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
Christian Standard Bible
19 Better a poor person who lives with integrity(A)
than someone who has deceitful lips and is a fool.
3 A person’s own foolishness leads him astray,
yet his heart rages against the Lord.(D)
4 Wealth attracts many friends,(E)
but a poor person is separated from his friend.
7 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]
8 The one who acquires good sense[c] loves himself;
one who safeguards understanding finds success.(L)
9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and one who utters lies perishes.(M)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.