| New International Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife. | 1Better a dry crust with peace than a house full of feasting with strife. |
| 2A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son and will share the inheritance as one of the family. | 2A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share an inheritance among brothers. |
| 3The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart. | 3A crucible for silver, and a smelter for gold, and the LORD is the tester of hearts. |
| 4A wicked person listens to deceitful lips; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue. | 4A wicked person listens to malicious talk; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue. |
| 5Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished. | 5The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker, and one who rejoices over calamity will not go unpunished. |
| 6Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children. | 6Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly, and the pride of sons is their fathers. |
| 7Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool-- how much worse lying lips to a ruler! | 7Eloquent words are not appropriate on a fool's lips; how much worse are lies for a ruler. |
| 8A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; they think success will come at every turn. | 8A bribe seems like a magic stone to its owner; wherever he turns, he succeeds. |
| 9Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. | 9Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but whoever gossips about it separates friends. |
| 10A rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool. | 10A rebuke cuts into a perceptive person more than a hundred lashes into a fool. |
| 11Evildoers foster rebellion against God; the messenger of death will be sent against them. | 11An evil man seeks only rebellion; a cruel messenger will be sent against him. |
| 12Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly. | 12Better for a man to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his foolishness. |
| 13Evil will never leave the house of one who pays back evil for good. | 13If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never depart from his house. |
| 14Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out. | 14To start a conflict is to release a flood; stop the dispute before it breaks out. |
| 15Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent-- the LORD detests them both. | 15Acquitting the guilty and condemning the just-- both are detestable to the LORD. |
| 16Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom, when they are not able to understand it? | 16Why does a fool have money in his hand with no intention of buying wisdom? |
| 17A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. | 17A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time. |
| 18One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge and puts up security for a neighbor. | 18One without sense enters an agreement and puts up security for his friend. |
| 19Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin; whoever builds a high gate invites destruction. | 19One who loves to offend loves strife; one who builds a high threshold invites injury. |
| 20One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble. | 20One with a twisted mind will not succeed, and one with deceitful speech will fall into ruin. |
| 21To have a fool for a child brings grief; there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool. | 21A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow; the father of a fool has no joy. |
| 22A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. | 22A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. |
| 23The wicked accept bribes in secret to pervert the course of justice. | 23A wicked man secretly takes a bribe to subvert the course of justice. |
| 24A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth. | 24Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive, but a fool's eyes roam to the ends of the earth. |
| 25A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the mother who bore him. | 25A foolish son is grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him. |
| 26If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good, surely to flog honest officials is not right. | 26It is certainly not good to fine an innocent person or to beat a noble for his honesty. |
| 27The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. | 27The intelligent person restrains his words, and one who keeps a cool head is a man of understanding. |
| 28Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues. | 28Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent, discerning when he seals his lips. |
| 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. | Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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