Parallel Bible results for "Proverbs 21"

Proverbs 21

The Message Bible MSG

1 Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God; he directs it to whatever ends he chooses.

2 We justify our actions by appearances; God examines our motives.

3 Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors mean far more to God than religious performance.

4 Arrogance and pride - distinguishing marks in the wicked - are just plain sin.

5 Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind.

6 Make it to the top by lying and cheating; get paid with smoke and a promotion - to death!

7 The wicked get buried alive by their loot because they refuse to use it to help others.

8 Mixed motives twist life into tangles; pure motives take you straight down the road. Do Your Best, Prepare for the Worst

9 Better to live alone in a tumbledown shack than share a mansion with a nagging spouse.

10 Wicked souls love to make trouble; they feel nothing for friends and neighbors.

11 Simpletons only learn the hard way, but the wise learn by listening.

12 A God-loyal person will see right through the wicked and undo the evil they've planned.

13 If you stop your ears to the cries of the poor, your cries will go unheard, unanswered.

14 A quietly given gift soothes an irritable person; a heartfelt present cools a hot temper.

15 Good people celebrate when justice triumphs, but for the workers of evil it's a bad day.

16 Whoever wanders off the straight and narrow ends up in a congregation of ghosts.

17 You're addicted to thrills? What an empty life! The pursuit of pleasure is never satisfied.

18 What a bad person plots against the good, boomerangs; the plotter gets it in the end.

19 Better to live in a tent in the wild than with a cross and petulant spouse.

20 Valuables are safe in a wise person's home; fools put it all out for yard sales.

21 Whoever goes hunting for what is right and kind finds life itself - glorious life!

22 One sage entered a whole city of armed soldiers - their trusted defenses fell to pieces!

23 Watch your words and hold your tongue; you'll save yourself a lot of grief.

24 You know their names - Brash, Impudent, Blasphemer - intemperate hotheads, every one.

25 Lazy people finally die of hunger because they won't get up and go to work.

26 Sinners are always wanting what they don't have; the God-loyal are always giving what they do have.

27 Religious performance by the wicked stinks; it's even worse when they use it to get ahead.

28 A lying witness is unconvincing; a person who speaks truth is respected.

29 Unscrupulous people fake it a lot; honest people are sure of their steps.

30 Nothing clever, nothing conceived, nothing contrived, can get the better of God.

31 Do your best, prepare for the worst - then trust God to bring victory.

New International Version NIV

1 In the LORD’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.

2 A person may think their own ways are right, but the LORD weighs the heart.

3 To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart— the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin.

5 The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.

6 A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.

7 The violence of the wicked will drag them away, for they refuse to do what is right.

8 The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

9 Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

10 The wicked crave evil; their neighbors get no mercy from them.

11 When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom; by paying attention to the wise they get knowledge.

12 The Righteous One takes note of the house of the wicked and brings the wicked to ruin.

13 Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.

14 A gift given in secret soothes anger, and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.

15 When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.

16 Whoever strays from the path of prudence comes to rest in the company of the dead.

17 Whoever loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.

18 The wicked become a ransom for the righteous, and the unfaithful for the upright.

19 Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.

20 The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.

21 Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.

22 One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.

23 Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.

24 The proud and arrogant person—“Mocker” is his name— behaves with insolent fury.

25 The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.

26 All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing.

27 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable— how much more so when brought with evil intent!

28 A false witness will perish, but a careful listener will testify successfully.

29 The wicked put up a bold front, but the upright give thought to their ways.

30 There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD.

31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD.