Proverbs 19
New Living Translation
19 Better to be poor and honest
than to be dishonest and a fool.
2 Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good;
haste makes mistakes.
3 People ruin their lives by their own foolishness
and then are angry at the Lord.
4 Wealth makes many “friends”;
poverty drives them all away.
5 A false witness will not go unpunished,
nor will a liar escape.
6 Many seek favors from a ruler;
everyone is the friend of a person who gives gifts!
7 The relatives of the poor despise them;
how much more will their friends avoid them!
Though the poor plead with them,
their friends are gone.
8 To acquire wisdom is to love yourself;
people who cherish understanding will prosper.
9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and a liar will be destroyed.
10 It isn’t right for a fool to live in luxury
or for a slave to rule over princes!
11 Sensible people control their temper;
they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.
12 The king’s anger is like a lion’s roar,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.
13 A foolish child[a] is a calamity to a father;
a quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping.
14 Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth,
but only the Lord can give an understanding wife.
15 Lazy people sleep soundly,
but idleness leaves them hungry.
16 Keep the commandments and keep your life;
despising them leads to death.
17 If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—
and he will repay you!
18 Discipline your children while there is hope.
Otherwise you will ruin their lives.
19 Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty.
If you rescue them once, you will have to do it again.
20 Get all the advice and instruction you can,
so you will be wise the rest of your life.
21 You can make many plans,
but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.
22 Loyalty makes a person attractive.
It is better to be poor than dishonest.
23 Fear of the Lord leads to life,
bringing security and protection from harm.
24 Lazy people take food in their hand
but don’t even lift it to their mouth.
25 If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded will learn a lesson;
if you correct the wise, they will be all the wiser.
26 Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother
are an embarrassment and a public disgrace.
27 If you stop listening to instruction, my child,
you will turn your back on knowledge.
28 A corrupt witness makes a mockery of justice;
the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.
29 Punishment is made for mockers,
and the backs of fools are made to be beaten.
Proverbs 19
Common English Bible
19 Better to be poor and walk in innocence
than to have dishonest lips and be a fool.
2 Ignorant desire isn’t good;
rushing feet make mistakes.
3 People’s own folly corrupts their way,
but their hearts rage against the Lord.
4 Riches increase one’s friends,
but the poor lose their friends.
5 A false witness won’t go unpunished,
and a liar won’t escape.
6 Many seek favor from rulers;
everyone befriends a gift giver.
7 All the relatives of the poor hate them;
even more, their friends stay far from them.
When they pursue them with words, they aren’t there.
8 Those who acquire good sense love themselves;
those who keep understanding find success.
9 False witnesses won’t go unpunished,
and liars will perish.
10 Luxury isn’t fitting for a fool;
even less so for a servant to rule over princes.
11 Insightful people restrain their anger;
their glory is to ignore an offense.
12 A raging king roars like a lion;
his favor is like the dew on the grass.
13 A foolish son is a disaster to his father;
a contentious wife is like constant dripping.
14 House and riches are an inheritance from one’s ancestors,
but an insightful wife is from the Lord.
15 Laziness brings on deep sleep;
a slacker goes hungry.
16 Those who keep the commandment preserve their lives;
those who disregard their ways will die.
17 Those who are gracious to the poor lend to the Lord,
and the Lord will fully repay them.
18 Discipline your children while there is hope,
but don’t plan to kill them.
19 Angry people must pay the penalty;
if you rescue them, then you will have to do it again.
20 Listen to advice and accept instruction,
so you might grow wise in the future.
21 Many plans are in a person’s mind,
but the Lord’s purpose will succeed.
22 People long for trustworthiness;
it is better to be poor than a liar.
23 The fear of the Lord leads to life;
then one rests content, untouched by harm.
24 Lazy people bury their hand in the bowl;
they won’t even put it to their mouth.
25 Strike someone who scoffs, and a naive person will become clever;
correct someone with understanding, and they will gain knowledge.
26 Those who assault their father and drive out their mother
are disgraceful children, worthy of reproach.
27 If, my child, you stop listening to discipline,
you will wander away from words of knowledge.
28 A worthless witness mocks justice;
the wicked mouth gulps down trouble.
29 Punishments were made for mockers,
and blows for the backs of fools.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible