Proverbs 19–21

^aBetter is the poor ^bthat walketh in his integrity,

^aThan he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.

²Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good;

And ^che that hasteth with his feet, sinneth.

³The foolishness of man ^dperverteth his way:

And ^ehis heart fretteth against the Lord.

^4fWealth maketh many friends;

But ^fthe poor is separated from his neighbour.

^5gA false witness shall not be unpunished,

^gAnd he ^hthat speaketh lies shall not escape.

⁶ⁱMany will ^kintreat the favour of the prince:

And ^levery man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.

^7mAll the brethren of the poor do hate him:

How much more do his friends ⁿgo far from him!

He ^opursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.

⁸He that ^pgetteth wisdom loveth his own soul:

He that keepeth understanding ^qshall find good.

^9gA false witness shall not be unpunished,

^gAnd he ^hthat speaketh lies ^rshall perish.

^10sDelight is not ^tseemly for a fool;

Much less ^ufor a servant to have rule over princes.

^11xThe discretion of a man deferreth his anger;

And it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

¹²The king’s wrath is ^yas the roaring of a lion;

But ^zhis favour is ^aas dew upon the grass.

^13bA foolish son is the calamity of his father:

And ^cthe contentions of a wife are a ^dcontinual dropping.

^14eHouse and riches are the inheritance of fathers:

And a prudent wife is ^ffrom the Lord.

^15gSlothfulness ^hcasteth into a deep sleep;

And an idle soul shall ⁱsuffer hunger.

^16kHe that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul;

But ^khe that despiseth his ways shall die.

^17lHe that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord;

And that which he hath given ^mwill he pay him again.

¹⁸ⁿChasten thy son while there is hope,

And let not ^othy soul spare for his crying.

¹⁹A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment:

For if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again.

²⁰Hear counsel, and receive instruction,

That thou mayest be wise ^pin thy latter end.

^21qThere are many devices in a man’s heart;

Nevertheless ^qthe counsel of the Lord, ^rthat shall stand.

²²The desire of a man is his ^skindness:

And a poor man is better than a liar.

²³The fear of the Lord tendeth ^tto life:

And he that hath it shall ^uabide satisfied;

^xHe shall not be visited with evil.

^24yA ^gslothful man hideth his hand in his ^zbosom,

And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

^25aSmite a ^fscorner, and the simple ^bwill beware:

And ^creprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge.

²⁶He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother,

Is a ^dson that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach.

²⁷Cease, my son, to hear the instruction

That causeth to err from the words of knowledge.

²⁸An ungodly witness scorneth judgment:

And the mouth of the wicked ^edevoureth iniquity.

²⁹Judgments are prepared for ^fscorners,

And ^gstripes ^hfor the back of fools.

XX.^aWine is a ^bmocker, strong drink is raging:

And whosoever ^cis deceived thereby is not wise.

²The fear of a king is ^das the roaring of a lion:

Whoso provoketh him to anger ^esinneth against his own soul.

³It is an honour for a man ^fto cease from strife:

But every fool ^fwill be meddling.

^4gThe sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold;

Therefore shall he ^hbeg in harvest, and ⁱhave nothing.

⁵Counsel in the heart of man is like ^ldeep water;

But a man of understanding will ^mdraw it out.

⁶ⁿMost men will proclaim every one his own goodness:

But a ^ofaithful man who can find?

⁷The just man ^pwalketh in his integrity:

^qHis children are blessed after him.

⁸A ^rking that sitteth in the throne of judgment

^rScattereth away all evil with his eyes.

^9sWho can say, I have made my heart ^tclean,

I am pure from my sin?

^10uDivers weights, and divers measures,

Both of them are alike abomination to the Lord.

¹¹Even a child is ^wknown by his doings,

Whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

^12xThe hearing ear, and the seeing eye,

^yThe Lord hath made even both of them.

^13zLove not sleep, lest thou come to poverty;

^aOpen thine eyes, and thou shalt be ^bsatisfied with bread.

¹⁴It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer:

But when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.

^15cThere is gold, and a multitude of ^drubies:

But the lips of knowledge are a ^eprecious jewel.

