Beginning
19 Better to be poor and live with integrity
than a fool with a foul mouth.
2 Surely there’s no advantage for a person without knowledge,
and whoever moves too quickly misses the turn.
3 Foolishness diverts the course of life,
yet the heart rebels against the Eternal.
4 Wealth attracts many friends,
but the poor are soon separated from theirs.
5 A false witness will not escape punishment,
and one who breathes lies will not go free.
6 Many try to win the favor of a generous person,
and everyone is a friend to someone who gives gifts.
7 If a poor man is hated by his relatives,
it is even more likely his friends will avoid him too!
Anyone who is calling after them
[is not to be found].[a]
8 Whoever gains a wise heart loves his own soul,
and whoever preserves understanding experiences true goodness.
9 A false witness will not escape punishment,
and whoever breathes lies will not survive.
10 Something is wrong when a fool lives a pampered life,
but it is much worse when a slave takes charge of princes.
11 A person with discretion is not easily angered;
he gains respect by overlooking an offense.
12 A king’s rage is like the thunderous roar of a lion,
but his favor is like a cooling mist upon the grass.
13 Foolish children bring misery to their fathers,
and a wife’s bickering is a constant dripping as from a leaky roof.
14 Houses and riches may be inherited from parents,
but a sensible wife is a gift from the Eternal.
15 Laziness lulls people into a deep sleep;
a slacker will have nothing to eat.
16 Whoever keeps God’s commands lengthens his life,
but a careless lifestyle ends in death.
17 Whoever cares for the poor makes a loan to the Eternal;
such kindness will be repaid in full and with interest.
18 Discipline your children while there is still hope of influencing their future,
so as not to play a part in their destruction.
19 A hot-tempered man will pay a penalty;
if you bail him out, it will not be the last time; the cycle will repeat.
20 Heed counsel, act on instruction,
and you will become wise later in life.
21 The impulses of the human heart may run wild,
but the Eternal’s plan will prevail.
22 Loyalty is a trait admired in others,
and being destitute is better than being a liar.
23 Reverence for the Eternal leads to a fulfilled life;
those who have it will sleep well,
for disaster will not touch them.
24 Some people are so lazy—they reach for food on the plate
but lack the will to bring it up to their mouths.
25 If you beat one who mocks, the naive will see and learn a lesson;
if you correct someone with understanding, that’s all he needs to grow a little wiser.
26 Children who mistreat their father and run down their mother
are a root of shame and disgrace.
27 My child, should you stop listening to instruction,
you will wander from the voice of knowledge.
28 A worthless witness ridicules justice,
and the mouth of the wrongdoer savors every morsel of trouble.
29 Severe penalties are prepared for those who mock,
and fools expect their backs to be flogged.
20 Too much wine begins to mock you,
too much strong drink leads to noisy fights,
and whoever is misled by either is not wise.
2 A king’s wrath strikes fear like a lion’s roar;
those who provoke him to anger sentence themselves to death.
3 Honor is due those who refuse to fight at the drop of a hat,
but every fool jumps at an opportunity to quarrel.
4 A slacker procrastinates when it is time to plow;
so when it’s time for harvest, there are no crops in the field.
5 The real motives come from deep within a person—as from deep waters—
but a discerning person is able to draw them up and expose them.
6 Most people claim to be loyal,
but can anyone find a trustworthy person?
7 The right-living act with integrity;
the children who follow their example are happy.
8 When a king sits on his throne as judge,
he ferrets out all evil and scatters it with his royal stare.
9 Who can say, “I have cleaned my heart”?
or who can proclaim, “I am purified from sin”?
10 False weights and differing measures are alike:
both are disgusting to the Eternal.
11 Youth reveal their true natures by their actions
whether they do what is pure and right or not.
12 Ears to listen, eyes to see—
the Eternal designed them both.
13 Do not fall in love with sleep, or you will awake a poor person.
Stay awake, get to work, and you will have more than enough food.
14 “Bad quality for a bad price,” bargains the buyer;
but then he runs off with his prize in tow, bragging, “What a steal!”
