| King James Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. | 1Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring. |
| 2Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips. | 2Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth— a stranger, not your own lips. |
| 3A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both. | 3A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier. |
| 4Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy? | 4Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous. |
| 5Open rebuke is better than secret love. | 5An open rebuke is better than hidden love! |
| 6Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. | 6Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy. |
| 7The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. | 7A person who is full refuses honey, but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry. |
| 8As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place. | 8A person who strays from home is like a bird that strays from its nest. |
| 9Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. | 9The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. |
| 10Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off. | 10Never abandon a friend— either yours or your father’s. When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance. It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away. |
| 11My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me. | 11Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad. Then I will be able to answer my critics. |
| 12A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished. | 12A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. |
| 13Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman. | 13Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt. Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners. |
| 14He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him. | 14A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning will be taken as a curse! |
| 15A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike. | 15A quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping on a rainy day. |
| 16Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, which bewrayeth itself. | 16Stopping her complaints is like trying to stop the wind or trying to hold something with greased hands. |
| 17Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. | 17As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. |
| 18Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured. | 18As workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat the fruit, so workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded. |
| 19As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man. | 19As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person. |
| 20Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. | 20Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied. |
| 21As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise. | 21Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised. |
| 22Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him. | 22You cannot separate fools from their foolishness, even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle. |
| 23Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. | 23Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds, |
| 24For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation? | 24for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation. |
| 25The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered. | 25After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears and the mountain grasses are gathered in, |
| 26The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field. | 26your sheep will provide wool for clothing, and your goats will provide the price of a field. |
| 27And thou shalt have goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens. | 27And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself, your family, and your servant girls. |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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