Proverbs19

¹ Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and a fool.

² Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes.

³ People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.

⁴ Wealth makes many “friends”; poverty drives them all away.

⁵ A false witness will not go unpunished, nor will a liar escape.

⁶ Many seek favors from a ruler; everyone is the friend of a person who gives gifts!

⁷ The relatives of the poor despise them; how much more will their friends avoid them! Though the poor plead with them, their friends are gone.

⁸ To acquire wisdom is to love yourself; people who cherish understanding will prosper.

⁹ A false witness will not go unpunished, and a liar will be destroyed.

¹⁰ It isn’t right for a fool to live in luxury or for a slave to rule over princes!

¹¹ Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.

¹² The king’s anger is like a lion’s roar, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

¹³ A foolish child is a calamity to a father; a quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping.

¹⁴ Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the Lord can give an understanding wife.

¹⁵ Lazy people sleep soundly, but idleness leaves them hungry.

¹⁶ Keep the commandments and keep your life; despising them leads to death.

¹⁷ If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord— and he will repay you!

¹⁸ Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives.

¹⁹ Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty. If you rescue them once, you will have to do it again.

²⁰ Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.

²¹ You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

²² Loyalty makes a person attractive. It is better to be poor than dishonest.

²³ Fear of the Lord leads to life, bringing security and protection from harm.

²⁴ Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.

²⁵ If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded will learn a lesson; if you correct the wise, they will be all the wiser.

²⁶ Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother are an embarrassment and a public disgrace.

²⁷ If you stop listening to instruction, my child, you will turn your back on knowledge.

²⁸ A corrupt witness makes a mockery of justice; the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.

²⁹ Punishment is made for mockers, and the backs of fools are made to be beaten.