The Message Bible MSG
New Living Translation NLT
1 Better to be poor and honest than a rich person no one can trust.
1
Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and a fool.
2 Ignorant zeal is worthless; haste makes waste.
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Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes.
3 People ruin their lives by their own stupidity, so why does God always get blamed?
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People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD .
4 Wealth attracts friends as honey draws flies, but poor people are avoided like a plague.
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Wealth makes many “friends”; poverty drives them all away.
5 Perjury won't go unpunished. Would you let a liar go free?
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A false witness will not go unpunished, nor will a liar escape.
6 Lots of people flock around a generous person; everyone's a friend to the philanthropist.
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Many seek favors from a ruler; everyone is the friend of a person who gives gifts!
7 When you're down on your luck, even your family avoids you - yes, even your best friends wish you'd get lost. If they see you coming, they look the other way - out of sight, out of mind.
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The relatives of the poor despise them; how much more will their friends avoid them! Though the poor plead with them, their friends are gone.
8 Grow a wise heart - you'll do yourself a favor; keep a clear head - you'll find a good life.
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To acquire wisdom is to love yourself; people who cherish understanding will prosper.
9 The person who tells lies gets caught; the person who spreads rumors is ruined.
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A false witness will not go unpunished, and a liar will be destroyed.
10 Blockheads shouldn't live on easy street any more than workers should give orders to their boss.
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It isn’t right for a fool to live in luxury or for a slave to rule over princes!
11 Smart people know how to hold their tongue; their grandeur is to forgive and forget.
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Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.
12 Mean-tempered leaders are like mad dogs; the good-natured are like fresh morning dew.
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The king’s anger is like a lion’s roar, but his favor is like dew on the grass.
13 A parent is worn to a frazzle by a stupid child; a nagging spouse is a leaky faucet.
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A foolish child is a calamity to a father; a quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping.
14 House and land are handed down from parents, but a congenial spouse comes straight from God.
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Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the LORD can give an understanding wife.
15 Life collapses on loafers; lazybones go hungry.
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Lazy people sleep soundly, but idleness leaves them hungry.
16 Keep the rules and keep your life; careless living kills.
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Keep the commandments and keep your life; despising them leads to death.
17 Mercy to the needy is a loan to God, and God pays back those loans in full.
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If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD — and he will repay you!
18 Discipline your children while you still have the chance; indulging them destroys them.
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Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives.
19 Let angry people endure the backlash of their own anger; if you try to make it better, you'll only make it worse.
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Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty. If you rescue them once, you will have to do it again.
20 Take good counsel and accept correction - that's the way to live wisely and well.
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Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.
21 We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God's purpose prevails.
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You can make many plans, but the LORD ’s purpose will prevail.
22 It's only human to want to make a buck, but it's better to be poor than a liar.
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Loyalty makes a person attractive. It is better to be poor than dishonest.
23 Fear-of-God is life itself, a full life, and serene - no nasty surprises.
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Fear of the LORD leads to life, bringing security and protection from harm.
24 Some people dig a fork into the pie but are too lazy to raise it to their mouth.
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Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.
25 Punish the insolent - make an example of them. Who knows? Somebody might learn a good lesson.
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If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded will learn a lesson; if you correct the wise, they will be all the wiser.
26 Kids who lash out against their parents are an embarrassment and disgrace.
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Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother are an embarrassment and a public disgrace.
27 If you quit listening, dear child, and strike off on your own, you'll soon be out of your depth.
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If you stop listening to instruction, my child, you will turn your back on knowledge.
28 An unprincipled witness desecrates justice; the mouths of the wicked spew malice.
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A corrupt witness makes a mockery of justice; the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.
29 The irreverent have to learn reverence the hard way; only a slap in the face brings fools to attention.
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Punishment is made for mockers, and the backs of fools are made to be beaten.
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.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.