Proverbs 22:1-15 - Compare All Versions
Proverbs 22:1-15 NIV (New International Version)
A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all. The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty. Humility is the fear of the LORD; its wages are riches and honor and life. In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls, but those who would preserve their life stay far from them. Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender. Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity, and the rod they wield in fury will be broken. The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor. Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended. One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend. The eyes of the LORD keep watch over knowledge, but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful. The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside! I’ll be killed in the public square!” The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit; a man who is under the LORD’s wrath falls into it. Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.
Proverbs 22:1-15 ESV (English Standard Version 2025)
A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. The rich and the poor meet together; the LORD is the Maker of them all. The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it. The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life. Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked; whoever guards his soul will keep far from them. Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail. Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor. Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease. He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend. The eyes of the LORD keep watch over knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the traitor. The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!” The mouth of forbidden women is a deep pit; he with whom the LORD is angry will fall into it. Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
Proverbs 22:1-15 NLT (New Living Translation)
Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold. The rich and poor have this in common: The LORD made them both. A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. True humility and fear of the LORD lead to riches, honor, and long life. Corrupt people walk a thorny, treacherous road; whoever values life will avoid it. Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender. Those who plant injustice will harvest disaster, and their reign of terror will come to an end. Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor. Throw out the mocker, and fighting goes, too. Quarrels and insults will disappear. Whoever loves a pure heart and gracious speech will have the king as a friend. The LORD preserves those with knowledge, but he ruins the plans of the treacherous. The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion out there! If I go outside, I might be killed!” The mouth of an immoral woman is a dangerous trap; those who make the LORD angry will fall into it. A youngster’s heart is filled with foolishness, but physical discipline will drive it far away.
Proverbs 22:1-15 CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
A good name is to be chosen over great wealth; favor is better than silver and gold. Rich and poor have this in common: the LORD makes them all. A sensible person sees danger and takes cover, but the inexperienced keep going and are punished. Humility, the fear of the LORD, results in wealth, honor, and life. There are thorns and snares on the way of the crooked; the one who guards himself stays far from them. Start a youth out on his way; even when he grows old he will not depart from it. The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is a slave to the lender. The one who sows injustice will reap disaster, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed. A generous person will be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor. Drive out a mocker, and conflict goes too; then quarreling and dishonor will cease. The one who loves a pure heart and gracious lips — the king is his friend. The LORD’s eyes keep watch over knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the treacherous. The slacker says, “There’s a lion outside! I’ll be killed in the public square! ” The mouth of the forbidden woman is a deep pit; a man cursed by the LORD will fall into it. Foolishness is bound to the heart of a youth; a rod of discipline will separate it from him.
Proverbs 22:1-15 KJV (King James Version)
A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favour rather than silver and gold. The rich and poor meet together: The LORD is the maker of them all. A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: But the simple pass on, and are punished. By humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches, and honour, and life. Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: He that doth keep his soul shall be far from them. Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it. The rich ruleth over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender. He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: And the rod of his anger shall fail. He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; For he giveth of his bread to the poor. Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; Yea, strife and reproach shall cease. He that loveth pureness of heart, For the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend. The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, And he overthroweth the words of the transgressor. The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets. The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: He that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein. Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; But the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
Proverbs 22:1-15 NKJV (New King James Version)
A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold. The rich and the poor have this in common, The LORD is the maker of them all. A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished. By humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches and honor and life. Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; He who guards his soul will be far from them. Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender. He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow, And the rod of his anger will fail. He who has a generous eye will be blessed, For he gives of his bread to the poor. Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave; Yes, strife and reproach will cease. He who loves purity of heart And has grace on his lips, The king will be his friend. The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, But He overthrows the words of the faithless. The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!” The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit; He who is abhorred by the LORD will fall there. Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him.
