Proverbs 21 :: New International Version (NIV)

Pro 21:1

Pro 21:1In the LORD’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.

Pro 21:2

Pro 21:2A person may think their own ways are right, but the LORD weighs the heart.

Pro 21:3

Pro 21:3To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

Pro 21:4

Pro 21:4Haughty eyes and a proud heart— the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin.

Pro 21:5

Pro 21:5The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.

Pro 21:6

Pro 21:6A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.[fn]

Pro 21:7

Pro 21:7The violence of the wicked will drag them away, for they refuse to do what is right.

Pro 21:8

Pro 21:8The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

Pro 21:9

Pro 21:9Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

Pro 21:10

Pro 21:10The wicked crave evil; their neighbors get no mercy from them.

Pro 21:11

Pro 21:11When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom; by paying attention to the wise they get knowledge.

Pro 21:12

Pro 21:12The Righteous One[fn] takes note of the house of the wicked and brings the wicked to ruin.

Pro 21:13

Pro 21:13Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.

Pro 21:14

Pro 21:14A gift given in secret soothes anger, and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.

Pro 21:15

Pro 21:15When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.

Pro 21:16

Pro 21:16Whoever strays from the path of prudence comes to rest in the company of the dead.

Pro 21:17

Pro 21:17Whoever loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.

Pro 21:18

Pro 21:18The wicked become a ransom for the righteous, and the unfaithful for the upright.

Pro 21:19

Pro 21:19Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.

Pro 21:20

Pro 21:20The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.

Pro 21:21

Pro 21:21Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity[fn] and honor.

Pro 21:22

Pro 21:22One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.

Pro 21:23

Pro 21:23Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.

Pro 21:24

Pro 21:24The proud and arrogant person—“Mocker” is his name— behaves with insolent fury.

Pro 21:25

Pro 21:25The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.

Pro 21:26

Pro 21:26All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing.

Pro 21:27

Pro 21:27The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable— how much more so when brought with evil intent!

Pro 21:28

Pro 21:28A false witness will perish, but a careful listener will testify successfully.

Pro 21:29

Pro 21:29The wicked put up a bold front, but the upright give thought to their ways.

Pro 21:30

Pro 21:30There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD.

Pro 21:31

Pro 21:31The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD.

See the NIV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NIV Footnotes

(21:6)

Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts vapor for those who seek death

(21:12)

Or The righteous person

(21:21)

Or righteousness

For more information on this translation, see the NIV Preface.

Proverbs Chapter 21 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New Living Translation English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Westminster Leningrad Codex Septuagint Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Brenton's English Septuagint Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras

Proverbs 21 :: New International Version (NIV)

NIV Footnotes

Proverbs Chapter 21 — Additional Translations:

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