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Proverbs 18
New Century Version
Proverbs 18
New Century Version
18 Unfriendly people are selfish
and hate all good sense.
2 Fools do not want to understand anything.
They only want to tell others what they think.
3 Do something evil, and people won’t like you.
Do something shameful, and they will make fun of you.
4 Spoken words can be like deep water,
but wisdom is like a flowing stream.
5 It is not good to honor the wicked
or to be unfair to the innocent.
6 The words of fools start quarrels.
They make people want to beat them.
7 The words of fools will ruin them;
their own words will trap them.
8 The words of a gossip are like tasty bits of food.
People like to gobble them up.
9 A person who doesn’t work hard
is just like someone who destroys things.
10 The Lord is like a strong tower;
those who do right can run to him for safety.
11 Rich people trust their wealth to protect them.
They think it is like the high walls of a city.
12 Proud people will be ruined,
but the humble will be honored.
13 Anyone who answers without listening
is foolish and confused.
14 The will to live can get you through sickness,
but no one can live with a broken spirit.
15 The mind of a person with understanding gets knowledge;
the wise person listens to learn more.
16 Taking gifts to important people
will help get you in to see them.
17 The person who tells one side of a story seems right,
until someone else comes and asks questions.
18 Throwing lots can settle arguments
and keep the two sides from fighting.
19 A 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.
20 People will be rewarded for what they say;
they will be rewarded by how they speak.
21 What you say can mean life or death.
Those who speak with care will be rewarded.
22 When a man finds a wife, he finds something good.
It shows that the Lord is pleased with him.
23 The poor beg for mercy,
but the rich give rude answers.
24 Some friends may ruin you,
but a real friend will be more loyal than a brother.
Proverbs 18
New International Version
Proverbs 18
New International Version
18 An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.
2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding
but delight in airing their own opinions.(A)
3 When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
and with shame comes reproach.
4 The words of the mouth are deep waters,(B)
but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.
6 The lips of fools bring them strife,
and their mouths invite a beating.(E)
8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to the inmost parts.(H)
9 One who is slack in his work
is brother to one who destroys.(I)
11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;(L)
they imagine it a wall too high to scale.
12 Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
but humility comes before honor.(M)
13 To answer before listening—
that is folly and shame.(N)
14 The human spirit can endure in sickness,
but a crushed spirit who can bear?(O)
15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,(P)
for the ears of the wise seek it out.
16 A gift(Q) opens the way
and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.
17 In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,
until someone comes forward and cross-examines.
18 Casting the lot settles disputes(R)
and keeps strong opponents apart.
19 A brother wronged(S) is more unyielding than a fortified city;
disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.
20 From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.(T)
23 The poor plead for mercy,
but the rich answer harshly.
24 One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.(Y)
New Century Version (NCV) 
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.