| Holman Christian Standard Bible | English Standard Version |
| 1Better a dry crust with peace than a house full of feasting with strife. | 1Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife. |
| 2A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share an inheritance among brothers. | 2A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers. |
| 3A crucible for silver, and a smelter for gold, and the LORD is the tester of hearts. | 3The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the LORD tests hearts. |
| 4A wicked person listens to malicious talk; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue. | 4An evildoer listens to wicked lips, and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue. |
| 5The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker, and one who rejoices over calamity will not go unpunished. | 5Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished. |
| 6Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly, and the pride of sons is their fathers. | 6Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers. |
| 7Eloquent words are not appropriate on a fool's lips; how much worse are lies for a ruler. | 7Fine speech is not becoming to a fool; still less is false speech to a prince. |
| 8A bribe seems like a magic stone to its owner; wherever he turns, he succeeds. | 8A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it; wherever he turns he prospers. |
| 9Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but whoever gossips about it separates friends. | 9Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends. |
| 10A rebuke cuts into a perceptive person more than a hundred lashes into a fool. | 10A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool. |
| 11An evil man seeks only rebellion; a cruel messenger will be sent against him. | 11An evil man seeks only rebellion, and a cruel messenger will be sent against him. |
| 12Better for a man to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his foolishness. | 12Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly. |
| 13If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never depart from his house. | 13If anyone returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house. |
| 14To start a conflict is to release a flood; stop the dispute before it breaks out. | 14The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out. |
| 15Acquitting the guilty and condemning the just-- both are detestable to the LORD. | 15He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD. |
| 16Why does a fool have money in his hand with no intention of buying wisdom? | 16Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom when he has no sense? |
| 17A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time. | 17A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. |
| 18One without sense enters an agreement and puts up security for his friend. | 18One who lacks sense gives a pledge and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor. |
| 19One who loves to offend loves strife; one who builds a high threshold invites injury. | 19Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction. |
| 20One with a twisted mind will not succeed, and one with deceitful speech will fall into ruin. | 20A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity. |
| 21A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow; the father of a fool has no joy. | 21He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy. |
| 22A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. | 22A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. |
| 23A wicked man secretly takes a bribe to subvert the course of justice. | 23The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice. |
| 24Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive, but a fool's eyes roam to the ends of the earth. | 24The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth. |
| 25A foolish son is grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him. | 25A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him. |
| 26It is certainly not good to fine an innocent person or to beat a noble for his honesty. | 26To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good, nor to strike the noble for their uprightness. |
| 27The intelligent person restrains his words, and one who keeps a cool head is a man of understanding. | 27Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. |
| 28Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent, discerning when he seals his lips. | 28Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. |
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