Proverbs 19
New King James Version
The Fear of the Lord Leads to Life
19 Better (A)is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than one who is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.
2 Also it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge,
And he sins who hastens with his feet.
3 The foolishness of a man twists his way,
And his heart frets against the Lord.
4 (B)Wealth makes many friends,
But the poor is separated from his friend.
5 A (C)false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who speaks lies will not escape.
6 Many entreat the favor of the nobility,
And every man is a friend to one who gives gifts.
7 (D)All the brothers of the poor hate him;
How much more do his friends go (E)far from him!
He may pursue them with words, yet they [a]abandon him.
9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who speaks lies shall perish.
10 Luxury is not fitting for a fool,
Much less (G)for a servant to rule over princes.
11 (H)The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger,
(I)And his glory is to overlook a transgression.
13 (L)A foolish son is the ruin of his father,
(M)And the contentions of a wife are a continual [c]dripping.
17 (S)He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord,
And He will pay back what he has given.
19 A man of great wrath will suffer punishment;
For if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.
20 Listen to counsel and receive instruction,
That you may be wise (U)in your latter days.
21 There are many plans in a man’s heart,
(V)Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.
22 What is desired in a man is [f]kindness,
And a poor man is better than a liar.
23 (W)The fear of the Lord leads to life,
And he who has it will abide in satisfaction;
He will not be visited with evil.
24 (X)A lazy man buries his hand in the [g]bowl,
And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
25 Strike a scoffer, and the simple (Y)will become wary;
(Z)Rebuke one who has understanding, and he will discern knowledge.
26 He who mistreats his father and chases away his mother
Is (AA)a son who causes shame and brings reproach.
27 Cease listening to instruction, my son,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge.
29 Judgments are prepared for scoffers,
(AC)And beatings for the backs of fools.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:7 Lit. are not
- Proverbs 19:8 Lit. heart
- Proverbs 19:13 Irritation
- Proverbs 19:16 Is reckless, lit. despises
- Proverbs 19:18 Lit. to put him to death; a Jewish tradition on his crying
- Proverbs 19:22 Lit. lovingkindness
- Proverbs 19:24 LXX, Syr. bosom; Tg., Vg. armpit
- Proverbs 19:28 Lit. witness of Belial, worthless witness
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”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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