| New King James Version | New International Version |
| 1A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment. | 1An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends and against all sound judgment starts quarrels. |
| 2A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart. | 2Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. |
| 3When the wicked comes, contempt comes also; And with dishonor comes reproach. | 3When wickedness comes, so does contempt, and with shame comes reproach. |
| 4The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; The wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook. | 4The words of the mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream. |
| 5It is not good to show partiality to the wicked, Or to overthrow the righteous in judgment. | 5It is not good to be partial to the wicked and so deprive the innocent of justice. |
| 6A fool’s lips enter into contention, And his mouth calls for blows. | 6The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating. |
| 7A fool’s mouth is his destruction, And his lips are the snare of his soul. | 7The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives. |
| 8The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, And they go down into the inmost body. | 8The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts. |
| 9He who is slothful in his work Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer. | 9One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys. |
| 10The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe. | 10The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. |
| 11The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, And like a high wall in his own esteem. | 11The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it a wall too high to scale. |
| 12Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor is humility. | 12Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor. |
| 13He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him. | 13To answer before listening-- that is folly and shame. |
| 14The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit? | 14The human spirit can endure in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear? |
| 15The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. | 15The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out. |
| 16A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men. | 16A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great. |
| 17The first one to plead his cause seems right, Until his neighbor comes and examines him. | 17In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines. |
| 18Casting lots causes contentions to cease, And keeps the mighty apart. | 18Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart. |
| 19A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a castle. | 19A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city; disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel. |
| 20A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; From the produce of his lips he shall be filled. | 20From the fruit of their mouth a person's stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied. |
| 21Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. | 21The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. |
| 22He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the LORD. | 22He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD. |
| 23The poor man uses entreaties, But the rich answers roughly. | 23The poor plead for mercy, but the rich answer harshly. |
| 24A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. | 24One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. |
| 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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