Proverbs 12
Contemporary English Version
You Can't Hide behind Evil
12 (A) To accept correction is wise,
to reject it is stupid.
2 The Lord likes everyone
who lives right,
but he punishes everyone
who makes evil plans.
3 Sin cannot offer security!
But if you live right,
you will be as secure
as a tree with deep roots.
4 A helpful wife is a jewel
for her husband,
but a shameless wife
will make his bones rot.
5 Good people have kind thoughts,
but you should never trust
the advice of someone evil.
6 Bad advice is a deadly trap,
but good advice
is like a shield.
7 Once the wicked are defeated,
they are gone forever,
but no one who obeys God
will ever be thrown down.
8 Good sense is worthy of praise,
but stupidity is a curse.
9 It's better to be ordinary
and have only one servant[a]
than to think you are somebody
and starve to death.
10 Good people are kind
to their animals,
but a mean person is cruel.
11 Hard working farmers have more
than enough food;
daydreamers are nothing more
than stupid fools.
12 An evil person tries to hide
behind evil;[b]
good people are like trees
with deep roots.
13 We trap ourselves
by telling lies,
but we stay out of trouble
by living right.
14 We are rewarded or punished
for what we say and do.
15 Fools think they know
what is best,
but a sensible person
listens to advice.
16 Losing your temper is foolish;
ignoring an insult is smart.
17 An honest person
tells the truth in court,
but a dishonest person
tells nothing but lies.
18 Sharp words cut like a sword,
but words of wisdom heal.
19 Truth will last forever;
lies are soon found out.
20 An evil mind is deceitful,
but gentle thoughts
bring happiness.
21 Good people never have trouble,
but troublemakers
have more than enough.
22 The Lord hates every liar,
but he is the friend of all
who can be trusted.
23 Be sensible and don't tell
everything you know—
only fools spread
foolishness everywhere.
24 Work hard, and you
will be a leader;
be lazy, and you
will end up a slave.
25 Worry is a heavy burden,
but a kind word
always brings cheer.
26 You are better off to do right,
than to lose your way
by doing wrong.[c]
27 Anyone too lazy to cook
will starve,
but a hard worker
is a valuable treasure.[d]
28 Living right is a pathway
that leads to life
and away from death.
Footnotes
Proverbs 12
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 12
On the Way of Righteousness[a]
1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but the one who hates correction is stupid.
2 The good man wins the favor of the Lord,
but the malicious man incurs his condemnation.
3 No one earns security by wickedness,
but the roots of the righteous will not be shaken.
4 A good wife is her husband’s crown,
but one who disgraces him is like decay in his bones.
5 The aims of the righteous are honorable,
but the schemes of the wicked are full of deceit.
6 The words of the wicked are snares to shed blood,
but those of the upright keep them safe.
7 Once the wicked are overthrown, they are no more,
but the house of the righteous remains firm.
8 A man will be praised if he exhibits good sense,
but one with a perverse mind is despised.
9 It is better to be a laborer and have food to eat
than to put on airs and have an empty stomach.
10 A righteous person supplies the needs of his animals,[b]
but the heart of the wicked is without mercy.
11 One who tills his land has an abundance of food,
but he who chases fantasies[c] is a fool.
12 The wicked desire the prey of evil men,
but the root of the righteous bears fruit.
13 The wicked man is ensnared by the sin of his lips,
but the righteous frees himself from misfortune.
14 An abundance of good things flow from the fruit of one’s lips,
and a man’s labor will give him a suitable reward.[d]
15 The fool is convinced of the rightness of his ways,
but the man who listens to advice shows wisdom.
16 A fool is quick to show his anger,
but a prudent man ignores an insult.
17 A truthful witness is honest in his testimony,
but a false witness testifies deceitfully.
18 Thoughtless words wound like a sword thrust,
but the tongue of the wise produces healing.
19 Truthful speech endures forever,
but deceitful lies last only for a moment.[e]
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who plot evil,
but those who counsel peace have joy.
21 No harm befalls the righteous,
but endless are the misfortunes of the wicked.
22 The Lord abhors lying lips,
but he delights in those who are truthful.
23 A prudent man does not flaunt his knowledge,
but the heart of fools proclaims their folly.
24 Authority will be granted to the diligent,
but the lazy will be enslaved.
25 Anxiety in the human heart weighs it down,
but a kind word makes it glad.
26 A righteous man gives good advice to his neighbor,
but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
27 A lazy man never reaps a rich harvest,
but the diligent man acquires precious wealth.
