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Proverbs 19
Lexham English Bible
Proverbs 19
Lexham English Bible
19 Better a poor person walking in integrity
than one who is perverse in his speech[a] and is a fool.
2 Also, a life[b] without knowledge is not good,
and he who moves quickly with his feet misses the mark.[c]
3 As for the folly of humankind, its way leads to ruin,
and against Yahweh his heart[d] will rage.
4 Wealth adds many friends,
but the poor will be left by his friends.
5 A witness of falsehood will not go unpunished,
and he who breathes lies will not escape.
6 Many will seek favor before the generous,
and everyone is the friend of a man of gifts.[e]
7 All the brothers of the poor, if they hate him,
how much more will his friends keep away from him.
He pursues them with words, and they are gone.[f]
8 He who acquires wisdom loves himself;[g]
he who guards understanding loves to find good.
9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who breathes lies will perish.
10 For a fool living in luxury is not fitting,
any more than it is for a slave to rule over princes.
11 The understanding of a person makes him slow to his anger,[h]
and his glory overlooks offense.
12 The rage of a king growls like a lion,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.
13 A foolish child is a ruin to his father,
and the quarreling of a woman[i] is a continuous dripping.
14 A house and wealth are an inheritance from fathers,
but from Yahweh comes a woman[j] who is prudent.
15 Laziness will bring on a deep sleep,
and a person[k] of idleness will suffer hunger.
16 He who guards commandments guards his life;[l]
he who is careless of his ways will be killed.
17 He who lends to Yahweh is he who is kind to the poor,
and his benefits he will repay to him.
18 Discipline your child, for there is hope,
but on his destruction do not set your desire.[m]
19 A hot-tempered person pays a penalty;
if you rescue him, you will do it yet again.
20 Listen to advice and accept instruction
so that you will gain wisdom for your future.[n]
21 Many plans are in the heart[o] of a man,
but the purpose of Yahweh will be established.
22 The craving of a man is his steadfast loyalty,
and it is better to be poor than a liar.[p]
23 Fear of Yahweh leads to life;
he who is filled with it will rest—he will not suffer harm.
24 A lazy person buries his hand in the dish,
and even to his mouth he will not bring it back.
25 The scoffer you shall strike, and the simple, may they learn prudence,
and reprove the intelligent and he will gain knowledge.
26 He who does violence to a father, he who chases away a mother,
is a child who causes shame and brings reproach.
27 Cease to listen to instruction, my child,
and you will stray[q] from sayings of knowledge.
28 A worthless witness will mock justice,
and the mouth of the wicked will devour iniquity.
29 Judgments[r] are prepared for the scoffers,
and flogging for the back of fools.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:1 Literally “in his lips”
- Proverbs 19:2 Or “soul,” or “inner self”
- Proverbs 19:2 Or “sins”
- Proverbs 19:3 Or “mind”
- Proverbs 19:6 Hebrew “gift”
- Proverbs 19:7 Or “when he pursues words and not them”
- Proverbs 19:8 Or “soul,” or “inner self”
- Proverbs 19:11 Literally “nostril”
- Proverbs 19:13 Or “wife”
- Proverbs 19:14 Or “wife”
- Proverbs 19:15 Or “soul,” or “life”
- Proverbs 19:16 Or “soul,” or “inner self”
- Proverbs 19:18 Or “soul,” or “inner self”
- Proverbs 19:20 Literally “after things”
- Proverbs 19:21 Or “mind”
- Proverbs 19:22 Literally “man of lying”
- Proverbs 19:27 Literally “in order to stray”
- Proverbs 19:29 Or “Punishments,” or “Condemnations”
Proverbs 19
International Standard Version
Proverbs 19
International Standard Version
The Priorities of Life Contrasted
19 A poor man who walks blamelessly is better
than a fool who speaks perversely.
2 Furthermore, it isn’t good to be ignorant,[a]
and whoever rushes into things[b] misses the mark.
3 A man’s foolishness ruins his life,[c]
yet his heart rages against the Lord.
4 Wealth brings many friends,
but a poor man is deserted by his friend.
5 A witness to lies will not go unpunished;
the teller of falsehoods will not escape.
6 Many curry favor of an official;
everyone is a friend of the gift giver.
7 All the relatives of a poor person shun him—
how much more do his friends avoid him!
Though he runs after them pleading,
they aren’t around.
8 Whoever obtains wisdom loves himself,
and whoever treasures understanding will prosper.
9 A witness to lies will not go unpunished;
the teller of falsehoods will perish.
10 It’s not fitting for a fool to live in luxury;
neither is it for a servant to rule over princes.
11 A person’s discretion makes him slow to anger,
and it is to his credit that he ignores an offence.
12 The king’s anger is like the roaring of a lion,
but his goodwill is like dew on the grass.
13 A father’s ruin is a foolish son,
and a wife’s quarreling is like[d] dripping water that never stops.
14 A house and self-sufficiency are a father’s inheritance,
but from the Lord comes an insightful wife.
15 Laziness puts one to sleep,
and an idle person will go hungry.
16 Whoever obeys a commandment keeps himself safe,[e]
but someone who is contemptuous in conduct[f] will die.
17 Whoever is kind to the poor is lending to the Lord—
the benefit of his gift will return to him in abundance.
18 Discipline your son while there is still hope—
but don’t set your heart on his destruction.
19 The person who has great anger must pay the consequences,
because if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.
20 Listen to advice and accept discipline,
and you’ll be wise for the rest of your life.[g]
21 Many plans occupy the mind[h] of a man,
but the Lord’s purposes will prevail.[i]
22 Human beings long for grace,
and it’s better to be poor than a man of deceit.
23 The fear of the Lord leads[j] to life;
whoever is satisfied with it will rest,
untouched by evil.
24 The lazy person buries his hand in his dish
and doesn’t bother to bring it back to his mouth.
25 If you scourge a scoffer,
the simple person may learn to be discreet;
rebuke a discerning man
and he will gain understanding.
26 Whoever mistreats his father
and alienates his mother
is a son who brings both shame and disrespect.
27 My son, if you stop listening to instruction,
you will stray from the principles of knowledge.
28 A corrupt witness[k] mocks justice,
and the wicked person feeds on iniquity.
29 Condemnation is appropriate for mockers,
just as beatings are for the backs of fools.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:2 Lit. good for an ignorant soul
- Proverbs 19:2 Lit. whoever hurries with his feet
- Proverbs 19:3 Lit. way
- Proverbs 19:13 The Heb. lacks like
- Proverbs 19:16 Lit. keeps his soul
- Proverbs 19:16 Lit. in his way
- Proverbs 19:20 The Heb. lacks of your life
- Proverbs 19:21 Lit. heart
- Proverbs 19:21 Or will be established
- Proverbs 19:23 The Heb. lacks leads
- Proverbs 19:28 I.e. a worthless person
Proverbs 19
New International Version
Proverbs 19
New International Version
19 Better the poor whose walk is blameless
than a fool whose lips are perverse.(A)
2 Desire without knowledge is not good—
how much more will hasty feet miss the way!(B)
4 Wealth attracts many friends,
but even the closest friend of the poor person deserts them.(E)
7 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)
8 The one who gets wisdom loves life;
the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper.(M)
9 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.
13 A foolish child is a father’s ruin,(U)
and a quarrelsome wife is like
the constant dripping of a leaky roof.(V)
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
- Proverbs 19:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
- Proverbs 19:22 Or Greed is a person’s shame
Lexham English Bible (LEB)
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
International Standard Version (ISV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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