^16fTake his garment that is surety for a stranger:

^fAnd ^gtake a pledge of him for a ^hstrange woman.

¹⁷Bread of deceit is sweet to a man;

But afterwards his mouth shall be filled with ⁱgravel.

^18kEvery purpose is established by counsel:

And with ^lgood advice ^mmake war.

¹⁹ⁿHe that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets:

Therefore meddle not with ^ohim that flattereth with his lips.

^20pWhoso curseth his father or his mother,

^qHis lamp shall be ^rput out in ^sobscure darkness.

^21tAn inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning;

But ^uthe end thereof shall not be blessed.

^22xSay not thou, I will recompense evil;

But ^ywait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.

^23zDivers weights are an abomination unto the Lord;

And a false balance is not good.

^24aMan’s goings are of the Lord;

How can a man then understand his own way?

²⁵It is a snare to the man who ^bdevoureth that which is holy,

And ^cafter vows to make inquiry.

²⁶A wise king ^dscattereth the wicked,

And bringeth ^ethe wheel over them.

^27fThe spirit of man is the candle of the Lord,

^gSearching all ^hthe inward parts of the belly.

²⁸ⁱMercy and truth preserve the king:

And ^khis throne is upholden by mercy.

²⁹The glory of young men is their strength:

And ^lthe beauty of old men is the gray head.

^30mThe blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil:

ⁿSo do stripes ^hthe inward parts of the belly.

XXI.The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as ^athe rivers of water:

He ^bturneth it whithersoever he will.

^2cEvery way of a man is right in his own eyes:

But ^dthe Lord ^cpondereth the hearts.

^3eTo do justice and judgment

Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

^4fA high look, and ^ga proud heart,

And the ^hplowing of the wicked, is sin.

⁵The thoughts of ⁱthe diligent tend only to plenteousness;

But of every one that is ^khasty ^lonly to want.

^6mThe getting of treasures by a lying tongue

Is ⁿa vanity ^otossed to and fro of them ^pthat seek death.

⁷The robbery of the wicked shall ^sdestroy them;

Because they refuse to do judgment.

⁸The way of man is froward and strange:

But as for the pure, his work is right.

^9tIt is better to dwell in a ^ucorner of the housetop,

^tThan with a brawling woman in a wide house.

^10yThe soul of the wicked desireth evil:

His neighbour findeth no favour in his eyes.

^11zWhen the scorner is ^apunished, the simple is made wise:

And when the wise ^bis instructed, he receiveth knowledge.

¹²The righteous man ^bcwisely considereth the house of the wicked:

But ^dGod overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness.

^13eWhoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor,

He also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.

^14fA gift in secret pacifieth anger:

And a reward in ^gthe bosom strong wrath.

¹⁵It is joy to the just to do judgment:

^hBut destruction shall be to ⁱthe workers of iniquity.

¹⁶The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding

^jShall remain in the congregation of ^kthe dead.

¹⁷He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man:

He that loveth wine and ^loil shall not be rich.

^18mThe wicked shall be a ⁿransom for the righteous,

And the transgressor for the upright.

^19oIt is better to dwell in the wilderness,

Than with a contentious and an angry woman.

^20pThere is treasure to be desired and ^lqoil in the dwelling of the wise;

But a foolish man ^rspendeth it up.

^21sHe that followeth after righteousness and mercy

^tFindeth life, righteousness, and honour.

^22uA wise man scaleth the city of the mighty,

And casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof.

^23wWhoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue

^xKeepeth his soul ^yfrom troubles.

²⁴Proud and ^zhaughty scorner is his name,

Who dealeth in proud wrath.

^25aThe desire of the slothful killeth him;

For his hands refuse to labour.

²⁶He ^bcoveteth greedily all the day long:

But ^cthe righteous giveth and spareth not.

^27dThe sacrifice of the wicked is abomination:

How much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?

²⁸A false witness shall perish:

But the man that heareth, speaketh ^econstantly.

²⁹A wicked man ^fhardeneth his face:

But as for the upright, he ^gdirecteth his way.

^30hThere is no wisdom nor understanding

Nor counsel against the Lord.

³¹ⁱThe horse is prepared against the day of battle:

But ^ksafety is of the Lord.

XXII.