Proverbs 29:12-27

Proverbs 29:12-27 The Message (MSG)

When a leader listens to malicious gossip, all the workers get infected with evil. The poor and their abusers have at least something in common: they can both see—their sight, GOD’s gift! Leadership gains authority and respect when the voiceless poor are treated fairly. Wise discipline imparts wisdom; spoiled adolescents embarrass their parents. When degenerates take charge, crime runs wild, but the righteous will eventually observe their collapse. Discipline your children; you’ll be glad you did— they’ll turn out delightful to live with. If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed. It takes more than talk to keep workers in line; mere words go in one ear and out the other. Observe the people who always talk before they think— even simpletons are better off than they are. If you let people treat you like a doormat, you’ll be quite forgotten in the end. Angry people stir up a lot of discord; the intemperate stir up trouble. Pride lands you flat on your face; humility prepares you for honors. Befriend an outlaw and become an enemy to yourself. When the victims cry out, you’ll be included in their curses if you’re a coward to their cause in court. The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in GOD protects you from that. Everyone tries to get help from the leader, but only GOD will give us justice. Good people can’t stand the sight of deliberate evil; the wicked can’t stand the sight of well-chosen goodness.

Proverbs 29:12-27 King James Version (KJV)

If a ruler hearken to lies, All his servants are wicked. The poor and the deceitful man meet together: The LORD lighteneth both their eyes. The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, His throne shall be established for ever. The rod and reproof give wisdom: But a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame. When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: But the righteous shall see their fall. Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; Yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul. Where there is no vision, the people perish: But he that keepeth the law, happy is he. A servant will not be corrected by words: For though he understand he will not answer. Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? There is more hope of a fool than of him. He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child Shall have him become his son at the length. An angry man stirreth up strife, And a furious man aboundeth in transgression. A man's pride shall bring him low: But honour shall uphold the humble in spirit. Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: He heareth cursing, and bewrayeth it not. The fear of man bringeth a snare: But whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. Many seek the ruler's favour; But every man's judgment cometh from the LORD. An unjust man is an abomination to the just: And he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.

Proverbs 29:12-27 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)

If a ruler pays attention to falsehood, All his ministers become wicked. The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives light to the eyes of both. If a king judges the poor with truth, His throne will be established forever. The rod and reproof give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother. When the wicked increase, transgression increases; But the righteous will see their fall. Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; He will also delight your soul. Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law. A slave will not be instructed by words alone; For though he understands, there will be no response. Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. He who pampers his slave from childhood Will in the end find him to be a son. An angry man stirs up strife, And a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression. A man’s pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor. He who is a partner with a thief hates his own life; He hears the oath but tells nothing. The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted. Many seek the ruler’s favor, But justice for man comes from the LORD. An unjust man is abominable to the righteous, And he who is upright in the way is abominable to the wicked.

Proverbs 29:12-27 New Century Version (NCV)

If a ruler pays attention to lies, all his officers will become wicked. The poor person and the cruel person are alike in that the LORD gave eyes to both of them. If a king judges poor people fairly, his government will continue forever. Correction and punishment make children wise, but those left alone will disgrace their mother. When there are many wicked people, there is much sin, but those who do right will see them destroyed. Correct your children, and you will be proud; they will give you satisfaction. Where there is no word from God, people are uncontrolled, but those who obey what they have been taught are happy. Words alone cannot correct a servant, because even if they understand, they won’t respond. Do you see people who speak too quickly? There is more hope for a foolish person than for them. If you spoil your servants when they are young, they will bring you grief later on. An angry person causes trouble; a person with a quick temper sins a lot. Pride will ruin people, but those who are humble will be honored. Partners of thieves are their own worst enemies. If they have to testify in court, they are afraid to say anything. Being afraid of people can get you into trouble, but if you trust the LORD, you will be safe. Many people want to speak to a ruler, but justice comes only from the LORD. Good people hate those who are dishonest, and the wicked hate those who are honest.

Proverbs 29:12-27 American Standard Version (ASV)

If a ruler hearkeneth to falsehood, All his servants are wicked. The poor man and the oppressor meet together; Jehovah lighteneth the eyes of them both. The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, His throne shall be established for ever. The rod and reproof give wisdom; But a child left to himself causeth shame to his mother. When the wicked are increased, transgression increaseth; But the righteous shall look upon their fall. Correct thy son, and he will give thee rest; Yea, he will give delight unto thy soul. Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint; But he that keepeth the law, happy is he. A servant will not be corrected by words; For though he understand, he will not give heed. Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? There is more hope of a fool than of him. He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child Shall have him become a son at the last. An angry man stirreth up strife, And a wrathful man aboundeth in transgression. A man’s pride shall bring him low; But he that is of a lowly spirit shall obtain honor. Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul; He heareth the adjuration and uttereth nothing. The fear of man bringeth a snare; But whoso putteth his trust in Jehovah shall be safe. Many seek the ruler’s favor; But a man’s judgment cometh from Jehovah. An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous; And he that is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.

Proverbs 29:12-27 New International Version (NIV)

If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked. The poor and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives sight to the eyes of both. If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will be established forever. A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom, but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother. When the wicked thrive, so does sin, but the righteous will see their downfall. Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire. Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction. Servants cannot be corrected by mere words; though they understand, they will not respond. Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them. A servant pampered from youth will turn out to be insolent. An angry person stirs up conflict, and a hot-tempered person commits many sins. Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor. The accomplices of thieves are their own enemies; they are put under oath and dare not testify. Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe. Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the LORD that one gets justice. The righteous detest the dishonest; the wicked detest the upright.

