Proverbs 19

1 Better the poor whose walk is blameless
than a fool whose lips are perverse.

2 Desire without knowledge is not good—
how much more will hasty feet miss the way!

3 One’s own folly leads to ruin,
yet the heart rages against the Lord.

4 Wealth attracts many friends,
but even the closest friends of the poor desert them.

5 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and whoever pours out lies will not go free.

6 Many curry favor with a ruler,
and everyone is the friend of one who gives gifts.

7 The poor are shunned by all their relatives—
how much more do their friends avoid them!
Though they pursue them with pleading,
they are nowhere to be found.

8 Those who get wisdom love their own lives;
those who cherish understanding will soon prosper.

9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and whoever pours out lies will perish.

10 It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury—
how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!

11 A person’s wisdom yields patience;
it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.

12 A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.

13 A foolish child is a father’s ruin,
and a quarrelsome wife is like
the constant dripping of a leaky roof.

14 Houses and wealth are inherited from parents,
but a prudent wife is from the Lord.

15 Laziness brings on deep sleep,
and the shiftless go hungry.

16 Those who obey instructions preserve their lives,
but those who are contemptuous of their ways will die.

17 Those who are kind to the poor lend to the Lord,
and he will reward them for what they have done.

18 Discipline your children, for in that there is hope;
do not be a willing party to their death.

19 The hot-tempered must pay the penalty;
rescue them, and you will have to do it again.

20 Listen to advice and accept discipline,
and at the end you will be counted among the wise.

21 Many are the plans in a human heart,
but it is the Lord ’s purpose that prevails.

22 What a person desires is unfailing love ;
better to be poor than a liar.

23 The fear of the Lord leads to life;
then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

24 Sluggards bury their hands in the dish
and will not even bring them back to their mouths!

25 Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence;
rebuke the discerning, and they will gain knowledge.

26 Whoever robs their father and drives out their mother
is a child who brings shame and disgrace.

27 Stop listening to instruction, my child,
and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

28 A corrupt witness mocks at justice,
and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.

29 Penalties are prepared for mockers,
and beatings for the backs of fools.

PROVERBS 19

It's Wise To Be Patient

1 It's better to be poor
and live right
than to be a stupid liar.

2 Willingness and stupidity
don't go well together.
If you are too eager,
you will miss the road.

3 We are ruined
by our own stupidity,
though we blame the [Lord].

4 The rich have many friends;
the poor have none.

5 Dishonest witnesses and liars
won't escape punishment.

6 Everyone tries to be friends
of those who can help them.

7 If you are poor,
your own relatives reject you,
and your friends are worse.
When you really need them,
they are not there.t

8 Do yourself a favor
by having good sense—
you will be glad you did.

9 Dishonest witnesses and liars
will be destroyed.

10 It isn't right for a fool
to live in luxury
or for a slave to rule
in place of a king.

11 It's wise to be patient
and show what you are like
by forgiving others.

12 An angry king roars
like a lion,
but when a king is pleased,
it's like dew on the crops.

13 Foolish children bring disgrace
to their fathers.
A nagging wife goes on and on
like the drip, drip, drip
of the rain.

14 You may inherit all you own
from your parents,
but a sensible wife
is a gift from the [Lord].

15 If you are lazy
and sleep your time away,
you will starve.

16 Obey the Lord's teachings
and you will live—
disobey and you will die.

17 Caring for the poor
is lending to the [Lord],
and you will be well repaid.

18 Correct your children
before it's too late;
if you don't punish them,
trouble will come their way.t

19 People with bad tempers
are always in trouble,
and they need help
over and over again.t

20 Pay attention to advice
and accept correction,
so you can live sensibly.

21 We may make a lot of plans,
but the [Lord] will do
what he has decided.

22 What matters most is loyalty.
It's better to be poor
than to be a liar.

23 Showing respect to the [Lord]
brings true life—
if you do it, you can relax
without fear of danger.

24 Some people are too lazy
to lift a hand
to feed themselves.

25 Stupid fools learn good sense
by seeing others punished;
a sensible person learns
by being corrected.

26 Disgraceful children
rob their father
and chase their mother away.

27 If you stop learning,
you will forget
what you already know.

28 A lying witness makes fun
of the court system,
and criminals think crime
is really delicious.

29 A stupid fool should expect
to be punished.