19 Better a poor person who lives with integrity(A)
than someone who has deceitful lips and is a fool.

Even zeal is not good without knowledge,(B)
and the one who acts hastily[a] sins.(C)

A person’s own foolishness leads him astray,
yet his heart rages against the Lord.(D)

Wealth attracts many friends,(E)
but a poor person is separated from his friend.

A false witness will not go unpunished,(F)
and one who utters lies will not escape.(G)

Many seek a ruler’s favor,(H)
and everyone is a friend of one who gives gifts.(I)

All the brothers of a poor person hate him;(J)
how much more do his friends
keep their distance from him!
He may pursue them with words,(K)
but they are not there.[b]

The one who acquires good sense[c] loves himself;
one who safeguards understanding finds success.(L)

A false witness will not go unpunished,
and one who utters lies perishes.(M)

10 Luxury is not appropriate for a fool(N)
how much less for a slave to rule over princes!(O)

11 A person’s insight gives him patience,(P)
and his virtue is to overlook an offense.(Q)

12 A king’s rage is like the roaring of a lion,(R)
but his favor is like dew on the grass.(S)

13 A foolish son is his father’s ruin,(T)
and a wife’s nagging is an endless dripping.(U)

14 A house and wealth are inherited from fathers,(V)
but a prudent wife is from the Lord.

15 Laziness induces deep sleep,
and a lazy person will go hungry.(W)

16 The one who keeps commands preserves himself;(X)
one who disregards[d] his ways will die.(Y)

17 Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord,(Z)
and he will give a reward to the lender.[e](AA)

18 Discipline your son while there is hope;
don’t set your heart on being the cause of his death.[f](AB)

19 A person with intense anger bears the penalty;
if you rescue him, you’ll have to do it again.(AC)

20 Listen to counsel and receive instruction
so that you may be wise later in life.[g](AD)

21 Many plans are in a person’s heart,
but the Lord’s decree will prevail.(AE)

22 What is desirable in a person is his fidelity;
better to be a poor person than a liar.(AF)

23 The fear of the Lord leads to life;
one will sleep at night[h] without danger.(AG)

24 The slacker buries his hand in the bowl;
he doesn’t even bring it back to his mouth!(AH)

25 Strike a mocker, and the inexperienced learn a lesson;(AI)
rebuke the discerning, and he gains knowledge.(AJ)

26 The one who plunders his father and evicts his mother
is a disgraceful and shameful son.

27 If you stop listening to correction, my son,
you will stray from the words of knowledge.

28 A worthless witness mocks justice,
and a wicked mouth swallows iniquity.(AK)

29 Judgments are prepared for mockers,
and beatings for the backs of fools.(AL)

Footnotes

  1. 19:2 Lit who is hasty with feet
  2. 19:7 Hb uncertain
  3. 19:8 Lit acquires a heart
  4. 19:16 Or despises, or treats lightly
  5. 19:17 Lit to him
  6. 19:18 Lit don’t lift up your soul to his death
  7. 19:20 Lit in your end
  8. 19:23 Lit will spend the night satisfied

19 It is better to be poor and to live without blame
    than to be foolish and to twist words around.

Getting excited about something without knowledge isn’t good.
    It’s even worse to be in a hurry and miss the way.

A person’s own foolish acts destroy their life.
    But their heart is angry with the Lord.

Wealth brings many friends.
    But even the closest friend of a poor person abandons them.

A dishonest witness will be punished.
    And whoever pours out lies will not go free.

Many try to win the favor of rulers.
    And everyone is the friend of a person who gives gifts.

Poor people are avoided by their whole family.
    Their friends avoid them even more.
The poor person runs after his friends to beg for help.
    But they can’t be found.

Anyone who gets wisdom loves life.
    Anyone who values understanding will soon succeed.

A dishonest witness will be punished.
    And those who pour out lies will die.

10 It isn’t proper for a foolish person to live in great comfort.
    And it is much worse when a slave rules over princes!

11 A person’s wisdom makes them patient.
    They will be honored if they forgive someone who sins against them.

12 A king’s anger is like a lion’s roar.
    But his favor is like dew on the grass.

13 A foolish child is a father’s ruin.
    A nagging wife is like dripping that never stops.

14 You will receive houses and wealth from your parents.
    But a wise wife is given by the Lord.

15 Anyone who doesn’t want to work sleeps his life away.
    And a person who refuses to work goes hungry.

16 Those who keep commandments keep their lives.
    But those who don’t care how they live will die.

17 Anyone who is kind to poor people lends to the Lord.
    God will reward them for what they have done.

18 Train your children, because then there is hope.
    Don’t do anything to bring about their deaths.

19 A person with a bad temper must pay for it.
    If you save them, you will have to do it again.

20 Listen to advice and accept correction.
    In the end you will be counted among those who are wise.

21 A person may have many plans in their heart.
    But the Lord’s purpose wins out in the end.

22 Everyone longs for love that never fails.
    It is better to be poor than to be a liar.

23 Having respect for the Lord leads to life.
    Then you will be content and free from trouble.

24 A person who doesn’t want to work leaves his hand in the dish.
    He won’t even bring it back up to his mouth!

25 If you whip a person who makes fun of others,
    childish people will learn to be wise.
If you warn those who already understand what is right,
    they will gain even more knowledge.

