New King James Version NKJV
New International Version NIV
1 A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.
1
An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.
2 A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart.
2
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.
3 When the wicked comes, contempt comes also; And with dishonor comes reproach.
3
When wickedness comes, so does contempt, and with shame comes reproach.
4 The words of a man's mouth are deep waters; The wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook.
4
The words of the mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.
5 It is not good to show partiality to the wicked, Or to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
5
It is not good to be partial to the wicked and so deprive the innocent of justice.
6 A fool's lips enter into contention, And his mouth calls for blows.
6
The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating.
7 A fool's mouth is his destruction, And his lips are the snare of his soul.
7
The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives.
8 The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, And they go down into the inmost body.
8
The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.
9 He who is slothful in his work Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.
9
One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.
10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.
10
The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
11 The rich man's wealth is his strong city, And like a high wall in his own esteem.
11
The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it a wall too high to scale.
12 Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor is humility.
12
Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.
13 He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him.
13
To answer before listening— that is folly and shame.
14 The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit?
14
The human spirit can endure in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?
15 The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
15
The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.
16 A man's gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men.
16
A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.
17 The first one to plead his cause seems right, Until his neighbor comes and examines him.
17
In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.
18 Casting lots causes contentions to cease, And keeps the mighty apart.
18
Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart.
19 A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a castle.
19
A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city; disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.
20 A man's stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth, From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.
20
From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.
21
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the Lord.
22
He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD.
23 The poor man uses entreaties, But the rich answers roughly.
23
The poor plead for mercy, but the rich answer harshly.
24 A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
24
One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.