| English Standard Version | New International Version |
| 1Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife. | 1Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife. |
| 2A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers. | 2A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son and will share the inheritance as one of the family. |
| 3The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the LORD tests hearts. | 3The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart. |
| 4An evildoer listens to wicked lips, and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue. | 4A wicked person listens to deceitful lips; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue. |
| 5Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished. | 5Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished. |
| 6Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers. | 6Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children. |
| 7Fine speech is not becoming to a fool; still less is false speech to a prince. | 7Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool-- how much worse lying lips to a ruler! |
| 8A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it; wherever he turns he prospers. | 8A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; they think success will come at every turn. |
| 9Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends. | 9Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. |
| 10A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool. | 10A rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool. |
| 11An evil man seeks only rebellion, and a cruel messenger will be sent against him. | 11Evildoers foster rebellion against God; the messenger of death will be sent against them. |
| 12Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly. | 12Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly. |
| 13If anyone returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house. | 13Evil will never leave the house of one who pays back evil for good. |
| 14The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out. | 14Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out. |
| 15He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD. | 15Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent-- the LORD detests them both. |
| 16Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom when he has no sense? | 16Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom, when they are not able to understand it? |
| 17A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. | 17A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. |
| 18One who lacks sense gives a pledge and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor. | 18One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge and puts up security for a neighbor. |
| 19Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction. | 19Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin; whoever builds a high gate invites destruction. |
| 20A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity. | 20One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble. |
| 21He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy. | 21To have a fool for a child brings grief; there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool. |
| 22A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. | 22A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. |
| 23The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice. | 23The wicked accept bribes in secret to pervert the course of justice. |
| 24The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth. | 24A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth. |
| 25A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him. | 25A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the mother who bore him. |
| 26To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good, nor to strike the noble for their uprightness. | 26If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good, surely to flog honest officials is not right. |
| 27Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. | 27The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. |
| 28Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. | 28Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. 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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