| Holman Christian Standard Bible | NET Bible |
| 1Better a dry crust with peace than a house full of feasting with strife. | 1Better is a dry crust of bread where there is quietness than a house full of feasting with strife. |
| 2A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share an inheritance among brothers. | 2A servant who acts wisely will rule over an heir who behaves shamefully, and will share the inheritance along with the relatives. |
| 3A crucible for silver, and a smelter for gold, and the LORD is the tester of hearts. | 3The crucible is for refining silver and the furnace is for gold, likewise the LORD tests hearts. |
| 4A wicked person listens to malicious talk; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue. | 4One who acts wickedly pays attention to evil counsel; a liar listens to a malicious tongue. |
| 5The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker, and one who rejoices over calamity will not go unpunished. | 5The one who mocks the poor insults his Creator; whoever rejoices over disaster will not go unpunished. |
| 6Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly, and the pride of sons is their fathers. | 6Grandchildren are like a crown to the elderly, and the glory of children is their parents. |
| 7Eloquent words are not appropriate on a fool's lips; how much worse are lies for a ruler. | 7Excessive speech is not becoming for a fool; how much less are lies for a ruler! |
| 8A bribe seems like a magic stone to its owner; wherever he turns, he succeeds. | 8A bribe works like a charm for the one who offers it; in whatever he does he succeeds. |
| 9Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but whoever gossips about it separates friends. | 9The one who forgives an offense seeks love, but whoever repeats a matter separates close friends. |
| 10A rebuke cuts into a perceptive person more than a hundred lashes into a fool. | 10A rebuke makes a greater impression on a discerning person than a hundred blows on a fool. |
| 11An evil man seeks only rebellion; a cruel messenger will be sent against him. | 11An evil person seeks only rebellion, and so a cruel messenger will be sent against him. |
| 12Better for a man to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his foolishness. | 12It is better for a person to meet a mother bear being robbed of her cubs, than to encounter a fool in his folly. |
| 13If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never depart from his house. | 13As for the one who repays evil for good, evil will not leave his house. |
| 14To start a conflict is to release a flood; stop the dispute before it breaks out. | 14Starting a quarrel is like letting out water; stop it before strife breaks out! |
| 15Acquitting the guilty and condemning the just-- both are detestable to the LORD. | 15The one who acquits the guilty and the one who condemns the innocent--both of them are an abomination to the LORD. |
| 16Why does a fool have money in his hand with no intention of buying wisdom? | 16Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no intention of acquiring wisdom? |
| 17A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time. | 17A friend loves at all times, and a relative is born to help in adversity. |
| 18One without sense enters an agreement and puts up security for his friend. | 18The one who lacks wisdom strikes hands in pledge, and puts up financial security for his neighbor. |
| 19One who loves to offend loves strife; one who builds a high threshold invites injury. | 19The one who loves a quarrel loves transgression; whoever builds his gate high seeks destruction. |
| 20One with a twisted mind will not succeed, and one with deceitful speech will fall into ruin. | 20The one who has a perverse heart does not find good, and the one who is deceitful in speech falls into trouble. |
| 21A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow; the father of a fool has no joy. | 21Whoever brings a fool into the world does so to his grief, and the father of a fool has no joy. |
| 22A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. | 22A cheerful heart brings good healing, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. |
| 23A wicked man secretly takes a bribe to subvert the course of justice. | 23A wicked person receives a bribe secretly to pervert the ways of justice. |
| 24Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive, but a fool's eyes roam to the ends of the earth. | 24Wisdom is directly in front of the discerning person, but the eyes of a fool run to the ends of the earth. |
| 25A foolish son is grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him. | 25A foolish child is a grief to his father, and bitterness to the mother who bore him. |
| 26It is certainly not good to fine an innocent person or to beat a noble for his honesty. | 26It is terrible to punish a righteous person, and to flog honorable men is wrong. |
| 27The intelligent person restrains his words, and one who keeps a cool head is a man of understanding. | 27The truly wise person restrains his words, and the one who stays calm is discerning. |
| 28Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent, discerning when he seals his lips. | 28Even a fool who remains silent is considered wise, and the one who holds his tongue is deemed discerning. |
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