| International Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Dry crumbs in peace are better than a full meal with strife. | 1Better a dry crust with peace than a house full of feasting with strife. |
| 2A prudent servant will rule in place of a disgraceful son and will share in the inheritance among brothers. | 2A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share an inheritance among brothers. |
| 3The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold— but the LORD assays hearts. | 3A crucible for silver, and a smelter for gold, and the LORD is the tester of hearts. |
| 4Whoever practices evil pays attention to wicked speech, and the liar listens to malicious talk. | 4A wicked person listens to malicious talk; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue. |
| 5Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their maker, and whoever is happy about disaster will not go unpunished. | 5The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker, and one who rejoices over calamity will not go unpunished. |
| 6Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the pride of children is their parents. | 6Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly, and the pride of sons is their fathers. |
| 7Appropriate speech is inconsistent with the fool; how much more are deceitful statements with a prince! | 7Eloquent words are not appropriate on a fool's lips; how much worse are lies for a ruler. |
| 8A bribe works wonders in the eyes of its giver; wherever he turns he prospers. | 8A bribe seems like a magic stone to its owner; wherever he turns, he succeeds. |
| 9Anyone who overlooks an offense promotes love, but someone who gossips separates close friends. | 9Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but whoever gossips about it separates friends. |
| 10A rebuke is more effective with a man of understanding than a hundred lashes to a fool. | 10A rebuke cuts into a perceptive person more than a hundred lashes into a fool. |
| 11A rebellious person seeks evil; a cruel emissary will be sent to oppose him. | 11An evil man seeks only rebellion; a cruel messenger will be sent against him. |
| 12It's better to meet a mother bear who has lost her cubs than a fool in his stupidity. | 12Better for a man to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his foolishness. |
| 13The person who repays good with evil will never see evil leave his home. | 13If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never depart from his house. |
| 14Starting a quarrel is like spilling water— so drop the dispute before it escalates. | 14To start a conflict is to release a flood; stop the dispute before it breaks out. |
| 15Exonerating the wicked and condemning the righteous are both detestable to the LORD. | 15Acquitting the guilty and condemning the just-- both are detestable to the LORD. |
| 16What is this? A fool has enough money to buy wisdom, but is senseless? | 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 there for times of trouble. | 17A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time. |
| 18A man who lacks sense cosigns a loan, becoming a guarantor for his neighbor. | 18One without sense enters an agreement and puts up security for his friend. |
| 19The person who loves transgression loves strife; the person who builds a high gate invites destruction. | 19One who loves to offend loves strife; one who builds a high threshold invites injury. |
| 20The person whose mind is perverse does not find good, and anyone with perverted speech falls into trouble. | 20One with a twisted mind will not succeed, and one with deceitful speech will fall into ruin. |
| 21The man who fathers a fool does so to his sorrow— the father of a fool has no joy. | 21A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow; the father of a fool has no joy. |
| 22A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit drains one's strength. | 22A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. |
| 23The wicked man takes a bribe in secret in order to pervert the course of justice. | 23A wicked man secretly takes a bribe to subvert the course of justice. |
| 24A person with understanding has wisdom as his objective, but a fool looks only to earthly goals. | 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 his mother. | 25A foolish son is grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him. |
| 26Furthermore, it isn't good to fine the righteous, or to beat an official because of his uprightness. | 26It is certainly not good to fine an innocent person or to beat a noble for his honesty. |
| 27Whoever controls what he says is knowledgeable; anyone who has a calm spirit is a man of understanding. | 27The intelligent person restrains his words, and one who keeps a cool head is a man of understanding. |
| 28Even a fool is thought to be wise when he remains silent; he is thought to be prudent when he keeps his mouth shut. | 28Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent, discerning when he seals his lips. |
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