| New King James Version | 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 heart devises violence, And their lips talk of troublemaking. | 2for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble. |
| 3Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; | 3By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; |
| 4By 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, Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; | 5The wise prevail through great power, and those who have knowledge muster their strength. |
| 6For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, And in a multitude of counselors there is safety. | 6Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers. |
| 7Wisdom is too lofty 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. |
| 8He who plots to do evil Will be called a schemer. | 8Whoever plots evil will be known as a schemer. |
| 9The devising of foolishness is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to men. | 9The schemes of folly are sin, and people detest a mocker. |
| 10If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small. | 10If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength! |
| 11Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. | 11Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. |
| 12If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds? | 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 because it is good, And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste; | 13Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. |
| 14So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; If you have found it, there is a prospect, 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 plunder 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 may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by 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, |
| 18Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him. | 18or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them. |
| 19Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked; | 19Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked, |
| 20For there will be no prospect 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 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 those two can bring? | 22for those two will send sudden destruction on them, and who knows what calamities they can bring? |
| 23These things also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment. | 23These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good: |
| 24He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,” Him the people will curse; Nations will abhor him. | 24Whoever says to the guilty, "You are innocent," will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations. |
| 25But those who rebuke the wicked will have 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 who gives a right answer kisses the lips. | 26An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips. |
| 27Prepare your outside work, Make it fit for yourself in the field; And afterward 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, For would you deceive with your lips? | 28Do not testify against your neighbor without cause-- would you use your lips to mislead? |
| 29Do not say, “I will do to him just 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 went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; | 30I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; |
| 31And there it was, all overgrown with thorns; Its surface was covered with nettles; 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 it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction: | 32I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: |
| 33A 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-- |
| 34So shall your poverty come like a prowler, And your need like an armed man. | 34and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | 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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