Proverbs 22

NASB — New American Standard Bible (NASB)

MSG — The Message Bible (MSG)

Verse 1

A good name is to be more desired than great wealth,
Favor is better than silver and gold.

A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich;
a gracious spirit is better than money in the bank.

Verse 2

The rich and the poor ^[a]have a common bond,
The Lord is the maker of them all.

The rich and the poor shake hands as equals—
God made them both!

Verse 3

The prudent sees the evil and hides himself,
But the ^[b]naive go on, and are punished for it.

A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks;
a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered.

Verse 4

The reward of humility and the ^[c]fear of the Lord
Are riches, honor and life.

The payoff for meekness and Fear-of-God
is plenty and honor and a satisfying life.

Verse 5

Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
He who guards himself will be far from them.

The perverse travel a dangerous road, potholed and mud-slick;
if you know what’s good for you, stay clear of it.

Verse 6

Train up a child ^[d]in the way he should go,
Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Point your kids in the right direction—
when they’re old they won’t be lost.

Verse 7

The rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.

The poor are always ruled over by the rich,
so don’t borrow and put yourself under their power.

Verse 8

He who sows iniquity will reap vanity,
And the rod of his fury will perish.

Whoever sows sin reaps weeds,
and bullying anger sputters into nothing.

Verse 9

He who ^[e]is generous will be blessed,
For he gives some of his food to the poor.

Generous hands are blessed hands
because they give bread to the poor.

Verse 10

Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go out,
Even strife and dishonor will cease.

Kick out the troublemakers and things will quiet down;
you need a break from bickering and griping!

Verse 11

He who loves purity of heart
And ^[f]whose speech is gracious, the king is his friend.

God loves the pure-hearted and well-spoken;
good leaders also delight in their friendship.

Verse 12

The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge,
But He overthrows the words of the treacherous man.

God guards knowledge with a passion,
but he’ll have nothing to do with deception.

Verse 13

The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside;
I will be killed in the streets!”

The loafer says, “There’s a lion on the loose!
If I go out I’ll be eaten alive!”

Verse 14

The mouth of ^[g]an adulteress is a deep pit;
He who is cursed of the Lord will fall ^[h]into it.

The mouth of a whore is a bottomless pit;
you’ll fall in that pit if you’re on the outs with God.

Verse 15

Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.

Young people are prone to foolishness and fads;
the cure comes through tough-minded discipline.

Verse 16

He who oppresses the poor to make ^[i]more for himself
Or who gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.

Exploit the poor or glad-hand the rich—whichever,
you’ll end up the poorer for it.

The Thirty Precepts of the Sages

Don’t Move Back the Boundary Lines

Verse 17

Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise,
And apply your mind to my knowledge;

Listen carefully to my wisdom;
    take to heart what I can teach you.
You’ll treasure its sweetness deep within;
    you’ll give it bold expression in your speech.
To make sure your foundation is trust in God,
    I’m laying it all out right now just for you.
I’m giving you thirty sterling principles—
    tested guidelines to live by.
Believe me—these are truths that work,
    and will keep you accountable
    to those who sent you.

1

Verse 18

For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,
^[j]That they may be ready on your lips.

— not in MSG

Verse 19

So that your trust may be in the Lord,
I have ^[k]taught you today, even you.

— not in MSG

Verse 20

Have I not written to you ^[l]excellent things
Of counsels and knowledge,

— not in MSG

Verse 21

To make you know the ^[m]certainty of the words of truth
That you may ^[n]correctly answer him who sent you?

— not in MSG

Verse 22

Do not rob the poor because he is poor,
Or crush the afflicted at the gate;

Don’t walk on the poor just because they’re poor,
and don’t use your position to crush the weak,
Because God will come to their defense;
the life you took, he’ll take from you and give back to them.

2

Verse 23

For the Lord will plead their case
And ^[o]take the life of those who rob them.

— not in MSG

Verse 24

Do not associate with a man given to anger;
Or go with a hot-tempered man,

Don’t hang out with angry people;
don’t keep company with hotheads.
Bad temper is contagious—
don’t get infected.

3

Verse 25

Or you will learn his ways
And ^[p]find a snare for yourself.

— not in MSG

Verse 26

Do not be among those who give ^[q]pledges,
Among those who become guarantors for debts.

Don’t gamble on the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,
hocking your house against a lucky chance.
The time will come when you have to pay up;
you’ll be left with nothing but the shirt on your back.

4

Verse 27

If you have nothing with which to pay,
Why should he take your bed from under you?

— not in MSG

Verse 28

Do not move the ancient boundary
Which your fathers have set.

Don’t stealthily move back the boundary lines
staked out long ago by your ancestors.

5

Verse 29

Do you see a man skilled in his work?
He will stand before kings;
He will not stand before obscure men.

Observe people who are good at their work—
skilled workers are always in demand and admired;
they don’t take a backseat to anyone.