28 The way of righteousness leads to life,
but the way of vengeance leads to death.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 12:1 In this endless and already known variation on the theme of the righteous and the wicked and the sage and the fool, one could perhaps note a more marked insistence on truth in human relationships and on dislike of the foolish word. However, each maxim brings its own observation or its own teaching from popular good sense and sometimes from its religious certitude. From time to time, opposing portraits of women are evoked.
- Proverbs 12:10 A person who is good is kind even to animals (see Prov 27:23; Deut 25:4).
- Proverbs 12:11 This text is repeated almost verbatim in Prov 28:19. Chases fantasies: schemes to acquire ill-gotten goods.
- Proverbs 12:14 A man’s words of wisdom will yield a good harvest in the same way that his physical labor will bring him an abundant crop (see note on Prov 1:31; see also Job 34:11).
- Proverbs 12:19 A person who has spoken the truth has said it once and for all and need not open the mouth again; a liar must fall back on ever-new lies.
Proverbele 12
Cornilescu 1924 - Revised 2010, 2014
12 Cine iubeşte certarea iubeşte ştiinţa;
dar cine urăşte mustrarea este prost.
2 Omul de bine(A) capătă bunăvoinţa Domnului,
dar Domnul osândeşte pe cel plin de răutate.
3 Omul nu se întăreşte prin răutate,
dar rădăcina(B) celor neprihăniţi nu se va clătina.
4 O femeie(C) cinstită este cununa bărbatului ei,
dar cea care-i face ruşine este ca(D) putregaiul în oasele lui.
5 Gândurile celor neprihăniţi nu sunt decât dreptate,
dar sfaturile celor răi nu sunt decât înşelăciune.
6 Cuvintele(E) celor răi sunt nişte curse ca să verse sânge,
dar(F) gura celor fără prihană îi izbăveşte.
7 Cei răi(G) sunt răsturnaţi şi nu mai sunt,
dar casa celor neprihăniţi rămâne în picioare!
8 Un om este preţuit după măsura priceperii lui,
dar(H) cel cu inima stricată este dispreţuit.
9 Mai(I) bine să fii într-o stare smerită şi să ai o slugă,
decât(J) să faci pe fudulul şi să n-ai ce mânca.
10 Cel neprihănit se îndură de vite,
dar inima celui rău este fără milă.
11 Cine-şi(K) lucrează ogorul va avea belşug de pâine,
dar cine umblă după lucruri de nimic este(L) fără minte.
12 Cel rău pofteşte prada celor nelegiuiţi,
dar rădăcina celor neprihăniţi rodeşte.
13 În păcătuirea cu buzele este(M) o cursă primejdioasă,
dar(N) cel neprihănit scapă din bucluc.
14 Prin rodul(O) gurii te saturi de bunătăţi,
şi(P) fiecare primeşte după lucrul mâinilor lui.
15 Calea nebunului este fără prihană în(Q) ochii lui,
dar înţeleptul ascultă sfaturile.
16 Nebunul(R) îndată îşi dă pe faţă mânia,
dar înţeleptul ascunde ocara.
17 Cine(S) spune adevărul face o mărturisire dreaptă,
dar martorul mincinos vorbeşte înşelăciune.
18 Cine vorbeşte(T) în chip uşuratic răneşte ca străpungerea unei săbii,
dar(U) limba înţelepţilor aduce vindecare.
19 Buza care spune adevărul este întărită pe vecie,
dar limba mincinoasă nu stă decât o clipă.
20 Înşelătoria este în inima celor ce cugetă răul,
dar bucuria este pentru cei ce sfătuiesc la pace.
21 Nicio nenorocire nu se întâmplă celui neprihănit,
dar cei răi sunt năpădiţi de rele.
22 Buzele mincinoase sunt urâte(V) Domnului,
dar cei ce lucrează cu adevăr îi sunt plăcuţi.
23 Omul(W) înţelept îţi ascunde ştiinţa,
dar inima nebunilor vesteşte nebunia.
24 Mâna(X) celor harnici va stăpâni,
dar mâna leneşă va plăti bir.
25 Neliniştea(Y) din inima omului îl doboară,
dar o vorbă(Z) bună îl înveseleşte.
26 Cel neprihănit arată prietenului său calea cea bună,
dar calea celor răi îi duce în rătăcire.
27 Leneşul nu-şi frige vânatul,
dar comoara de preţ a unui om este munca.
28 Pe cărarea neprihănirii este viaţa
şi pe drumul însemnat de ea nu este moarte.
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Copyright of the Cornilescu Bible © 1924 belongs to British and Foreign Bible Society. Copyright © 2010, 2014 of the revised edition in Romanian language belongs to the Interconfessional Bible Society of Romania, with the approval of the British and Foreign Bible Society.