15 Gold and rubies abound,
but lips that utter knowledge are a rare jewel.
16 If someone guarantees a stranger’s debt, hold his garment as collateral;
if that stranger is a foreigner, hold the creditor responsible.
17 At first the bread of lies tastes sweet
until guilt reduces it to gravel in the mouth.
18 Plans are finalized on the basis of good counsel,
so only go to war when you have wise instructions.
19 A gossip will reveal your secrets!
So avoid the company of people who talk openly and foolishly.
20 If someone pronounces a curse on his parents,[b]
the lamp of his life will be snuffed out as complete darkness creeps in.
21 An inheritance acquired hastily at first
will end up not being blessed after all.
22 Do not say, “I will get even for this evil.”
Wait for the Eternal; He will defend you.
23 He despises dishonesty in business;
false weights and deceptive scales are wrong.
24 Every one of our steps is directed by Him;
so how can we attempt to figure out our own way?
25 Those who rashly dedicate something to God are trapped;
only afterward do they realize what they’ve promised.
26 A wise king weeds out the wrongdoers,
then drives over them with his threshing wheel of justice.
27 The lamp of the Eternal illuminates the human spirit,
searching our most intimate thoughts.
28 Loyal love and faithfulness safeguard the king;
his throne is perpetuated through loyal love.
29 The best asset of youth is the strength of the body,
but the beauty of age is gray hair.
30 Severe punishment scrubs away evil,
and tough blows scour the innermost parts.
21 The king’s heart is like a channel of water directed by the Eternal:
He chooses which way He bends it.
2 Everyone may think his own way of living is right,
but the Eternal examines our hearts.
3 To do what is right and to seek justice—
these please Him more than sacrifice.
4 The lamp of the wicked lights his way;
a proud look, an arrogant heart—all sin.
5 A well-thought-out plan will work to your advantage,
but hasty actions will cost you dearly.
6 The fortune made by a swindler
is a fast-burning fog and a recipe for death.
7 Wicked people will be swept up in their own violence
because they refuse to seek justice.
8 Dishonest people walk along the crooked path they have made,
but the innocent travel the straight course they have laid.
9 It is better to dwell outside on the corner of your roof
than to live inside your house with a badgering wife.
10 Wicked people delight in doing bad things;
their neighbors never see even a hint of compassion.
11 A naive person wises up when he sees a mocker punished.
A wise person becomes even wiser just by being instructed.
12 The right-living understands how evildoers operate;
he subverts them and ruins their plans.
13 If you ignore the groans of the poor,
one day your own cries for help will go unanswered.
14 A gift given in secret soothes anger,
and a present offered privately calms fierce rage.
15 When justice is done, those who are in the right celebrate,
but those who make trouble are terrified.
16 People who wander from the way of wise living
will lie down in the company of corpses.
17 Those who live to party, who pursue pleasure, will end up penniless;
those who enjoy lots of wine and rich food will never have money.
18 The wicked become a ransom for those who live right,
and the faithless pay the penalty for their treachery against the upright.
19 You would be better off living in the middle of the desert
than with an angry and argumentative wife.
20 The wise have a generous supply of fine food and oil in their homes,
but fools are wasteful, consuming every last drop.
21 Whoever pursues justice and treats others with kindness
discovers true life marked by integrity and respect.
22 One wise person can rise against a city of mighty men
and cause the citadel they trust to collapse.
23 Guard your words, mind what you say,
and you will keep yourself out of trouble.
24 The name “mocker” applies to one who is proud and pompous
because he is defiantly arrogant.
25 What slackers crave will surely kill them
because they refuse to work.
26 All day, every day the greedy want more,
while those who live right give generously.
27 The offerings of wrongdoers are despicable to God;
it’s even worse when they bring them with evil motives.
28 The testimony of a false witness is eventually impeached,
but the person who truly listens will have the last word.
29 The wicked wears a defiant face,
but the right-living plans his path.
30 No one is wise enough or smart enough,
and no plan is good enough to stand up to the Eternal.
31 No matter how well you arm for battle,
victory is determined by Him.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.