loves a quarrel loves sin; he who builds a high gate invites destruction.
|
|
20 Anyone who thinks and speaks evil can expect to find nothing good - only disaster.
|
20 A man of perverse heart does not prosper; he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble.
|
|
21 There is nothing but sadness and sorrow for parents whose children do foolish things.
|
21 To have a fool for a son brings grief; there is no joy for the father of a fool.
|
|
22 Being cheerful keeps you healthy. It is slow death to be gloomy all the time.
|
22 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
|
|
23 Corrupt judges accept secret bribes, and then justice is not done.
|
23 A wicked man accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the course of justice.
|
|
24 An intelligent person aims at wise action, but a fool starts off in many directions.
|
24 A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
|
|
25 Foolish children bring grief to their fathers and bitter regrets to their mothers.
|
25 A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him.
|
|
26 It is not right to make an innocent person pay a fine; justice is perverted when good people are punished.
|
26 It is not good to punish an innocent man, or to flog officials for their integrity.
|
|
27 Those who are sure of themselves do not talk all the time. People who stay calm have real insight.
|
27 A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered.
|
|
28 After all, even fools may be thought wise and intelligent if they stay quiet and keep their mouths shut.
|
28 Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.
|
| 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) |
