The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Message Bible MSG
1 The proverbs of Shlomo: A wise son is a joy to his father, but a foolish son is a grief to his mother.
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Wise son, glad father; stupid son, sad mother.
2 No good comes from ill-gotten wealth, but righteousness rescues from death.
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Ill-gotten gain gets you nowhere; an honest life is immortal.
3 ADONAI does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
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God won't starve an honest soul, but he frustrates the appetites of the wicked.
4 Idle hands bring poverty; diligent hands bring wealth.
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Sloth makes you poor; diligence brings wealth.
5 A sensible person gathers in summer, but he who sleeps during harvest is an embarrassment.
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Make hay while the sun shines - that's smart; go fishing during harvest - that's stupid.
6 Blessings are for the head of the righteous, but the speech of the wicked is a cover for violence.
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Blessings accrue on a good and honest life, but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.
7 The memory of the righteous will be for a blessing, but the reputation of the wicked will rot.
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A good and honest life is a blessed memorial; a wicked life leaves a rotten stench.
8 Wise-hearted people take orders, but a babbling fool will have trouble.
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A wise heart takes orders; an empty head will come unglued.
9 He who walks purely walks securely, but he who walks in crooked ways will be found out.
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Honesty lives confident and carefree, but Shifty is sure to be exposed.
10 He who winks his eye [instead of rebuking] causes pain, yet a babbling fool will have trouble.
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An evasive eye is a sign of trouble ahead, but an open, face-to-face meeting results in peace.
11 The speech of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the speech of the wicked is a cover for violence.
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The mouth of a good person is a deep, life-giving well, but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.
12 Hate stirs up disputes, but love covers all kinds of transgressions.
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Hatred starts fights, but love pulls a quilt over the bickering.
13 On the lips of the intelligent is found wisdom, but a stick is in store for the back of a fool.
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You'll find wisdom on the lips of a person of insight, but the shortsighted needs a slap in the face.
14 Wise people hide their knowledge, but when a fool speaks, ruin is imminent.
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The wise accumulate knowledge - a true treasure; know-it-alls talk too much - a sheer waste. The Road to Life Is a Disciplined Life
15 The wealth of the rich is his fortified city; the ruin of the poor is their poverty.
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The wealth of the rich is their bastion; the poverty of the indigent is their ruin.
16 The activity of the righteous is for life; the income of the wicked is for sin.
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The wage of a good person is exuberant life; an evil person ends up with nothing but sin.
17 He who observes discipline is on the way to life; but he who ignores correction is making a mistake.
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The road to life is a disciplined life; ignore correction and you're lost for good.
18 He who covers up hate has lips that lie, and anyone who slanders is a fool.
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Liars secretly hoard hatred; fools openly spread slander.
19 When words are many, sin is not lacking; so he who controls his speech is wise.
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The more talk, the less truth; the wise measure their words.
20 The tongue of the righteous is like pure silver, but the mind of the wicked is worth little.
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The speech of a good person is worth waiting for; the blabber of the wicked is worthless.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense.
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The talk of a good person is rich fare for many, but chatterboxes die of an empty heart. Fear-of-God Expands Your Life
22 The blessing of ADONAI is what makes people rich, and he doesn't mix sorrow with it.
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God's blessing makes life rich; nothing we do can improve on God.
23 To a fool, vileness is like a game, as is wisdom to a person of discernment.
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An empty-head thinks mischief is fun, but a mindful person relishes wisdom.
24 What a fool dreads will overtake him, but the righteous will be given his desire.
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The nightmares of the wicked come true; what the good people desire, they get.
25 When the storm has passed, the wicked are gone; but the righteous are firmly established forever.
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When the storm is over, there's nothing left of the wicked; good people, firm on their rock foundation, aren't even fazed.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes is a lazy person to his employer.
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A lazy employee will give you nothing but trouble; it's vinegar in the mouth, smoke in the eyes.
27 The fear of ADONAI adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.
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The Fear-of-God expands your life; a wicked life is a puny life.
28 What the righteous hope for will end in joy; what the wicked expect will come to nothing.
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The aspirations of good people end in celebration; the ambitions of bad people crash.
29 The way of ADONAI is a stronghold to the upright but ruin to those who do evil.
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God is solid backing to a well-lived life, but he calls into question a shabby performance.
30 The righteous will never be moved, but the wicked will not remain in the land.
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Good people last - they can't be moved; the wicked are here today, gone tomorrow.
31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
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A good person's mouth is a clear fountain of wisdom; a foul mouth is a stagnant swamp.
32 The lips of the righteous know what is wanted, but the mouth of the wicked [knows] deceit.
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The speech of a good person clears the air; the words of the wicked pollute it.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.