English Standard Version ESV
The Message Bible MSG
1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
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Wine makes you mean, beer makes you quarrelsome - a staggering drunk is not much fun.
2 The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life.
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Quick-tempered leaders are like mad dogs - cross them and they bite your head off.
3 It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.
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It's a mark of good character to avert quarrels, but fools love to pick fights.
4 The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.
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A farmer too lazy to plant in the spring has nothing to harvest in the fall.
5 The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.
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Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart; a wise person draws from the well within.
6 Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find?
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Lots of people claim to be loyal and loving, but where on earth can you find one?
7 The righteous who walks in his integrity-- blessed are his children after him!
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God-loyal people, living honest lives, make it much easier for their children.
8 A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes.
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Leaders who know their business and care keep a sharp eye out for the shoddy and cheap,
9 Who can say, "I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin"?
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For who among us can be trusted to be always diligent and honest?
10 Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the LORD.
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Switching price tags and padding the expense account are two things God hates.
11 Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.
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Young people eventually reveal by their actions if their motives are on the up and up. Drinking from the Chalice of Knowledge
12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made them both.
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Ears that hear and eyes that see - we get our basic equipment from God!
13 Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.
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Don't be too fond of sleep; you'll end up in the poorhouse. Wake up and get up; then there'll be food on the table.
14 "Bad, bad," says the buyer, but when he goes away, then he boasts.
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The shopper says, "That's junk - I'll take it off your hands," then goes off boasting of the bargain.
15 There is gold and abundance of costly stones, but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.
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Drinking from the beautiful chalice of knowledge is better than adorning oneself with gold and rare gems.
16 Take a man's garment when he has put up security for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners.
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Hold tight to collateral on any loan to a stranger; beware of accepting what a transient has pawned.
17 Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel.
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Stolen bread tastes sweet, but soon your mouth is full of gravel.
18 Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.
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Form your purpose by asking for counsel, then carry it out using all the help you can get.
19 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.
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Gossips can't keep secrets, so never confide in blabbermouths.
20 If one curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in utter darkness.
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Anyone who curses father and mother extinguishes light and exists benighted. The Very Steps We Take
21 An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end.
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A bonanza at the beginning is no guarantee of blessing at the end.
22 Do not say, "I will repay evil"; wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.
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Don't ever say, "I'll get you for that!" Wait for God; he'll settle the score.
23 Unequal weights are an abomination to the LORD, and false scales are not good.
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God hates cheating in the marketplace; rigged scales are an outrage.
24 A man's steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way?
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The very steps we take come from God; otherwise how would we know where we're going?
25 It is a snare to say rashly, "It is holy," and to reflect only after making vows.
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An impulsive vow is a trap; later you'll wish you could get out of it.
26 A wise king winnows the wicked and drives the wheel over them.
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After careful scrutiny, a wise leader makes a clean sweep of rebels and dolts.
27 The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all his innermost parts.
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God is in charge of human life, watching and examining us inside and out.
28 Steadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king, and by steadfast love his throne is upheld.
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Love and truth form a good leader; sound leadership is founded on loving integrity.
29 The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.
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Youth may be admired for vigor, but gray hair gives prestige to old age.
30 Blows that wound cleanse away evil; strokes make clean the innermost parts.
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A good thrashing purges evil; punishment goes deep within us.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
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.