| King James Bible | New International Version |
| 1Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them. | 1Do not envy the wicked, do not desire their company; |
| 2For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief. | 2for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble. |
| 3Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: | 3By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; |
| 4And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. | 4through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. |
| 5A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength. | 5The wise prevail through great power, and those who have knowledge muster their strength. |
| 6For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellers there is safety. | 6Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers. |
| 7Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate. | 7Wisdom is too high for fools; in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths. |
| 8He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person. | 8Whoever plots evil will be known as a schemer. |
| 9The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men. | 9The schemes of folly are sin, and people detest a mocker. |
| 10If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. | 10If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength! |
| 11If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; | 11Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. |
| 12If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works? | 12If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done? |
| 13My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste: | 13Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. |
| 14So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off. | 14Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. |
| 15Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place: | 15Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous, do not plunder their dwelling place; |
| 16For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. | 16for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes. |
| 17Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: | 17Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, |
| 18Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him. | 18or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them. |
| 19Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked; | 19Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked, |
| 20For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out. | 20for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out. |
| 21My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change: | 21Fear the LORD and the king, my son, and do not join with rebellious officials, |
| 22For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both? | 22for those two will send sudden destruction on them, and who knows what calamities they can bring? |
| 23These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. | 23These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good: |
| 24He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him: | 24Whoever says to the guilty, "You are innocent," will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations. |
| 25But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them. | 25But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them. |
| 26Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer. | 26An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips. |
| 27Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house. | 27Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house. |
| 28Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and deceive not with thy lips. | 28Do not testify against your neighbor without cause-- would you use your lips to mislead? |
| 29Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work. | 29Do not say, "I'll do to them as they have done to me; I'll pay them back for what they did." |
| 30I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; | 30I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; |
| 31And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. | 31thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. |
| 32Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. | 32I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: |
| 33Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: | 33A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-- |
| 34So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man. | 34and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man. |
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