Proverbs 18
18
1Unfriendly people are selfish
and hate all good sense.
2Fools do not want to understand anything.
They only want to tell others what they think.
3Do something evil, and people won’t like you.
Do something shameful, and they will make fun of you.
4Spoken words can be like deep water,
but wisdom is like a flowing stream.
5It is not good to honor the wicked
or to be unfair to the innocent.
6The words of fools start quarrels.
They make people want to beat them.
7The words of fools will ruin them;
their own words will trap them.
8The words of a gossip are like tasty bits of food.
People like to gobble them up.
9A person who doesn’t work hard
is just like someone who destroys things.
10The Lord is like a strong tower;
those who do right can run to him for safety.
11Rich people trust their wealth to protect them.
They think it is like the high walls of a city.
12Proud people will be ruined,
but the humble will be honored.
13Anyone who answers without listening
is foolish and confused.
14The will to live can get you through sickness,
but no one can live with a broken spirit.
15The mind of a person with understanding gets knowledge;
the wise person listens to learn more.
16Taking gifts to important people
will help get you in to see them.
17The person who tells one side of a story seems right,
until someone else comes and asks questions.
18Throwing lots can settle arguments
and keep the two sides from fighting.
19A brother who has been insulted is harder to win back than a walled city,
and arguments separate people like the barred gates of a palace.
20People will be rewarded for what they say;
they will be rewarded by how they speak.
21What you say can mean life or death.
Those who speak with care will be rewarded.
22When a man finds a wife, he finds something good.
It shows that the Lord is pleased with him.
23The poor beg for mercy,
but the rich give rude answers.
24Some friends may ruin you,
but a real friend will be more loyal than a brother.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 18
18
1An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.
2Fools find no pleasure in understanding
but delight in airing their own opinions.
3When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
and with shame comes reproach.
4The words of the mouth are deep waters,
but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.
5It is not good to be partial to the wicked
and so deprive the innocent of justice.
6The lips of fools bring them strife,
and their mouths invite a beating.
7The mouths of fools are their undoing,
and their lips are a snare to their very lives.
8The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to the inmost parts.
9One who is slack in his work
is brother to one who destroys.
10The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.
11The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;
they imagine it a wall too high to scale.
12Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
but humility comes before honour.
13To answer before listening –
that is folly and shame.
14The human spirit can endure in times of illness,
but a crushed spirit who can bear?
15The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,
for the ears of the wise seek it out.
16A gift opens the way
and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.
17In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,
until someone comes forward and cross-examines.
18Casting the lot settles disputes
and keeps strong opponents apart.
19A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city;
disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.
20From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.
21The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.
22He who finds a wife finds what is good
and receives favour from the Lord.
23The poor plead for mercy,
but the rich answer harshly.
24One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®
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