Proverbs 2:11-22
New Living Translation
11 Wise choices will watch over you.
Understanding will keep you safe.
12 Wisdom will save you from evil people,
from those whose words are twisted.
13 These men turn from the right way
to walk down dark paths.
14 They take pleasure in doing wrong,
and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil.
15 Their actions are crooked,
and their ways are wrong.
16 Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman,
from the seductive words of the promiscuous woman.
17 She has abandoned her husband
and ignores the covenant she made before God.
18 Entering her house leads to death;
it is the road to the grave.[a]
19 The man who visits her is doomed.
He will never reach the paths of life.
20 So follow the steps of the good,
and stay on the paths of the righteous.
21 For only the godly will live in the land,
and those with integrity will remain in it.
22 But the wicked will be removed from the land,
and the treacherous will be uprooted.
Footnotes
- 2:18 Hebrew to the spirits of the dead.
Proverbs 3:31-32
New Living Translation
31 Don’t envy violent people
or copy their ways.
32 Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord,
but he offers his friendship to the godly.
Proverbs 6:12-15
New Living Translation
12 What are worthless and wicked people like?
They are constant liars,
13 signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye,
a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers.
14 Their perverted hearts plot evil,
and they constantly stir up trouble.
15 But they will be destroyed suddenly,
broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing.
Proverbs 10:6
New Living Translation
6 The godly are showered with blessings;
the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.
Proverbs 10:11-13
New Living Translation
11 The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain;
the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.
12 Hatred stirs up quarrels,
but love makes up for all offenses.
13 Wise words come from the lips of people with understanding,
but those lacking sense will be beaten with a rod.
Proverbs 10:18
New Living Translation
18 Hiding hatred makes you a liar;
slandering others makes you a fool.
Proverbs 11:13
New Living Translation
13 A gossip goes around telling secrets,
but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.
Proverbs 12:15-18
New Living Translation
15 Fools think their own way is right,
but the wise listen to others.
16 A fool is quick-tempered,
but a wise person stays calm when insulted.
17 An honest witness tells the truth;
a false witness tells lies.
18 Some people make cutting remarks,
but the words of the wise bring healing.
Proverbs 13:16
New Living Translation
16 Wise people think before they act;
fools don’t—and even brag about their foolishness.
Proverbs 16:27-30
New Living Translation
27 Scoundrels create trouble;
their words are a destructive blaze.
28 A troublemaker plants seeds of strife;
gossip separates the best of friends.
29 Violent people mislead their companions,
leading them down a harmful path.
30 With narrowed eyes, people plot evil;
with a smirk, they plan their mischief.
Proverbs 17:4
New Living Translation
4 Wrongdoers eagerly listen to gossip;
liars pay close attention to slander.
Proverbs 17:9
New Living Translation
9 Love prospers when a fault is forgiven,
but dwelling on it separates close friends.
Proverbs 17:11
New Living Translation
11 Evil people are eager for rebellion,
but they will be severely punished.
Proverbs 17:19-20
New Living Translation
19 Anyone who loves to quarrel loves sin;
anyone who trusts in high walls invites disaster.
20 The crooked heart will not prosper;
the lying tongue tumbles into trouble.
Proverbs 17:24
New Living Translation
24 Sensible people keep their eyes glued on wisdom,
but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
Proverbs 18:1-2
New Living Translation
18 Unfriendly people care only about themselves;
they lash out at common sense.
2 Fools have no interest in understanding;
they only want to air their own opinions.
Proverbs 20:14
New Living Translation
14 The buyer haggles over the price, saying, “It’s worthless,”
then brags about getting a bargain!
Proverbs 21:29
New Living Translation
29 The wicked bluff their way through,
but the virtuous think before they act.
Proverbs 22:10
New Living Translation
10 Throw out the mocker, and fighting goes, too.
Quarrels and insults will disappear.
Proverbs 22:8
New Living Translation
8 Those who plant injustice will harvest disaster,
and their reign of terror will come to an end.[a]
Proverbs 22:26
New Living Translation
26 Don’t agree to guarantee another person’s debt
or put up security for someone else.
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.