The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 False scales are an abomination to ADONAI, but accurate weights please him.
1
Scales of deceit are hated by the Lord, but a true weight is his delight.
2 First comes pride, then disgrace; but with the humble is wisdom.
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When pride comes, there comes shame, but wisdom is with the quiet in spirit.
3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the duplicity of the treacherous destroys them.
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The righteousness of the upright will be their guide, but the twisted ways of the false will be their destruction.
4 On the day of wrath, wealth doesn't help; but righteousness rescues from death.
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Wealth is of no profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness keeps a man safe from death.
5 The righteousness of the innocent levels their way, but wickedness of the wicked makes them fall.
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The righteousness of the good man will make his way straight, but the sin of the evil-doer will be the cause of his fall.
6 The righteousness of the upright rescues them, but the treacherous are trapped by their own intrigues.
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The righteousness of the upright will be their salvation, but the false will themselves be taken in their evil designs.
7 When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes; what he hopes for from evil comes to nothing.
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At the death of an upright man his hope does not come to an end, but the hope of the evil-doer comes to destruction.
8 The righteous is delivered from trouble, and the wicked comes to take his place.
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The upright man is taken out of trouble, and in his place comes the sinner.
9 With his mouth the hypocrite can ruin his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
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With his mouth the evil man sends destruction on his neighbour; but through knowledge the upright are taken out of trouble.
10 When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; and when the wicked perish, there is joy.
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When things go well for the upright man, all the town is glad; at the death of sinners, there are cries of joy.
11 By the blessing of the upright, a city is raised up; but the words of the wicked tear it down.
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By the blessing of the upright man the town is made great, but it is overturned by the mouth of the evil-doer.
12 He who belittles another lacks good sense, whereas a person of discernment stays silent.
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He who has a poor opinion of his neighbour has no sense, but a wise man keeps quiet.
13 A gossip goes around revealing secrets, but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.
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He who goes about talking of others makes secrets public, but the true-hearted man keeps things covered.
14 Without clever tactics an army is defeated, and victory comes from much planning.
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When there is no helping suggestion the people will have a fall, but with a number of wise guides they will be safe.
15 He who guarantees a loan for a stranger will suffer, but refusing to underwrite is safe.
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He who makes himself responsible for a strange man will undergo much loss; but the hater of such undertakings will be safe.
16 A gracious woman obtains honor; aggressive men obtain wealth.
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A woman who is full of grace is honoured, but a woman hating righteousness is a seat of shame: those hating work will undergo loss, but the strong keep their wealth.
17 A man who is kind does himself good, but the cruel does harm to himself.
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The man who has mercy will be rewarded, but the cruel man is the cause of trouble to himself.
18 The profits of the wicked are illusory; but those who sow righteousness gain a true reward.
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The sinner gets the payment of deceit; but his reward is certain who puts in the seed of righteousness.
19 Genuine righteousness leads to life, but the pursuer of evil goes to his own death.
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So righteousness gives life; but he who goes after evil gets death for himself.
20 The crooked-hearted are an abomination to ADONAI, but those sincere in their ways are his delight.
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The uncontrolled are hated by the Lord, but those whose ways are without error are his delight
21 Depend on it: the evil will not go unpunished; but the offspring of the righteous will escape.
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Certainly the evil-doer will not go free from punishment, but the seed of the upright man will be safe.
22 Like a gold ring in the snout of a pig is a beautiful woman who lacks good sense.
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Like a ring of gold in the nose of a pig, is a beautiful woman who has no sense.
23 The righteous desire only good, but what the wicked hope for brings wrath.
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The desire of the upright man is only for good, but wrath is waiting for the evil-doer.
24 Some give freely and still get richer, while others are stingy but grow still poorer.
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A man may give freely, and still his wealth will be increased; and another may keep back more than is right, but only comes to be in need.
25 The person who blesses others will prosper; he who satisfies others will be satisfied himself.
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He who gives blessing will be made fat, but the curser will himself be cursed.
26 The people will curse him who withholds grain; but if he sells it, blessings will be on his head.
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He who keeps back grain will be cursed by the people; but a blessing will be on the head of him who lets them have it for a price.
27 He who strives for good obtains favor, but he who searches for evil - it comes to him!
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He who, with all his heart, goes after what is good is searching for grace; but he who is looking for trouble will get it.
28 He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like sprouting leaves.
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He who puts his faith in wealth will come to nothing; but the upright man will be full of growth like the green leaf.
29 Those who trouble their families inherit the wind, and the fool becomes slave to the wise.
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The troubler of his house will have the wind for his heritage, and the foolish will be servant to the wise-hearted.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise wins souls.
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The fruit of righteousness is a tree of life, but violent behaviour takes away souls.
31 If the righteous are paid what they deserve here on earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner!
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If the upright man is rewarded on earth, how much more the evil-doer and the sinner!
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.