Loading…
10 Dead flies give perfume a bad smell.
And a little foolishness can make a lot of wisdom useless.
2 The hearts of wise people lead them on the right path.
But the hearts of foolish people take them down the wrong path.
3 A foolish person doesn’t have any sense at all.
He shows everyone he is foolish.
He does it even when he is walking along the road.
4 Suppose a ruler gets very angry with you.
If he does, don’t quit your job in the palace.
Stay calm. That will overcome the effects of your big mistakes.
5 Here’s something evil I’ve seen on this earth.
And it’s the kind of mistake that rulers make.
6 Foolish people are given many important jobs.
Rich people are given unimportant ones.
7 I’ve seen slaves on horseback.
I’ve also seen princes who were forced to walk as if they were slaves.
8 Anyone who digs a pit might fall into it.
Anyone who breaks through a wall might be bitten by a snake.
9 Anyone who removes stones from rock pits might get hurt.
Anyone who cuts logs might get wounded.
10 Suppose the blade of an ax is dull.
And its edge hasn’t been sharpened.
Then more effort is needed to use it.
But skill will bring success.
11 Suppose a snake bites before it is charmed.
Then there isn’t any benefit in being a snake charmer.
12 A man who is wise says gracious things.
But a foolish person is destroyed by what his own lips speak.
13 At first what he says is foolish.
In the end his words are very evil.
No one knows what lies ahead for him.
Who can tell him what will happen after he is gone?
15 The work a foolish person does makes him tired.
He doesn’t even know the way to town.
16 How terrible it is for a land whose king used to be a servant!
How terrible if its princes get drunk in the morning!
17 How blessed is the land whose king was born into the royal family!
How blessed if its princes eat and drink at the proper time!
How blessed if they eat and drink to become strong and not to get drunk!
18 When a man won’t work, the roof falls down.
When his hands aren’t busy, the house leaks.
19 People laugh at a dinner party.
And wine makes life happy.
People think money can buy everything.
20 Don’t call down curses on the king.
Don’t even think about doing it.
Don’t call down curses on rich people.
Don’t even do it in your bedroom.
A bird might fly away and carry your words.
It might report what you said.
|
About New International Reader’s Version (1998)The New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) was developed to help early readers understand the Bible. Begun in 1992, the NIrV is a simplification of the New International Version (NIV). The NIrV uses shorter words and sentences so that those with a typical fourth grade reading level can comprehend what they are reading. The chapters have been separated into shorter sections and most have titles that clearly indicate what the section is all about. The NIrV will be a valuable translation to those for whom English is a second language. The NIrV still relies on the best and oldest copies of the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts for its translation, guaranteeing that those who read it are getting the actual Word of God. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved. The NIrV text may be quoted for non-commercial usage in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio) up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without the express written permission of the publisher, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted. Notice of copyright must appear on the title or copyright page of the work as follows: Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL READER’S VERSION™. Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. When quotations from the NIrV text are used in non-saleable media, such as church bulletins, orders of service, posters, transparencies or similar media, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initials (NIrV) must appear at the end of each quotation. Any commentary or other Biblical reference work produced for commercial sale that uses the New International Reader’s Version must obtain written permission for use of the NIrV text. Permission requests for commercial use within the U.S. and Canada that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, Zondervan, 5300 Patterson Ave. S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49530. Permission requests for commercial use within the U.K., EEC, and EFTA countries that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, Hodder Headline Plc., 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH, England. Permission requests for non-commercial usage that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, International Bible Society, 1820 Jet Stream Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80921. |
| Support Info | nirv |