The Message Bible MSG
King James Version KJV
1 Wise son, glad father; stupid son, sad mother.
1
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.
2 Ill-gotten gain gets you nowhere; an honest life is immortal.
2
Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.
3 God won't starve an honest soul, but he frustrates the appetites of the wicked.
3
The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.
4 Sloth makes you poor; diligence brings wealth.
4
He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
5 Make hay while the sun shines - that's smart; go fishing during harvest - that's stupid.
5
He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.
6 Blessings accrue on a good and honest life, but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.
6
Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
7 A good and honest life is a blessed memorial; a wicked life leaves a rotten stench.
7
The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.
8 A wise heart takes orders; an empty head will come unglued.
8
The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.
9 Honesty lives confident and carefree, but Shifty is sure to be exposed.
9
He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.
10 An evasive eye is a sign of trouble ahead, but an open, face-to-face meeting results in peace.
10
He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.
11 The mouth of a good person is a deep, life-giving well, but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.
11
The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
12 Hatred starts fights, but love pulls a quilt over the bickering.
12
Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.
13 You'll find wisdom on the lips of a person of insight, but the shortsighted needs a slap in the face.
13
In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.
14 The wise accumulate knowledge - a true treasure; know-it-alls talk too much - a sheer waste. The Road to Life Is a Disciplined Life
14
Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
15 The wealth of the rich is their bastion; the poverty of the indigent is their ruin.
15
The rich man's wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty.
16 The wage of a good person is exuberant life; an evil person ends up with nothing but sin.
16
The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.
17 The road to life is a disciplined life; ignore correction and you're lost for good.
17
He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.
18 Liars secretly hoard hatred; fools openly spread slander.
18
He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.
19 The more talk, the less truth; the wise measure their words.
19
In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.
20 The speech of a good person is worth waiting for; the blabber of the wicked is worthless.
20
The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.
21 The talk of a good person is rich fare for many, but chatterboxes die of an empty heart. Fear-of-God Expands Your Life
21
The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.
22 God's blessing makes life rich; nothing we do can improve on God.
22
The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
23 An empty-head thinks mischief is fun, but a mindful person relishes wisdom.
23
It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom.
24 The nightmares of the wicked come true; what the good people desire, they get.
24
The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.
25 When the storm is over, there's nothing left of the wicked; good people, firm on their rock foundation, aren't even fazed.
25
As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.
26 A lazy employee will give you nothing but trouble; it's vinegar in the mouth, smoke in the eyes.
26
As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.
27 The Fear-of-God expands your life; a wicked life is a puny life.
27
The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
28 The aspirations of good people end in celebration; the ambitions of bad people crash.
28
The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.
29 God is solid backing to a well-lived life, but he calls into question a shabby performance.
29
The way of the LORD is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.
30 Good people last - they can't be moved; the wicked are here today, gone tomorrow.
30
The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.
31 A good person's mouth is a clear fountain of wisdom; a foul mouth is a stagnant swamp.
31
The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out.
32 The speech of a good person clears the air; the words of the wicked pollute it.
32
The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.
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.
The King James Version is in the public domain.