Proverbs 19

On Life and Conduct

¹Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity

Than a person who is perverse in speech and is a fool.

²Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge,

And one who hurries his footsteps errs.

³The foolishness of a person ruins his way,

And his heart rages against the Lord .

⁴Wealth adds many friends,

But a poor person is separated from his friend.

⁵A false witness will not go unpunished,

And one who declares lies will not escape.

⁶Many will seek the favor of a generous person,[#19:6 Or noble]

And every person is a friend to him who gives gifts.

⁷All the brothers of a poor person hate him;

How much more do his friends abandon him!

He pursues them with words, but they are gone.

⁸One who gets wisdom loves his own soul;[#19:8 Lit heart]

One who keeps understanding will find good.

⁹A false witness will not go unpunished,

And one who declares lies will perish.

¹⁰Luxury is not fitting for a fool;

Much less for a slave to rule over princes.

¹¹A person’s discretion makes him slow to anger,

And it is his glory to overlook an offense.

¹²A king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion,

But his favor is like dew on the grass.

¹³A foolish son is destruction to his father,

And the quarrels of a wife are a constant dripping.

¹⁴House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers,

But a prudent wife is from the Lord .

¹⁵Laziness casts one into a deep sleep,

And a lazy person will suffer hunger.

¹⁶One who keeps the commandment keeps his soul,

But one who is careless of conduct will die.

¹⁷One who is gracious to a poor person lends to the Lord ,

And He will repay him for his good deed.

¹⁸Discipline your son while there is hope,

And do not desire his death.

¹⁹A person of great anger will suffer the penalty,

For if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.

²⁰Listen to advice and accept discipline,

So that you may be wise the rest of your days.

²¹Many plans are in a person’s heart,

But the advice of the Lord will stand.

²²What is desirable in a person is his kindness,[#19:22 Or loyalty]

And it is better to be a poor person than a liar.

²³The fear of the Lord leads to life,[#19:23 Or Reverence for]

So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.

²⁴The lazy one buries his hand in the dish,[#19:24 Lit idle person]

But will not even bring it back to his mouth.

²⁵Strike a scoffer and the naive may become clever,

But rebuke one who has understanding, and he will gain knowledge.

²⁶He who assaults his father and drives his mother away

Is a shameful and disgraceful son.

²⁷Stop listening, my son, to discipline,

And you will stray from the words of knowledge.

²⁸A worthless witness makes a mockery of justice,

And the mouth of the wicked swallows wrongdoing.

²⁹Judgments are prepared for scoffers,[#19:29 LXX Rods]

And beatings for the backs of fools.