Proverbs 23:9-18
Proverbs 23:9-18 The Message (MSG)
Don’t bother talking sense to fools; they’ll only poke fun at your words. Don’t stealthily move back the boundary lines or cheat orphans out of their property, For they have a powerful Advocate who will go to bat for them. Give yourselves to disciplined instruction; open your ears to tested knowledge. Don’t be afraid to correct your young ones; a spanking won’t kill them. A good spanking, in fact, might save them from something worse than death. Dear child, if you become wise, I’ll be one happy parent. My heart will dance and sing to the tuneful truth you’ll speak. Don’t for a minute envy careless rebels; soak yourself in the Fear-of-GOD— That’s where your future lies. Then you won’t be left with an armload of nothing.
Proverbs 23:9-18 King James Version (KJV)
Speak not in the ears of a fool: For he will despise the wisdom of thy words. Remove not the old landmark; And enter not into the fields of the fatherless: For their redeemer is mighty; He shall plead their cause with thee. Apply thine heart unto instruction, And thine ears to the words of knowledge. Withhold not correction from the child: For if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, And shalt deliver his soul from hell. My son, if thine heart be wise, My heart shall rejoice, even mine. Yea, my reins shall rejoice, When thy lips speak right things. Let not thine heart envy sinners: But be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. For surely there is an end; And thine expectation shall not be cut off.
Proverbs 23:9-18 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words. Do not move the ancient boundary Or go into the fields of the fatherless, For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their case against you. Apply your heart to discipline And your ears to words of knowledge. Do not hold back discipline from the child, Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die. You shall strike him with the rod And rescue his soul from Sheol. My son, if your heart is wise, My own heart also will be glad; And my inmost being will rejoice When your lips speak what is right. Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the LORD always. Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off.
Proverbs 23:9-18 New Century Version (NCV)
Don’t speak to fools; they will only ignore your wise words. Don’t move an old stone that marks a border, and don’t take fields that belong to orphans. God, their defender, is strong; he will take their side against you. Remember what you are taught, and listen carefully to words of knowledge. Don’t fail to punish children. If you spank them, they won’t die. If you spank them, you will save them from death. My child, if you are wise, then I will be happy. I will be so pleased if you speak what is right. Don’t envy sinners, but always respect the LORD. Then you will have hope for the future, and your wishes will come true.
Proverbs 23:9-18 American Standard Version (ASV)
Speak not in the hearing of a fool; For he will despise the wisdom of thy words. Remove not the ancient landmark; And enter not into the fields of the fatherless: For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their cause against thee. Apply thy heart unto instruction, And thine ears to the words of knowledge. Withhold not correction from the child; For if thou beat him with the rod, he will not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, And shalt deliver his soul from Sheol. My son, if thy heart be wise, My heart will be glad, even mine: Yea, my heart will rejoice, When thy lips speak right things. Let not thy heart envy sinners; But be thou in the fear of Jehovah all the day long: For surely there is a reward; And thy hope shall not be cut off.
Proverbs 23:9-18 New International Version (NIV)
Do not speak to fools, for they will scorn your prudent words. Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, for their Defender is strong; he will take up their case against you. Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge. Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish them with the rod, they will not die. Punish them with the rod and save them from death. My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad indeed; my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right. Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD. There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.
Proverbs 23:9-18 New King James Version (NKJV)
Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words. Do not remove the ancient landmark, Nor enter the fields of the fatherless; For their Redeemer is mighty; He will plead their cause against you. Apply your heart to instruction, And your ears to words of knowledge. Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod, And deliver his soul from hell. My son, if your heart is wise, My heart will rejoice—indeed, I myself; Yes, my inmost being will rejoice When your lips speak right things. Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day; For surely there is a hereafter, And your hope will not be cut off.
Proverbs 23:9-18 Amplified Bible (AMP)
¶Do not speak in the ears of a fool, For he will despise the [godly] wisdom of your words. [Is 32:6] ¶Do not move the ancient landmark [at the boundary of the property] And do not go into the fields of the fatherless [to take what is theirs], [Deut 19:14; 27:17; Prov 22:28] For their Redeemer is strong and mighty; He will plead their case against you. Apply your heart to discipline And your ears to words of knowledge. ¶Do not withhold discipline from the child; If you swat him with a reed-like rod [applied with godly wisdom], he will not die. You shall swat him with the reed-like rod And rescue his life from Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead). ¶My son, if your heart is wise, My heart will also be glad; Yes, my heart will rejoice When your lips speak right things. ¶Do not let your heart envy sinners [who live godless lives and have no hope of salvation], But [continue to] live in the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the LORD day by day. Surely there is a future [and a reward], And your hope and expectation will not be cut off.
Proverbs 23:9-18 New Living Translation (NLT)
Don’t waste your breath on fools, for they will despise the wisest advice. Don’t cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers; don’t take the land of defenseless orphans. For their Redeemer is strong; he himself will bring their charges against you. Commit yourself to instruction; listen carefully to words of knowledge. Don’t fail to discipline your children. The rod of punishment won’t kill them. Physical discipline may well save them from death. My child, if your heart is wise, my own heart will rejoice! Everything in me will celebrate when you speak what is right. Don’t envy sinners, but always continue to fear the LORD. You will be rewarded for this; your hope will not be disappointed.
Proverbs 23:9-18 The Passion Translation (TPT)
A rebellious fool will despise your wise advice, so don’t even waste your time—save your breath! Never move a long-standing boundary line or attempt to take land that belongs to the fatherless. For they have a mighty protector, a loving redeemer, who watches over them, and he will stand up for their cause. Pay close attention to the teaching that corrects you, and open your heart to every word of instruction. Don’t withhold appropriate discipline from your child. Go ahead and punish him when he needs it. Don’t worry—it won’t kill him! A good spanking could be the very thing that teaches him a lifelong lesson! My beloved child, when your heart is full of wisdom, my heart is full of gladness. And when you speak anointed words, we are speaking mouth to mouth! Don’t allow the actions of evil men to cause you to burn with anger. Instead, burn with unrelenting passion as you worship God in holy awe. Your future is bright and filled with a living hope that will never fade away.
Proverbs 23:9-18 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words. Do not move an ancient landmark or enter the fields of the fatherless, for their Redeemer is strong; he will plead their cause against you. Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge. Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol. My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad. My inmost being will exult when your lips speak what is right. Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.