Proverbs 19

English Standard Version

19 ^(A)Better is a poor person who ^(B)walks in his integrity
    than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
²Desire^[a] without knowledge is not good,
    and whoever ^(C)makes haste with his feet misses his way.
³When a man's folly ^(D)brings his way to ruin,
    his heart ^(E)rages against the Lord.
⁴^(F)Wealth brings many new friends,
    ^(G)but a poor man is deserted by his friend.
⁵^(H)A false witness will not go unpunished,
    and he who ^(I)breathes out lies will not escape.
⁶Many seek the favor of a generous man,^[b]
    and everyone is a friend to a man who gives ^(J)gifts.
⁷^(K)All a poor man's brothers hate him;
    ^(L)how much more do his friends go far from him!
He pursues them with words, but does not have them.^[c]
⁸^(M)Whoever gets sense loves his own soul;
    he who keeps understanding will ^(N)discover good.
⁹^(O)A false witness will not go unpunished,
    and he who ^(P)breathes out lies will perish.
¹⁰^(Q)It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury,
    much less for ^(R)a slave to rule over princes.
¹¹^(S)Good sense makes one slow to anger,
    and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
¹²A king's wrath is like ^(T)the growling of a lion,
    but his ^(U)favor is like ^(V)dew on the grass.
¹³^(W)A foolish son is ruin to his father,
    and ^(X)a wife's quarreling is ^(Y)a continual dripping of rain.
¹⁴^(Z)House and wealth are inherited from fathers,
    but a prudent wife is ^(AA)from the Lord.
¹⁵^(AB)Slothfulness casts into ^(AC)a deep sleep,
    and ^(AD)an idle person will suffer hunger.
¹⁶Whoever ^(AE)keeps the commandment keeps his life;
    he who despises his ways will die.
¹⁷^(AF)Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,
    and he ^(AG)will repay him for his ^(AH)deed.
¹⁸^(AI)Discipline your son, for there is hope;
    do not set your heart on ^(AJ)putting him to death.
¹⁹A man of great wrath will pay the penalty,
    for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.
²⁰Listen to advice and accept instruction,
    that you may gain wisdom in ^(AK)the future.
²¹^(AL)Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
    but ^(AM)it is the purpose of the Lord ^(AN)that will stand.
²²What is desired in a man is steadfast love,
    and a poor man is better than a liar.
²³The fear of the Lord ^(AO)leads to life,
    and whoever has it rests ^(AP)satisfied;
    he will ^(AQ)not be visited by harm.
²⁴^(AR)The sluggard buries his hand in ^(AS)the dish
    and will not even bring it back to his mouth.
²⁵^(AT)Strike ^(AU)a scoffer, and the simple will ^(AV)learn prudence;
    ^(AW)reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.
²⁶He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother
    is ^(AX)a son who brings shame and reproach.
²⁷Cease to hear instruction, my son,
    ^(AY)and you will stray from the words of knowledge.
²⁸A worthless witness mocks at justice,
    and the mouth of the wicked ^(AZ)devours iniquity.
²⁹Condemnation is ready for ^(BA)scoffers,
    and ^(BB)beating for the backs of fools.

Footnotes

Proverbs 19:2 Or A soul
Proverbs 19:6 Or of a noble
Proverbs 19:7 The meaning of the Hebrew sentence is uncertain

Proverbs 19

New International Version

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

²Desire without knowledge is not good—
how much more will hasty feet miss the way!^(B)

³A person’s own folly^(C) leads to their ruin,
yet their heart rages against the Lord.^(D)

⁴Wealth attracts many friends,
but even the closest friend of the poor person deserts them.^(E)

⁵A false witness^(F) will not go unpunished,^(G)
and whoever pours out lies will not go free.^(H)

⁶Many curry favor with a ruler,^(I)
and everyone is the friend of one who gives gifts.^(J)

⁷The 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)

⁸The one who gets wisdom loves life;
the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper.^(M)

⁹A false witness will not go unpunished,
and whoever pours out lies will perish.^(N)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

²⁷Stop listening to instruction, my son,^(AL)
and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

²⁸A corrupt witness mocks at justice,
and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.^(AM)

²⁹Penalties 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

Romans 13

English Standard Version

Submission to the Authorities

13 Let every person ^(A)be subject to the governing authorities. For ^(B)there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. ²Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. ³For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you ^(C)will receive his approval, ⁴for ^(D)he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, ^(E)an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. ⁵Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also ^(F)for the sake of conscience. ⁶For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. ⁷^(G)Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Fulfilling the Law Through Love

⁸^(H)Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for ^(I)the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹For the commandments, ^(J)“You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ^(K)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore ^(L)love is the fulfilling of the law.

¹¹Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you ^(M)to wake from sleep. ^(N)For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. ¹²^(O)The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us ^(P)cast off ^(Q)the works of darkness and ^(R)put on the armor of light. ¹³^(S)Let us walk properly as in the daytime, ^(T)not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, ^(U)not in quarreling and jealousy. ¹⁴But ^(V)put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, ^(W)to gratify its desires.

Romans 13

New International Version

Submission to Governing Authorities

13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities,^(A) for there is no authority except that which God has established.^(B) The authorities that exist have been established by God. ²Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted,^(C) and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. ³For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended.^(D) ⁴For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.^(E) ⁵Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.^(F)

⁶This is also why you pay taxes,^(G) for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. ⁷Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes;^(H) if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Love Fulfills the Law

⁸Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.^(I) ⁹The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”^[a]^(J) and whatever other command there may be, are summed up^(K) in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^[b]^(L) ¹⁰Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.^(M)

The Day Is Near

¹¹And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come^(N) for you to wake up from your slumber,^(O) because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹²The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.^(P) So let us put aside the deeds of darkness^(Q) and put on the armor^(R) of light. ¹³Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness,^(S) not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.^(T) ¹⁴Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ,^(U) and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.^[c]^(V)

Footnotes

Romans 13:9 Exodus 20:13-15,17; Deut. 5:17-19,21
Romans 13:9 Lev. 19:18
Romans 13:14 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.

English Standard Version (ESV)

New International Version (NIV)

Proverbs 19

English Standard Version

Footnotes

Cross references

Proverbs 19

New International Version

Footnotes

Cross references

Romans 13

English Standard Version

Submission to the Authorities

Fulfilling the Law Through Love

Cross references

Romans 13

New International Version

Submission to Governing Authorities

Love Fulfills the Law

The Day Is Near

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Proverbs 19 English Standard Version

Footnotes

Cross references

Proverbs 19 New International Version

Footnotes

Cross references

Romans 13 English Standard Version

Submission to the Authorities

Fulfilling the Law Through Love

Cross references

Romans 13 New International Version

Submission to Governing Authorities

Love Fulfills the Law

The Day Is Near

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Proverbs 19

English Standard Version

Proverbs 19

New International Version

Romans 13

English Standard Version

Romans 13

New International Version