Proverbs 19-20
Complete Jewish Bible
19 Better to be poor and live one’s life uprightly
than engage in crooked speech, for such a one is a fool.
2 To act without knowing how you function is not good;
and if you rush ahead, you will miss your goal.
3 A person’s own folly is what ruins his way,
but he rages in his heart against Adonai.
4 Wealth brings in many friends,
but the poor man loses the one friend he has.
5 A false witness will not go unpunished;
whoever breathes out lies will not escape.
6 Many ask favors of a generous person —
to a giver of gifts, everyone is a friend.
7 A poor man’s relatives all hate him;
even more his friends stay away from him.
He may pursue them with entreaties,
but they aren’t there to be found.
8 To acquire good sense is to love oneself;
to treasure discernment is to prosper.
9 A false witness will not go unpunished;
whoever breathes out lies will perish.
10 It isn’t fitting for a fool to live in luxury,
and even less for a slave to govern princes.
11 People with good sense are slow to anger,
and it is their glory to overlook an offense.
12 A king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.
13 A son who is a fool is his father’s ruin,
and a nagging wife is like a leak that keeps dripping.
14 A house and wealth are inherited from ancestors,
but a sensible wife is from Adonai.
15 Laziness makes people fall asleep,
and an idle person will go hungry.
16 He who keeps a mitzvah keeps himself safe,
but he who doesn’t care how he lives will die.
17 He who is kind to the poor is lending to Adonai;
and he will repay him for his good deed.
18 Discipline your child while there is hope,
but don’t get so angry that you kill him!
19 A violent-tempered person will be punished;
if you try to save him from it, you make things worse.
20 Listen to advice, and accept discipline,
so that in the end you will be wise.
21 One can devise many plans in one’s mind,
but Adonai’s plan will prevail.
22 A man’s lust is his shame,
and a poor man is better than a liar.
23 The fear of Adonai leads to life;
one who has it is satisfied and rests untouched by evil.
24 The lazy person buries his hand in the dish
but doesn’t even bother to bring it to his mouth.
25 If you strike a scorner,
the simple will learn to act wisely;
if you reprove the intelligent,
he will understand what you mean.
26 One who mistreats his father and evicts his mother
is a son who brings them shame and disgrace.
27 My son, if you stop heeding discipline,
you will stray from the principles of knowledge.
28 A worthless witness mocks at justice,
and the mouth of the wicked swallows wrongdoing.
29 Judgments are in store for scorners
and blows for the backs of fools.
20 Wine is a mocker, strong liquor a rowdy;
anyone led astray by it is unwise.
2 The dread of a king is like when a lion roars;
he who makes him angry commits a life-threatening sin.
3 Avoiding quarrels brings a person honor;
for any fool can explode in anger.
4 A lazy person won’t plow in winter;
so at harvest-time, when he looks, there is nothing.
5 The heart’s real intentions are like deep water;
but a person with discernment draws them out.
6 Most people announce that they show kindness,
but who can find someone faithful [enough to do it]?
7 The righteous live a life of integrity;
happy are their children after them.
8 The king seated on his judgment throne
can winnow out all evil with his glance.
9 Who can say, “I have made my heart clean,
I am cleansed from my sin”?
10 False weights and false measures —
Adonai detests them both.
11 The character of even a child is known by how he acts,
by whether his deeds are pure and right.
12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye —
Adonai made them both.
13 If you love sleep, you will become poor;
keep your eyes open, and you’ll have plenty of food.
14 “Really bad stuff!” says the buyer [to the seller];
then he goes off and brags [about his bargain].
15 A person may have gold and a wealth of pearls,
but lips informed by knowledge are a precious jewel.
16 Seize his clothes, because he guaranteed a stranger’s loan;
take them as security for that unknown woman.
17 Food obtained by fraud may taste good,
but later the mouth is full of gravel.
18 After consultation, plans succeed;
so take wise advice when waging war.
19 A gossip goes around revealing secrets,
so don’t get involved with a talkative person.
20 Whoever curses his father or mother —
his lamp will go out in total darkness.
21 Possessions acquired quickly at first
will not be blessed in the end.
22 Don’t say, “I’ll pay back evil for evil”;
wait for Adonai to save you.
23 Adonai detests a double standard in weights,
and false scales are not good.
24 A man’s steps are ordered by Adonai,
so how can a person understand his own ways?
25 It is a snare to dedicate a gift to God rashly
and reflect on the vows only afterwards.
26 A wise king winnows the wicked [from the righteous]
and threshes them under the cartwheel.
27 The human spirit is a lamp of Adonai;
it searches one’s inmost being.
28 Grace and truth preserve a king;
with grace he upholds his throne.
29 The pride of the young is their strength;
the dignity of the old is gray hair.
30 Blows that wound purge away evil,
yes, beatings [cleanse] one’s inmost being.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
Bible Gateway Recommends
