Proverbs 11:23-28
Proverbs 11:23-28 The Message (MSG)
The desires of good people lead straight to the best, but wicked ambition ends in angry frustration. The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped. Curses on those who drive a hard bargain! Blessings on all who play fair and square! The one who seeks good finds delight; the student of evil becomes evil. A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree.
Proverbs 11:23-28 King James Version (KJV)
The desire of the righteous is only good: But the expectation of the wicked is wrath. There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; And there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: And he that watereth shall be watered also himself. He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: But blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it. He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: But he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him. He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: But the righteous shall flourish as a branch.
Proverbs 11:23-28 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
The desire of the righteous is only good, But the expectation of the wicked is wrath. There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, And he who waters will himself be watered. He who withholds grain, the people will curse him, But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it. He who diligently seeks good seeks favor, But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him. He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.
Proverbs 11:23-28 New Century Version (NCV)
Those who do right only wish for good, but the wicked can expect to be defeated by God’s anger. Some people give much but get back even more. Others don’t give what they should and end up poor. Whoever gives to others will get richer; those who help others will themselves be helped. People curse those who keep all the grain, but they bless the one who is willing to sell it. Whoever looks for good will find kindness, but whoever looks for evil will find trouble. Those who trust in riches will be ruined, but a good person will be healthy like a green leaf.
Proverbs 11:23-28 American Standard Version (ASV)
The desire of the righteous is only good; But the expectation of the wicked is wrath. There is that scattereth, and increaseth yet more; And there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth only to want. The liberal soul shall be made fat; And he that watereth shall be watered also himself. He that withholdeth grain, the people shall curse him; But blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it. He that diligently seeketh good seeketh favor; But he that searcheth after evil, it shall come unto him. He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; But the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf.
Proverbs 11:23-28 New International Version (NIV)
The desire of the righteous ends only in good, but the hope of the wicked only in wrath. One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. People curse the one who hoards grain, but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell. Whoever seeks good finds favor, but evil comes to one who searches for it. Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.
Proverbs 11:23-28 New King James Version (NKJV)
The desire of the righteous is only good, But the expectation of the wicked is wrath. There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself. The people will curse him who withholds grain, But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it. He who earnestly seeks good finds favor, But trouble will come to him who seeks evil. He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like foliage.
Proverbs 11:23-28 Amplified Bible (AMP)
The desire of the righteous brings only good, But the expectation of the wicked brings wrath. There is the one who [generously] scatters [abroad], and yet increases all the more; And there is the one who withholds what is justly due, but it results only in want and poverty. The generous man [is a source of blessing and] shall be prosperous and enriched, And he who waters will himself be watered [reaping the generosity he has sown]. [2 Cor 9:6-10] The people curse him who holds back grain [when the public needs it], But a blessing [from God and man] is upon the head of him who sells it. He who diligently seeks good seeks favor and grace, But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him. He who leans on and trusts in and is confident in his riches will fall, But the righteous [who trust in God’s provision] will flourish like a green leaf.
Proverbs 11:23-28 New Living Translation (NLT)
The godly can look forward to a reward, while the wicked can expect only judgment. Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. People curse those who hoard their grain, but they bless the one who sells in time of need. If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you! Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.
Proverbs 11:23-28 The Passion Translation (TPT)
True lovers of God are filled with longings for what is pleasing and good, but the wicked can only expect doom. Generosity brings prosperity, but withholding from charity brings poverty. Those who live to bless others will have blessings heaped upon them, and the one who pours out his life to pour out blessings will be saturated with favor. People will curse the businessman with no ethics, but the one with a social conscience receives praise from all. Living your life seeking what is good for others brings untold favor, but those who wish evil for others will find it coming back on them. Keep trusting in your riches and down you’ll go! But the lovers of God rise up like flowers in the spring.
Proverbs 11:23-28 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
The desire of the righteous ends only in good, the expectation of the wicked in wrath. One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. The people curse him who holds back grain, but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it. Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor, but evil comes to him who searches for it. Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
