New King James Version NKJV
Revised Standard Version RSV
1 A wise son heeds his father's instruction, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
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A wise son hears his father's instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
2 A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth, But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.
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From the fruit of his mouth a good man eats good, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.
3 He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.
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He who guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
4 The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
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The soul of the sluggard craves, and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
5 A righteous man hates lying, But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame.
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A righteous man hates falsehood, but a wicked man acts shamefully and disgracefully.
6 Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, But wickedness overthrows the sinner.
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Righteousness guards him whose way is upright, but sin overthrows the wicked.
7 There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.
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One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
8 The ransom of a man's life is his riches, But the poor does not hear rebuke.
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The ransom of a man's life is his wealth, but a poor man has no means of redemption.
9 The light of the righteous rejoices, But the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
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The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
10 By pride comes nothing but strife, But with the well-advised is wisdom.
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By insolence the heedless make strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.
11 Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, But he who gathers by labor will increase.
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Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle, but he who gathers little by little will increase it.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.
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Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
13 He who despises the word will be destroyed, But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.
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He who despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who respects the commandment will be rewarded.
14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death.
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The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death.
15 Good understanding gains favor, But the way of the unfaithful is hard.
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Good sense wins favor, but the way of the faithless is their ruin.
16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool lays open his folly.
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In everything a prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly.
17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble, But a faithful ambassador brings health.
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A bad messenger plunges men into trouble, but a faithful envoy brings healing.
18 Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction, But he who regards a rebuke will be honored.
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Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but he who heeds reproof is honored.
19 A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul, But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.
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A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul; but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.
20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.
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He who walks with wise men becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
21 Evil pursues sinners, But to the righteous, good shall be repaid.
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Misfortune pursues sinners, but prosperity rewards the righteous.
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
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A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous.
23 Much food is in the fallow ground of the poor, And for lack of justice there is waste.
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The fallow ground of the poor yields much food, but it is swept away through injustice.
24 He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.
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He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
25 The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul, But the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.
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The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want.