Wealth(A) is worthless in the day of wrath,(B)
    but righteousness delivers from death.(C)

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Riches won’t help on the day of judgment,
    but right living can save you from death.

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16 A kindhearted woman gains honor,(A)
    but ruthless men gain only wealth.

17 Those who are kind benefit themselves,
    but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.

18 A wicked person earns deceptive wages,
    but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.(B)

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16 A gracious woman gains respect,
    but ruthless men gain only wealth.

17 Your kindness will reward you,
    but your cruelty will destroy you.

18 Evil people get rich for the moment,
    but the reward of the godly will last.

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28 Those who trust in their riches will fall,(A)
    but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.(B)

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28 Trust in your money and down you go!
    But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.

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11 Dishonest money dwindles away,(A)
    but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.

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11 Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears;
    wealth from hard work grows over time.

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16 Better a little with the fear of the Lord
    than great wealth with turmoil.(A)

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16 Better to have little, with fear for the Lord,
    than to have great treasure and inner turmoil.

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27 The greedy bring ruin to their households,
    but the one who hates bribes will live.(A)

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27 Greed brings grief to the whole family,
    but those who hate bribes will live.

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A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it;
    they think success will come at every turn.(A)

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A bribe is like a lucky charm;
    whoever gives one will prosper!

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17 Food gained by fraud tastes sweet,(A)
    but one ends up with a mouth full of gravel.(B)

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17 Stolen bread tastes sweet,
    but it turns to gravel in the mouth.

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21 An inheritance claimed too soon
    will not be blessed at the end.

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21 An inheritance obtained too early in life
    is not a blessing in the end.

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The plans of the diligent lead to profit(A)
    as surely as haste leads to poverty.

A fortune made by a lying tongue
    is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.[a](B)

The violence of the wicked will drag them away,(C)
    for they refuse to do what is right.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:6 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts vapor for those who seek death

Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity,
    but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.

Wealth created by a lying tongue
    is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap.[a]

The violence of the wicked sweeps them away,
    because they refuse to do what is just.

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Footnotes

  1. 21:6 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads mist for those who seek death.

14 A gift given in secret soothes anger,
    and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.(A)

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14 A secret gift calms anger;
    a bribe under the table pacifies fury.

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Better the poor whose walk is blameless
    than the rich whose ways are perverse.(A)

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Better to be poor and honest
    than to be dishonest and rich.

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