26 Anyone who robs their father and drives out their mother
    is a child who brings shame and dishonor.

27 My son, if you stop listening to what I teach you,
    you will wander away from the words of knowledge.

28 A dishonest witness makes fun of what is right.
    The mouths of those who do wrong gulp down evil.

29 Those who make fun of others will be judged.
    Foolish people will be punished.

19 Det er bedre at være ærlig og fattig
    end at være en uhæderlig tåbe.
Begejstring og uvidenhed er en farlig blanding,
    den, der farer hurtigt frem, begår mange fejl.
En tåbe er selv årsag til sine problemer,
    selvom han giver Gud skylden.
Rigdom tiltrækker mange venner,
    det gør fattigdom ikke.
Et falsk vidne får sin straf,
    en løgner undslipper ikke.
Man bukker dybt for en gavmild rigmand,
    den, der giver gaver, har mange venner.
Den fattiges slægtninge undgår ham,
    og hans bekendte holder afstand fra ham.
Han beder hele tiden om hjælp,
    men han får dem ikke overtalt.
Man gavner sig selv ved at søge efter visdom,
    den, der sætter pris på viden, får fremgang.
Et falsk vidne får sin straf,
    en løgner går til grunde.
10 Det er upassende for en tåbe at leve i luksus
    og for en slave at bestemme over en adelsmand.
11 Der skal meget til, før de vise bliver vrede,
    at bære over med en fornærmelse vinder dem respekt.
12 En konges vrede er frygtelig som løvens brøl,
    hans anerkendelse forfriskende som morgenduggen.
13 En tåbelig søn er sin fars ulykke,
    en kones anklager som evindelige dryp fra et hul i taget.
14 Man kan arve sig til hus og rigdom,
    men en forstående kone er en gave fra Herren.
15 Den sløve og slappe sover tiden væk,
    den dovne kan ikke holde sulten fra døren.
16 Den, der adlyder Guds bud, gavner sig selv,
    at lade hånt om sin handlemåde ender med død.
17 At hjælpe den hjælpeløse er som at give Gud et lån,
    han betaler det rigeligt tilbage.
18 Disciplinér dine børn, for så er der håb for fremtiden,
    men pas på ikke at gøre dem fortræd.
19 En ilter person må tage følgen af sine handlinger,
    skåner man ham, bliver han bare værre.
20 Tag imod råd og vejledning,
    gør du det, opnår du visdom til sidst.
21 Mennesker lægger et utal af planer,
    men det er Herrens planer, der lykkes.
22 Det er en fordel at være ærlig og trofast,
    hellere være en fattig mand end en bedrager.
23 Ærefrygt for Herren fører til et godt liv,
    man er mæt og tilfreds og skærmes fra ondt.
24 Den dovne stikker fingrene i frugtfadet,
    men gider ikke føre hånden til munden.
25 En tåbe kan lære af at se en slyngel få bank,
    men for den kloge er en irettesættelse nok.
26 Den, der jager sin far og mor på porten,
    er en skændsel og vanære for sin slægt.
27 Min søn, holder du op med at lytte til vejledning,
    glemmer du snart, hvad du allerede har lært.
28 Et falsk vidne blæser på retfærdighed,
    onde mennesker trives med ondskab.
29 Spottere lærer kun, når de bliver afstraffet,
    tåber lærer kun, når de får bank.

19 Better the poor whose walk is blameless
    than a fool whose lips are perverse.(A)

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

A person’s own folly(C) leads to their ruin,
    yet their heart rages against the Lord.(D)

Wealth attracts many friends,
    but even the closest friend of the poor person deserts them.(E)

A false witness(F) will not go unpunished,(G)
    and whoever pours out lies will not go free.(H)

Many curry favor with a ruler,(I)
    and everyone is the friend of one who gives gifts.(J)

The poor are shunned by all their relatives—
    how much more do their friends avoid them!(K)
Though the poor pursue them with pleading,
    they are nowhere to be found.[a](L)

The one who gets wisdom loves life;
    the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper.(M)

A false witness will not go unpunished,
    and whoever pours out lies will perish.(N)

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

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

12 A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion,(R)
    but his favor is like dew(S) on the grass.(T)

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

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

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

16 Whoever keeps commandments keeps their life,
    but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die.(Z)

17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,(AA)
    and he will reward them for what they have done.(AB)

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

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

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

21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
    but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.(AF)

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

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

24 A sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
    he will not even bring it back to his mouth!(AH)

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

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

27 Stop listening to instruction, my son,(AL)
    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.(AM)

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

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
  2. Proverbs 19:22 Or Greed is a person’s shame