Proverbs 19

¹Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity

than a man who is perverse in speech, and is a fool.

²It is not good for a man to be without knowledge,

and he who makes haste with his feet misses his way.

³When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin,

his heart rages against the Lord.

⁴Wealth brings many new friends,

but a poor man is deserted by his friend.

⁵A false witness will not go unpunished,

and he who utters lies will not escape.

⁶Many seek the favor of a generous man,

and every one is a friend to a man who gives gifts.

⁷All a poor man’s brothers hate him;

how much more do his friends go far from him!

He pursues them with words, but does not have them.

⁸He who gets wisdom loves himself;

he who keeps understanding will prosper.

⁹A false witness will not go unpunished,

and he who utters lies will perish.

¹⁰It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury,

much less for a slave to rule over princes.

¹¹Good sense makes a man slow to anger,

and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

¹²A king’s wrath is like the growling of a lion,

but his favor is like dew upon the grass.

¹³A foolish son is ruin to his father,

and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.

¹⁴House and wealth are inherited from fathers,

but a prudent wife is from the Lord.

¹⁵Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep,

and an idle person will suffer hunger.

¹⁶He who keeps the commandment keeps his life;

he who despises the word will die.

¹⁷He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,

and he will repay him for his deed.

¹⁸Discipline your son while there is hope;

do not set your heart on his destruction.

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 for the future.

²¹Many are the plans in the mind of a man,

but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established.

²²What is desired in a man is loyalty,

and a poor man is better than a liar.

²³The fear of the Lord leads to life;

and he who has it rests satisfied;

he will not be visited by harm.

²⁴The sluggard buries his hand in the dish,

and will not even bring it back to his mouth.

²⁵Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence;

reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.

²⁶He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother

is a son who causes shame and brings reproach.

²⁷Cease, my son, to hear instruction

only to stray from the words of knowledge.

²⁸A worthless witness mocks at justice,

and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.

²⁹Condemnation is ready for scoffers,

and flogging for the backs of fools.