Proverbs 29:12-27 New King James Version (NKJV)

If a ruler pays attention to lies, All his servants become wicked. The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives light to the eyes of both. The king who judges the poor with truth, His throne will be established forever. The rod and rebuke give wisdom, But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increases; But the righteous will see their fall. Correct your son, and he will give you rest; Yes, he will give delight to your soul. Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law. A servant will not be corrected by mere words; For though he understands, he will not respond. Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. He who pampers his servant from childhood Will have him as a son in the end. An angry man stirs up strife, And a furious man abounds in transgression. A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor. Whoever is a partner with a thief hates his own life; He swears to tell the truth, but reveals nothing. The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe. Many seek the ruler’s favor, But justice for man comes from the LORD. An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, And he who is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.

Proverbs 29:12-27 Amplified Bible (AMP)

If a ruler pays attention to lies [and encourages corruption], All his officials will become wicked. The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives light to the eyes of both. [Prov 22:2] If a king faithfully and truthfully judges the poor, His throne shall be established forever. The rod and reproof (godly instruction) give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother. When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases, But the righteous will see the downfall of the wicked. Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; Yes, he will delight your soul. Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained; But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God]. [1 Sam 3:1; Amos 8:11, 12] A servant will not be corrected by words alone; For though he understands, he will not respond [nor pay attention]. Do you see a [conceited] man who speaks quickly [offering his opinions or answering without thinking]? There is more hope for a [thickheaded] fool than for him. He who pampers his slave from childhood Will find him to be a son in the end. An angry man stirs up strife, And a hot-tempered and undisciplined man commits many transgressions. A man’s pride and sense of self-importance will bring him down, But he who has a humble spirit will obtain honor. [Prov 15:33; 18:12; Is 66:2; Dan 4:30; Matt 23:12; James 4:6, 10; 1 Pet 5:5] Whoever is partner with a thief hates his own life; He hears the curse [when swearing an oath to testify], but discloses nothing [and commits perjury by omission]. The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in and puts his confidence in the LORD will be exalted and safe. Many seek the ruler’s favor, But justice for man comes from the LORD. An unjust man is repulsive to the righteous, And he who is upright in the way [of the LORD] is repulsive to the wicked.

Proverbs 29:12-27 New Living Translation (NLT)

If a ruler pays attention to liars, all his advisers will be wicked. The poor and the oppressor have this in common— the LORD gives sight to the eyes of both. If a king judges the poor fairly, his throne will last forever. To discipline a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child. When the wicked are in authority, sin flourishes, but the godly will live to see their downfall. Discipline your children, and they will give you peace of mind and will make your heart glad. When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful. Words alone will not discipline a servant; the words may be understood, but they are not heeded. There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking. A servant pampered from childhood will become a rebel. An angry person starts fights; a hot-tempered person commits all kinds of sin. Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor. If you assist a thief, you only hurt yourself. You are sworn to tell the truth, but you dare not testify. Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety. Many seek the ruler’s favor, but justice comes from the LORD. The righteous despise the unjust; the wicked despise the godly.

Proverbs 29:12-27 The Passion Translation (TPT)

When leaders listen to false accusations, their associates become scoundrels. Poor people and their oppressors have only one thing in common— God made them both. The best insurance for a leader’s longevity is to demonstrate justice for the poor. Experiencing many corrections and rebukes will make you wise. But if left to your own ways, you’ll bring disgrace to your parents. When the wicked are in power, lawlessness abounds. But the patient lovers of God will one day watch in triumph as their stronghold topples! Correct your child and one day you’ll find he has changed and will bring you great delight. When there is no clear prophetic vision, people quickly wander astray. But when you follow the revelation of the Word, heaven’s bliss fills your soul. A stubborn servant can’t be corrected by words alone. For even if he understands, he pays no attention to you. There’s only one kind of person who is worse than a fool: the impetuous one who speaks without thinking first. If you pamper your servants, don’t be surprised when they expect to be treated as sons. The source of strife is found in an angry heart, for sin surrounds the life of a furious man. Lift yourself up with pride and you will soon be brought low, but a meek and humble spirit will add to your honor. You are your own worst enemy when you partner with a thief, for a curse of guilt will come upon you when you fail to report a crime. Fear and intimidation is a trap that holds you back. But when you place your confidence in the Lord, you will be seated in the high place. Everyone curries favor with leaders. But God is the judge, and justice comes from him. The wicked hate those who live a godly life, but the righteous hate injustice wherever it’s found.

Proverbs 29:12-27 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)

If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked. The poor man and the oppressor meet together; the LORD gives light to the eyes of both. If a king faithfully judges the poor, his throne will be established forever. The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. When the wicked increase, transgression increases, but the righteous will look upon their downfall. Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart. Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law. By mere words a servant is not disciplined, for though he understands, he will not respond. Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. Whoever pampers his servant from childhood will in the end find him his heir. A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression. One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. The partner of a thief hates his own life; he hears the curse, but discloses nothing. The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe. Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the LORD that a man gets justice. An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked.