Proverbs 19

Better poor and honest

Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and a fool.a ²Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes.b ³People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.

⁴Wealth makes many “friends”; poverty drives them all away. ⁵A false witness will not go unpunished, nor will a liar escape. ⁶Many seek favors from a ruler; everyone is the friend of a person who gives gifts!

⁷The relatives of the poor despise them; how much more will their friends avoid them! Though the poor plead with them, their friends are gone. ⁸To acquire wisdom is to love yourself; people who cherish understanding will prosper.c ⁹A false witness will not go unpunished, and a liar will be destroyed.

¹⁰It isn’t right for a fool to live in luxury or for a slave to rule over princes! ¹¹Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.d ¹²The king’s anger is like a lion’s roar, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

¹³A foolish child is a calamity to a father; a quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping. ¹⁴Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the Lord can give an understanding wife.e ¹⁵Lazy people sleep soundly, but idleness leaves them hungry.f

¹⁶Keep the commandments and keep your life; despising them leads to death.g ¹⁷If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord— and he will repay you!h ¹⁸Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives.i

¹⁹Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty. If you rescue them once, you will have to do it again. ²⁰Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.j ²¹You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.k

²²Loyalty makes a person attractive. It is better to be poor than dishonest. ²³Fear of the Lord leads to life, bringing security and protection from harm.l ²⁴Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.

²⁵If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded will learn a lesson; if you correct the wise, they will be all the wiser. ²⁶Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother are an embarrassment and a public disgrace. ²⁷If you stop listening to instruction, my child, you will turn your back on knowledge.

²⁸A corrupt witness makes a mockery of justice; the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil. ²⁹Punishment is made for mockers, and the backs of fools are made to be beaten.