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Proverbs 12
Contemporary English Version
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 International Version
Proverbs 12
New International Version
12 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but whoever hates correction is stupid.(A)
3 No one can be established through wickedness,
but the righteous cannot be uprooted.(D)
4 A wife of noble character(E) is her husband’s crown,
but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.(F)
5 The plans of the righteous are just,
but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.
6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
but the speech of the upright rescues them.(G)
8 A person is praised according to their prudence,
and one with a warped(J) mind is despised.
9 Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant
than pretend to be somebody and have no food.
10 The righteous care for the needs of their animals,(K)
but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.
11 Those who work their land will have abundant food,
but those who chase fantasies have no sense.(L)
12 The wicked desire the stronghold of evildoers,
but the root of the righteous endures.
14 From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things,(O)
and the work of their hands brings them reward.(P)
17 An honest witness tells the truth,
but a false witness tells lies.(V)
19 Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.
20 Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil,
but those who promote peace have joy.(Y)
21 No harm overtakes the righteous,(Z)
but the wicked have their fill of trouble.
24 Diligent hands will rule,
but laziness ends in forced labor.(AF)
25 Anxiety weighs down the heart,(AG)
but a kind word cheers it up.
26 The righteous choose their friends carefully,
but the way of the wicked leads them astray.(AH)
27 The lazy do not roast[a] any game,
but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.
28 In the way of righteousness there is life;(AI)
along that path is immortality.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 12:27 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Proverbs 12
Amplified Bible
Proverbs 12
Amplified Bible
Contrast the Upright and the Wicked
12 Whoever loves instruction and discipline loves knowledge,
But he who hates reproof and correction is stupid.
2
A good man will obtain favor from the Lord,
But He will condemn a man who devises evil.
3
A man will not be established by wickedness,
But the root of the [consistently] righteous will not be moved.
4
A virtuous and excellent wife [worthy of honor] is the crown of her husband,
But she who shames him [with her foolishness] is like rottenness in his bones.(A)
5
The thoughts and purposes of the [consistently] righteous are just (honest, reliable),
But the counsels and schemes of the wicked are deceitful.
6
The [malevolent] words of the wicked lie in wait for [innocent] blood [to slander],
But the mouth of the upright will rescue and protect them.
7
The wicked are overthrown [by their evil] and are no more,
But the house of the [consistently] righteous will stand [securely].
8
A man will be commended according to his insight and sound judgment,
But the one who is of a perverse mind will be despised.
9
[a]Better is he who is lightly esteemed and has a servant,
Than he who [boastfully] honors himself [pretending to be what he is not] and lacks bread.
10
A righteous man has kind regard for the life of his animal,
But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.(B)
11
He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,
But he who follows worthless things lacks common sense and good judgment.
12
The wicked desire the plunder of evil men,
But the root of the righteous yields richer fruit.
13
An evil man is [dangerously] ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
But the righteous will escape from trouble.
14
A man will be satisfied with good from the fruit of his words,
And the deeds of a man’s hands will return to him [as a harvest].
15
The way of the [arrogant] fool [who rejects God’s wisdom] is right in his own eyes,
But a wise and prudent man is he who listens to counsel.(C)
16
The [arrogant] fool’s anger is quickly known [because he lacks self-control and common sense],
But a prudent man ignores an insult.
17
He who speaks truth [when he testifies] tells what is right,
But a false witness utters deceit [in court].
18
There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19
Truthful lips will be established forever,
But a lying tongue is [credited] only for a moment.
20
Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.
21
No harm befalls the righteous,
But the wicked are filled with trouble.(D)
22
Lying lips are extremely disgusting to the Lord,
But those who deal faithfully are His delight.(E)
23
A shrewd man is reluctant to display his knowledge [until the proper time],
But the heart of [over-confident] fools proclaims foolishness.(F)
24
The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the negligent and lazy will be put to forced labor.
25
Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,
But a good (encouraging) word makes it glad.(G)
26
The righteous man is a guide to his neighbor,
But the way of the wicked leads them astray.
27
The lazy man does not catch and roast his prey,
But the precious possession of a [wise] man is diligence [because he recognizes opportunities and seizes them].
28
In the way of righteousness is life,
And in its pathway there is no death [but immortality—eternal life].(H)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 12:9 This is the first of many verses in Proverbs that use the “better...than” construction to emphasize contrasting positions.
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
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Amplified Bible (AMP) 
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