Parallel Bible results for "proverbs 21"

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Proverbs 21

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1 The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD ; he guides it wherever he pleases.
1 Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God; he directs it to whatever ends he chooses.
2 People may be right in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their heart.
2 We justify our actions by appearances; God examines our motives.
3 The LORD is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices.
3 Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors mean far more to God than religious performance.
4 Haughty eyes, a proud heart, and evil actions are all sin.
4 Arrogance and pride - distinguishing marks in the wicked - are just plain sin.
5 Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.
5 Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind.
6 Wealth created by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap.
6 Make it to the top by lying and cheating; get paid with smoke and a promotion - to death!
7 The violence of the wicked sweeps them away, because they refuse to do what is just.
7 The wicked get buried alive by their loot because they refuse to use it to help others.
8 The guilty walk a crooked path; the innocent travel a straight road.
8 Mixed motives twist life into tangles; pure motives take you straight down the road. Do Your Best, Prepare for the Worst
9 It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home.
9 Better to live alone in a tumbledown shack than share a mansion with a nagging spouse.
10 Evil people desire evil; their neighbors get no mercy from them.
10 Wicked souls love to make trouble; they feel nothing for friends and neighbors.
11 If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded become wise; if you instruct the wise, they will be all the wiser.
11 Simpletons only learn the hard way, but the wise learn by listening.
12 The Righteous One knows what is going on in the homes of the wicked; he will bring disaster on them.
12 A God-loyal person will see right through the wicked and undo the evil they've planned.
13 Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.
13 If you stop your ears to the cries of the poor, your cries will go unheard, unanswered.
14 A secret gift calms anger; a bribe under the table pacifies fury.
14 A quietly given gift soothes an irritable person; a heartfelt present cools a hot temper.
15 Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers.
15 Good people celebrate when justice triumphs, but for the workers of evil it's a bad day.
16 The person who strays from common sense will end up in the company of the dead.
16 Whoever wanders off the straight and narrow ends up in a congregation of ghosts.
17 Those who love pleasure become poor; those who love wine and luxury will never be rich.
17 You're addicted to thrills? What an empty life! The pursuit of pleasure is never satisfied.
18 The wicked are punished in place of the godly, and traitors in place of the honest.
18 What a bad person plots against the good, boomerangs; the plotter gets it in the end.
19 It’s better to live alone in the desert than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife.
19 Better to live in a tent in the wild than with a cross and petulant spouse.
20 The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get.
20 Valuables are safe in a wise person's home; fools put it all out for yard sales.
21 Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor.
21 Whoever goes hunting for what is right and kind finds life itself - glorious life!
22 The wise conquer the city of the strong and level the fortress in which they trust.
22 One sage entered a whole city of armed soldiers - their trusted defenses fell to pieces!
23 Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.
23 Watch your words and hold your tongue; you'll save yourself a lot of grief.
24 Mockers are proud and haughty; they act with boundless arrogance.
24 You know their names - Brash, Impudent, Blasphemer - intemperate hotheads, every one.
25 Despite their desires, the lazy will come to ruin, for their hands refuse to work.
25 Lazy people finally die of hunger because they won't get up and go to work.
26 Some people are always greedy for more, but the godly love to give!
26 Sinners are always wanting what they don't have; the God-loyal are always giving what they do have.
27 The sacrifice of an evil person is detestable, especially when it is offered with wrong motives.
27 Religious performance by the wicked stinks; it's even worse when they use it to get ahead.
28 A false witness will be cut off, but a credible witness will be allowed to speak.
28 A lying witness is unconvincing; a person who speaks truth is respected.
29 The wicked bluff their way through, but the virtuous think before they act.
29 Unscrupulous people fake it a lot; honest people are sure of their steps.
30 No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the LORD .
30 Nothing clever, nothing conceived, nothing contrived, can get the better of God.
31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD .
31 Do your best, prepare for the worst - then trust God to bring victory.
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.
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.