| New American Standard Bible 1995 | New International Version |
| 1Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them; | 1Do not envy the wicked, do not desire their company; |
| 2For their minds devise violence, And their lips talk of trouble. | 2for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble. |
| 3By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; | 3By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; |
| 4And by knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. | 4through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. |
| 5A wise man is strong, And a man of knowledge increases power. | 5The wise prevail through great power, and those who have knowledge muster their strength. |
| 6For by wise guidance you will wage war, And in abundance of counselors there is victory. | 6Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers. |
| 7Wisdom is too exalted for a fool, He does not open his mouth in the gate. | 7Wisdom is too high for fools; in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths. |
| 8One who plans to do evil, Men will call a schemer. | 8Whoever plots evil will be known as a schemer. |
| 9The devising of folly is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to men. | 9The schemes of folly are sin, and people detest a mocker. |
| 10If you are slack in the day of distress, Your strength is limited. | 10If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength! |
| 11Deliver those who are being taken away to death, And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back. | 11Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. |
| 12If you say, "See, we did not know this," Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work? | 12If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done? |
| 13My son, eat honey, for it is good, Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste; | 13Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. |
| 14Know that wisdom is thus for your soul; If you find it, then there will be a future, And your hope will not be cut off. | 14Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. |
| 15Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; Do not destroy his resting place; | 15Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous, do not plunder their dwelling place; |
| 16For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity. | 16for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes. |
| 17Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; | 17Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, |
| 18Or the LORD will see it and be displeased, And turn His anger away from him. | 18or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them. |
| 19Do not fret because of evildoers Or be envious of the wicked; | 19Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked, |
| 20For there will be no future for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out. | 20for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out. |
| 21My son, fear the LORD and the king; Do not associate with those who are given to change, | 21Fear the LORD and the king, my son, and do not join with rebellious officials, |
| 22For their calamity will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin that comes from both of them? | 22for those two will send sudden destruction on them, and who knows what calamities they can bring? |
| 23These also are sayings of the wise. To show partiality in judgment is not good. | 23These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good: |
| 24He who says to the wicked, "You are righteous," Peoples will curse him, nations will abhor him; | 24Whoever says to the guilty, "You are innocent," will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations. |
| 25But to those who rebuke the wicked will be delight, And a good blessing will come upon them. | 25But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them. |
| 26He kisses the lips Who gives a right answer. | 26An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips. |
| 27Prepare your work outside And make it ready for yourself in the field; Afterwards, then, build your house. | 27Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house. |
| 28Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, And do not deceive with your lips. | 28Do not testify against your neighbor without cause-- would you use your lips to mislead? |
| 29Do not say, "Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work." | 29Do not say, "I'll do to them as they have done to me; I'll pay them back for what they did." |
| 30I passed by the field of the sluggard And by the vineyard of the man lacking sense, | 30I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; |
| 31And behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles; Its surface was covered with nettles, And its stone wall was broken down. | 31thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. |
| 32When I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked, and received instruction. | 32I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: |
| 33"A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest," | 33A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-- |
| 34Then your poverty will come as a robber And your want like an armed man. | 34and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man. |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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