Beginning
19 It is better to be poor and honest
than to be foolish and tell lies.
2 Enthusiasm without knowledge is not good.
If you act too quickly, you might make a mistake.
3 A person’s own foolishness ruins his life.
But in his mind he blames the Lord for it.
4 Wealthy people are always finding more friends.
But the poor lose their friends.
5 A witness who lies will be punished.
An untruthful person will not be left unpunished.
6 Many people want to please a leader.
And everyone is friends with those who give gifts.
7 A poor person’s relatives avoid him.
Even his friends stay far away!
He runs after them, begging.
But they are gone.
8 The person who gets wisdom is good to himself.
And the one who has understanding will succeed.
9 A witness who lies will be punished.
An untruthful person will die.
10 No foolish person should live in luxury.
No slave should rule over princes!
11 A wise person is patient.
He will be honored if he ignores a wrong done against him.
12 A king’s anger scares people like the roar of a lion.
But his kindness is as pleasant as the dew on the grass.
13 A foolish son will ruin his father.
And a quarreling wife is as bothersome as dripping water.
14 Houses and wealth are inherited from parents.
But a wise wife is a gift from the Lord.
15 Lazy people sleep a lot.
Idle people will go hungry.
16 Whoever obeys the commands protects his life.
Whoever is careless in what he does will die.
17 Being kind to the poor is like lending to the Lord.
The Lord will reward you for what you have done.
18 Correct your son while there is still hope.
Do not help him destroy himself.
19 A person who is always getting angry will pay for it.
If you help him, you will have to do it again and again.
20 Listen to advice and accept correction.
Then in the end you will be wise.
21 People can make many different plans.
But only the Lord’s plan will happen.
22 People want others to be loyal.
So it is better to be poor than to be a liar.
23 Those who respect the Lord will live
and be content, unbothered by trouble.
24 The lazy person may put his hand in the dish,
but he won’t lift the food to his mouth!
25 Whip a person who makes fun of wisdom, and then foolish people will learn how to think.
Just correct a smart man, and he will gain knowledge.
26 A son who robs his father and sends away his mother
brings shame and disgrace on himself.
27 Don’t stop listening to correction, my child.
If you do, you will not obey what you have already learned.
28 An evil witness makes fun of fairness.
And wicked people love what is evil.
29 People who make fun of wisdom will be punished.
And the backs of foolish people will be beaten.
20 Wine and beer make people loud and uncontrolled.
It is not wise to get drunk on them.
2 A king’s anger is like the roar of a lion.
Making him angry may cost you your life.
3 Foolish people are always getting into quarrels.
But avoiding quarrels will bring you honor.
4 A lazy farmer doesn’t plow when he should.
So at harvest time he has no crop.
5 Understanding a person’s thoughts is as hard as getting water from a deep well.
But someone with understanding can find the wisdom there.
6 Many people claim to be loyal.
But it is hard to find someone who really can be trusted.
7 The good person who lives an honest life
is a blessing to his children.
8 A king sits on his throne and judges people.
He knows evil when he sees it.
9 No one can say, “I am innocent.
I have never done anything wrong.”
10 The Lord hates both these things:
dishonest weights and dishonest measures.
11 Even a child is known by his behavior.
His actions show if he is innocent and good.
12 The Lord has made both these things:
Ears that can hear and eyes that can see.
13 If you love to sleep, you will be poor.
If you stay awake, you will have plenty of food.
14 The buyer says, “This is bad. It’s no good.”
Then he goes away and brags about what he bought.
15 There is plenty of gold, and there are many rubies.
But there are only a few people who speak with knowledge.
16 Take the coat of someone who promises to pay what a stranger owes.
Keep it until he pays the stranger’s bills.
17 When a person gets food dishonestly, it may taste sweet at first.
But later he will feel as if he has a mouth full of gravel.
18 Get advice if you want your plans to work.
If you go to war, get the advice of others.
19 Gossips can’t keep secrets.
So avoid people who talk too much.
20 Whoever curses his father or mother
will die like a light going out in darkness.
21 Wealth that is gotten quickly in the beginning
will do you no good in the end.
22 Don’t say, “I’ll pay you back for the evil you did.”
Wait for the Lord. He will make things right.
23 The Lord hates dishonest weights.
And dishonest scales do not please him.
24 The Lord decides what a person does.
So no one can understand what his life is all about.
25 It’s dangerous to promise something to God too quickly.
After you’ve thought about it, it may be too late.
26 A wise king finds out who the evil people are.
Then he punishes them.
27 The Lord looks into a person’s feelings.
He searches through a person’s thoughts.
28 Loyalty and truth keep a king in power.
He continues to rule if he is loyal.
29 Young men are admired for their strength.
Old men are honored for their experience.
30 Hard punishment will get rid of evil.
Whippings can change the evil person’s heart.
21 The Lord can control a king’s mind as easily as he controls a river.
He can direct it as he pleases.
2 A person may believe he is doing right.
But the Lord judges his reasons.
3 Do what is right and fair.
That is more important to the Lord than animal sacrifices.
4 Proud looks, proud thoughts
and evil actions are sin.
5 Those who plan and work hard earn a profit.
But those who act too quickly become poor.
6 Wealth that comes from telling lies
vanishes like a mist and leads to death.
7 The violence of the wicked will destroy them
because they refuse to do what is right.
8 Guilty people live dishonest lives.
But honest people do what is right.
9 It is better to live in a corner on the roof[a]
than inside the house with a quarreling wife.
10 An evil person only wants to harm others.
His neighbor will get no mercy from him.
11 Punish a person who makes fun of wisdom, and he will become wise.
But just teach a wise person, and he will get knowledge.
12 God, who is always right, sees the house of the wicked.
And he brings about the ruin of every evil person.
13 If you ignore the poor when they cry for help,
you also will cry for help and not be answered.
14 A gift given secretly will calm an angry man.
A present given in secrecy will calm even great anger.
15 When things are done fairly, good people are happy,
but evil people are frightened.
16 A person who does not use understanding
will join the dead.
17 Whoever loves pleasure will become poor.
Whoever loves wine and rich food will never be wealthy.
18 Wicked people will suffer instead of good people.
And those who cannot be trusted will suffer instead of those who can.
19 It is better to live alone in the desert
than with a quarreling and complaining wife.
20 Wise people store up the best foods and olive oil.
But a foolish person eats up everything he has.
21 A person who tries to live right and be loyal
finds life, success and honor.
22 A wise person can defeat a city full of strong men.
He can tear down the defenses they trust.
23 A person who is careful about what he says
keeps himself out of trouble.
24 People who act with stubborn pride
are called “proud” and “bragger.”
25 The lazy person’s desire for sleep will kill him
because he refuses to work.
26 All day long the lazy person wishes for more.
But the good person gives without holding back.
27 The Lord hates sacrifices made by evil people,
particularly when they make them for the wrong reasons.
28 The words of a lying witness will die.
But the words of an obedient man will always be remembered.
29 A wicked person is stubborn.
But an honest person thinks carefully about what he does.
30 There is no wisdom, understanding or advice
that can succeed against the Lord.
31 You can get the horses ready for battle.
But it is the Lord who gives the victory.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.