Proverbs 22:1-15 MSG (The Message)
A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich; a gracious spirit is better than money in the bank. The rich and the poor shake hands as equals— GOD made them both! A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks; a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered. The payoff for meekness and Fear-of-GOD is plenty and honor and a satisfying life. The perverse travel a dangerous road, potholed and mud-slick; if you know what’s good for you, stay clear of it. Point your kids in the right direction— when they’re old they won’t be lost. The poor are always ruled over by the rich, so don’t borrow and put yourself under their power. Whoever sows sin reaps weeds, and bullying anger sputters into nothing. Generous hands are blessed hands because they give bread to the poor. Kick out the troublemakers and things will quiet down; you need a break from bickering and griping! GOD loves the pure-hearted and well-spoken; good leaders also delight in their friendship. GOD guards knowledge with a passion, but he’ll have nothing to do with deception. The loafer says, “There’s a lion on the loose! If I go out I’ll be eaten alive!” The mouth of a prostitute is a bottomless pit; you’ll fall in that pit if you’re on the outs with GOD. Young people are prone to foolishness and fads; the cure comes through tough-minded discipline.
Proverbs 22:1-15 NASB2020 (New American Standard Bible - NASB)
A good name is to be more desired than great wealth; Favor is better than silver and gold. The rich and the poor have a common bond, The LORD is the Maker of them all. A prudent person sees evil and hides himself, But the naive proceed, and pay the penalty. The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches, honor, and life. Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; One who guards himself will be far from them. Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he grows older he will not abandon it. The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave. One who sows injustice will reap disaster, And the rod of his fury will perish. One who is generous will be blessed, Because he gives some of his food to the poor. Drive out the scoffer, and strife will leave, Even quarreling and dishonor will cease. One who loves purity of heart And whose speech is gracious, the king is his friend. The eyes of the LORD protect knowledge, But He overthrows the words of the treacherous person. The lazy one says, “There is a lion outside; I will be killed in the streets!” The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; He who is cursed of the LORD will fall into it. Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.
Proverbs 22:1-15 AMP (Amplified Bible)
A good name [earned by honorable behavior, godly wisdom, moral courage, and personal integrity] is more desirable than great riches; And favor is better than silver and gold. The rich and poor have a common bond; The LORD is the Maker of them all. [Job 31:15; Prov 14:31] A prudent and far-sighted person sees the evil [of sin] and hides himself [from it], But the naive continue on and are punished [by suffering the consequences of sin]. The reward of humility [that is, having a realistic view of one’s importance] and the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the LORD Is riches, honor, and life. [Prov 21:21] Thorns and snares are in the way of the obstinate [for their lack of honor and their wrong-doing traps them]; He who guards himself [with godly wisdom] will be far from them and avoid the consequences they suffer. Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God’s wisdom and will for his abilities and talents], Even when he is old he will not depart from it. [Eph 6:4; 2 Tim 3:15] The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender. He who sows injustice will reap [a harvest of] trouble, And the rod of his wrath [with which he oppresses others] will fail. He who is generous will be blessed, For he gives some of his food to the poor. [2 Cor 9:6-10] Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go away; Even strife and dishonor will cease. He who loves purity of heart And whose speech is gracious will have the king as his friend. The eyes of the LORD keep guard over knowledge and the one who has it, But He overthrows the words of the treacherous. The lazy one [manufactures excuses and] says, “There is a lion outside! I will be killed in the streets [if I go out to work]!” The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit [deep and inescapable]; He who is cursed by the LORD [because of his adulterous sin] will fall into it. Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline [correction administered with godly wisdom and lovingkindness] will remove it far from him.
Proverbs 22:1-15 NET (New English Translation)
A good name is to be chosen rather than great wealth, good favor more than silver or gold. The rich and the poor meet together; the LORD is the creator of them both. A shrewd person sees danger and hides himself, but the naive keep right on going and suffer for it. The reward for humility and fearing the LORD is riches and honor and life. Thorns and snares are in the path of the perverse, but the one who guards himself keeps far from them. Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. The one who sows iniquity will reap trouble, and the rod of his fury will end. A generous person will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor. Drive out the scorner and contention will leave; strife and insults will cease. The one who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious – the king will be his friend. The eyes of the LORD guard knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the faithless person. The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I will be killed in the middle of the streets!” The mouth of an adulteress is like a deep pit; the one against whom the LORD is angry will fall into it. Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.