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Proverbs 18
Good News Translation
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 International Version
Proverbs 18
New International Version
18 An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.
2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding
but delight in airing their own opinions.(A)
3 When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
and with shame comes reproach.
4 The words of the mouth are deep waters,(B)
but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.
6 The lips of fools bring them strife,
and their mouths invite a beating.(E)
8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to the inmost parts.(H)
9 One who is slack in his work
is brother to one who destroys.(I)
11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;(L)
they imagine it a wall too high to scale.
12 Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
but humility comes before honor.(M)
13 To answer before listening—
that is folly and shame.(N)
14 The human spirit can endure in sickness,
but a crushed spirit who can bear?(O)
15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,(P)
for the ears of the wise seek it out.
16 A gift(Q) opens the way
and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.
17 In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,
until someone comes forward and cross-examines.
18 Casting the lot settles disputes(R)
and keeps strong opponents apart.
19 A brother wronged(S) is more unyielding than a fortified city;
disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.
20 From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.(T)
23 The poor plead for mercy,
but the rich answer harshly.
24 One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.(Y)
Proverbs 18
The Voice
Proverbs 18
The Voice
18 Whoever pulls away from others to focus solely on his own desires
disregards any sense of sound judgment.
2 A fool never delights in true knowledge
but only wants to express what’s on his mind.
3 When wrongdoers arrive, disgrace is right there with them,
for shame is the companion of dishonor.
4 Words bubble up from waters deep within a person;
a stream gushes from the fountain of wisdom.
5 It is wrong for a judge to show partiality to the guilty
or to rob the innocent of justice.
6 When a fool’s lips move, a fight breaks out;
it’s as if his mouth is begging for a beating.
7 The mouths of fools are their destruction,
and their lips entrap their very souls.
8 Whispered gossip is like a delicious first course:
it is devoured with pleasure and penetrates deeply.
9 Those who slack off at work
are no different from vandals.
10 The Eternal is known to be like a sturdy watchtower;
those who do right flee to Him for protection.
11 The rich think their wealth is their sturdy fortress;
they imagine it to be an invincible wall of security.
12 A proud heart precedes destruction,
and before honor is humility.
13 To respond to a matter before you hear about it
shows foolishness and brings shame.
14 The human spirit can endure a long illness,
but who can survive a crushed spirit?
15 Clever people go after knowledge to obtain it,
and wise people attune their ears to hear it.
16 The right gift at the right time can open up new opportunities
and gains access to influential people.
17 The first ones to tell their side of a story seem right
until cross-examined by their peers.
18 Casting lots can settle conflicts
and decide between powerful opponents.
19 Winning over an offended brother is harder than breaching a strong city’s defenses;
such fights are as tough as the iron gates of a castle.
20 Good words satisfy like a fine meal;
yes, good conversations are sure to satisfy.
21 Words have power in matters of life and death,
and those who love them will savor their fruit.
22 The man who finds a wife finds something good,
and the favor of the Eternal is indeed his.
23 The poor plead for help,
but the rich respond harshly.
24 Someone with many so-called friends may end up friendless,
but a true friend is closer than a brother.
Good News Translation (GNT) 
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 International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
The Voice (VOICE)
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.