Proverbs 18
Good News Translation
18 People who do not get along with others are interested only in themselves; they will disagree with what everyone else knows is right.
2 A fool does not care whether he understands a thing or not; all he wants to do is show how smart he is.
3 Sin and shame go together. Lose your honor, and you will get scorn in its place.
4 A person's words can be a source of wisdom, deep as the ocean, fresh as a flowing stream.
5 It is not right to favor the guilty and keep the innocent from receiving justice.
6 When some fool starts an argument, he is asking for a beating.
7 When a fool speaks, he is ruining himself; he gets caught in the trap of his own words.
8 Gossip is so tasty—how we love to swallow it!
9 A lazy person is as bad as someone who is destructive.
10 The Lord is like a strong tower, where the righteous can go and be safe. 11 Rich people, however, imagine that their wealth protects them like high, strong walls around a city.
12 No one is respected unless he is humble; arrogant people are on the way to ruin.
13 (A)Listen before you answer. If you don't, you are being stupid and insulting.
14 Your will to live can sustain you when you are sick, but if you lose it, your last hope is gone.
15 Intelligent people are always eager and ready to learn.
16 Do you want to meet an important person? Take a gift and it will be easy.
17 The first person to speak in court always seems right until his opponent begins to question him.
18 If two powerful people are opposing each other in court, casting lots can settle the issue.
19 Help your relatives and they will protect you like a strong city wall,[a] but if you quarrel with them, they will close their doors to you.
20 You will have to live with the consequences of everything you say. 21 What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words.
22 (B)Find a wife and you find a good thing; it shows that the Lord is good to you.
23 When the poor speak, they have to be polite, but when the rich answer, they are rude.
24 Some friendships do[b] not last, but some friends are more loyal than brothers.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 18:19 Some ancient translations Help … wall; Hebrew unclear.
- Proverbs 18:24 Some ancient translations Some friendships do; Hebrew Someone with friends does.
Proverbs 18
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
18 The one who lives alone is self-indulgent,
showing contempt for all sound judgment.[a]
2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing personal opinion.(A)
3 When wickedness comes, contempt comes also,
and with dishonor comes disgrace.
4 The words of the mouth are deep waters;
the fountain of wisdom is a gushing stream.(B)
5 It is not right to be partial to the guilty
or to subvert the innocent in judgment.(C)
6 A fool’s lips bring strife,
and a fool’s mouth invites a flogging.
7 The mouths of fools are their ruin,
and their lips a snare to themselves.(D)
8 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.(E)
9 One who is slack in work
is close kin to a vandal.(F)
10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous run into it and are safe.(G)
11 The wealth of the rich is their strong city;
in their imagination it is like a high wall.(H)
12 Before destruction one’s heart is haughty,
but humility goes before honor.(I)
13 If one gives answer before hearing,
it is folly and shame.(J)
14 The human spirit will endure sickness,
but a broken spirit—who can bear?
15 An intelligent mind acquires knowledge,
and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16 A gift opens doors;
it gives access to the great.(K)
17 The one who first states a case seems right,
until the other comes and cross-examines.
18 Casting the lot puts an end to disputes
and decides between powerful contenders.(L)
19 An ally offended is stronger than a city;[b]
such quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
20 From the fruit of the mouth one’s stomach is satisfied;
the yield of the lips brings satisfaction.(M)
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.(N)
22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing
and obtains favor from the Lord.(O)
23 The poor use entreaties,
but the rich answer roughly.(P)
24 Some[c] friends play at friendship,[d]
but a true friend sticks closer than one’s sibling.(Q)
Proverbs 18
Complete Jewish Bible
18 He who separates himself indulges his desires
and shows contempt for sound advice of any kind.
2 A fool takes no pleasure in trying to understand;
he only wants to express his own opinion.
3 When a wicked person comes, contempt comes too,
and with disdain, provocation.
4 The words of a man’s mouth are deep water,
a gushing torrent, a fountain of wisdom.
5 It is not good to be partial to the guilty
and thus deprive the innocent of justice.
6 A fool’s words get him into fights;
yes, his mouth calls out for a beating.
7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin;
his words are a trap for him.
8 A slanderer’s words are tasty morsels;
they slide right down into the belly.
9 Whoever is lazy in doing his work
is brother to the destroyer.
10 The name of Adonai is a strong tower;
a righteous person runs to it and is raised high [above danger].
11 The wealth of the rich is his fortified city,
like a high wall, in his own imagination.
12 Before being ruined, a person’s heart is proud;
before being honored, a person must be humble.
13 To answer someone before hearing him out
is both stupid and embarrassing.
14 A person’s spirit can sustain him when ill,
but a crushed spirit — who can bear it?
15 The mind of a person with discernment gets knowledge,
and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16 A person’s gift clears his way
and gives him access to the great.
17 The first to state his case seems right,
till the other one comes and cross-examines.
18 Casting lots puts an end to strife
and separates powerful disputants.
19 It is harder to win an offended brother than a strong city;
their fights are like the bars of a fortress.
20 A person’s belly will be filled with the fruit of his mouth;
with what his lips produce he will be filled.
21 The tongue has power over life and death;
those who indulge it must eat its fruit.
22 He who finds a wife finds a great good;
he has won the favor of Adonai.
23 The poor man speaks beseechingly,
the rich man’s answer is blunt.
24 Some “friends” pretend to be friends,
but a true friend sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18
The Message
Words Kill, Words Give Life
18 Loners who care only for themselves
spit on the common good.
2 Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse;
all they do is run off at the mouth.
3 When wickedness arrives, shame’s not far behind;
contempt for life is contemptible.
4 Many words rush along like rivers in flood,
but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs.
5 It’s not right to go easy on the guilty,
or come down hard on the innocent.
6 The words of a fool start fights;
do him a favor and gag him.
7 Fools are undone by their big mouths;
their souls are crushed by their words.
8 Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy;
do you really want junk like that in your belly?
9 Slack habits and sloppy work
are as bad as vandalism.
10 God’s name is a place of protection—
good people can run there and be safe.
11 The rich think their wealth protects them;
they imagine themselves safe behind it.
12 Pride first, then the crash,
but humility is precursor to honor.
13 Answering before listening
is both stupid and rude.
14 A healthy spirit conquers adversity,
but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?
15 Wise men and women are always learning,
always listening for fresh insights.
16 A gift gets attention;
it buys the attention of eminent people.
17 The first speech in a court case is always convincing—
until the cross-examination starts!
18 You may have to draw straws
when faced with a tough decision.
19 Do a favor and win a friend forever;
nothing can untie that bond.
20 Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach;
good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest.
21 Words kill, words give life;
they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.
22 Find a good spouse, you find a good life—
and even more: the favor of God!
23 The poor speak in soft supplications;
the rich bark out answers.
24 Friends come and friends go,
but a true friend sticks by you like family.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson