| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Do not envy wicked men or desire their company; | 1Don’t envy evil people or desire their company. |
| 2for their hearts devise violence, and their lips declare trouble. | 2For their hearts plot violence, and their words always stir up trouble. |
| 3By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established; | 3A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. |
| 4through knowledge its rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure. | 4Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables. |
| 5A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge enhances his strength. | 5The wise are mightier than the strong, and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger. |
| 6Only with sound guidance should you wage war, and victory lies in a multitude of counselors. | 6So don’t go to war without wise guidance; victory depends on having many advisers. |
| 7Wisdom is too high for a fool; he does not open his mouth in the meeting place. | 7Wisdom is too lofty for fools. Among leaders at the city gate, they have nothing to say. |
| 8He who plots evil will be called a schemer. | 8A person who plans evil will get a reputation as a troublemaker. |
| 9A foolish scheme is sin, and a mocker is detestable to men. | 9The schemes of a fool are sinful; everyone detests a mocker. |
| 10If you faint in the day of distress, how small is your strength! | 10If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small. |
| 11Rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter. | 11Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die; save them as they stagger to their death. |
| 12If you say, “Behold, we did not know about this,” does not He who weighs hearts consider it? Does not the One who guards your life know? Will He not repay a man according to his deeds? | 12Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.” For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve. |
| 13Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste. | 13My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste. |
| 14Know therefore that wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, there is a future for you, and your hope will never be cut off. | 14In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short. |
| 15Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, near the dwelling of the righteous; do not destroy his resting place. | 15Don’t wait in ambush at the home of the godly, and don’t raid the house where the godly live. |
| 16For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up; but the wicked stumble in bad times. | 16The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked. |
| 17Do not gloat when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles, | 17Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall; don’t be happy when they stumble. |
| 18or the LORD will see and disapprove, and turn His wrath away from him. | 18For the LORD will be displeased with you and will turn his anger away from them. |
| 19Do not fret over evildoers, and do not be envious of the wicked. | 19Don’t fret because of evildoers; don’t envy the wicked. |
| 20For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished. | 20For evil people have no future; the light of the wicked will be snuffed out. |
| 21My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not associate with the rebellious. | 21My child, fear the LORD and the king. Don’t associate with rebels, |
| 22For they will bring sudden destruction. Who knows what ruin they can bring? | 22for disaster will hit them suddenly. Who knows what punishment will come from the LORD and the king? More Sayings of the Wise |
| 23These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good. | 23Here are some further sayings of the wise: It is wrong to show favoritism when passing judgment. |
| 24Whoever tells the guilty, “You are innocent”—peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce him; | 24A judge who says to the wicked, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by many people and denounced by the nations. |
| 25but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them. | 25But it will go well for those who convict the guilty; rich blessings will be showered on them. |
| 26An honest answer given is like a kiss on the lips. | 26An honest answer is like a kiss of friendship. |
| 27Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field; after that, you may build your house. | 27Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house. |
| 28Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips. | 28Don’t testify against your neighbors without cause; don’t lie about them. |
| 29Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will repay the man according to his work.” | 29And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me! I’ll get even with them!” |
| 30I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment. | 30I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense. |
| 31Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down. | 31I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down. |
| 32I observed and took it to heart; I looked and received instruction: | 32Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson: |
| 33A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, | 33A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— |
| 34and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit. | 34then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. |
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