Proverbs 19–21

19It is better to be poor but honest than to be a lying fool.

²Enthusiasm without knowledge is not good; impatience will get you into trouble.

³Some people ruin themselves by their own stupid actions and then blame the Lord.

⁴Rich people are always finding new friends, but the poor cannot keep the few they have.

⁵If you tell lies in court, you will be punished—there will be no escape.

⁶Everyone tries to gain the favour of important people; everyone claims the friendship of those who give out favours.

⁷Even the relatives of a poor person have no use for him; no wonder he has no friends. No matter how hard he tries, he cannot win any.^g

⁸Do yourself a favour and learn all you can; then remember what you learn and you will prosper.

⁹No one who tells lies in court can escape punishment; he is doomed.

¹⁰Fools should not live in luxury, and slaves should not rule over noblemen.

¹¹If you are sensible, you will control your temper. When someone wrongs you, it is a great virtue to ignore it.

¹²The king’s anger is like the roar of a lion, but his favour is like welcome rain.

¹³Stupid children can bring their parents to ruin. A nagging wife is like water going drip-drip-drip.

¹⁴A man can inherit a house and money from his parents, but only the Lord can give him a sensible wife.

¹⁵Be lazy if you want to; sleep on, but you will go hungry.

¹⁶Keep God’s laws and you will live longer; if you ignore them, you will die.

¹⁷When you give to the poor, it is like lending to the Lord, and the Lord will pay you back.

¹⁸Discipline your children while they are young enough to learn. If you don’t, you are helping them to destroy themselves.^h

¹⁹If someone has a hot temper, let him take the consequences. If you get him out of trouble once, you will have to do it again.ⁱ

²⁰If you listen to advice and are willing to learn, one day you will be wise.

²¹People may plan all kinds of things, but the Lord’s will is going to be done.

²²It is a disgrace to be greedy;^j poor people are better off than liars.

²³Obey the Lord and you will live a long life, content and safe from harm.

²⁴Some people are too lazy to put food in their own mouths.

²⁵Arrogance should be punished, so that people who don’t know any better can learn a lesson. If you are wise, you will learn when you are corrected.

²⁶Only a shameful, disgraceful person would ill-treat his father or turn his mother away from his home.

²⁷Son, when you stop learning, you will soon neglect what you already know.

²⁸There is no justice where a witness is determined to hurt someone. Wicked people love the taste of evil.

²⁹A conceited fool is sure to get a beating.

20Drinking too much makes you loud and foolish. It’s stupid to get drunk.

²Fear an angry king as you would a growling lion; making him angry is suicide.

³Any fool can start arguments; the honourable thing is to stay out of them.

⁴A farmer who is too lazy to plough his fields at the right time will have nothing to harvest.

⁵A person’s thoughts are like water in a deep well, but someone with insight can draw them out.

⁶Everyone talks about how loyal and faithful he is, but just try to find someone who really is!

⁷Children are fortunate if they have a father who is honest and does what is right.

⁸The king sits in judgement and knows evil when he sees it.

⁹Can anyone really say that his conscience is clear, that he has got rid of his sin?

¹⁰The Lord hates people who use dishonest weights and measures.

¹¹Even children show what they are by what they do; you can tell if they are honest and good.

¹²The Lord has given us eyes to see with and ears to listen with.

¹³If you spend your time sleeping, you will be poor. Keep busy and you will have plenty to eat.

¹⁴The customer always complains that the price is too high, but then he goes off and brags about the bargain he got.

¹⁵If you know what you are talking about, you have something more valuable than gold or jewels.

¹⁶Anyone stupid enough to promise to be responsible for a stranger’s debts ought to have his own property held to guarantee payment.

¹⁷What you get by dishonesty you may enjoy like the finest food, but sooner or later it will be like a mouthful of sand.

¹⁸Get good advice and you will succeed; don’t go charging into battle without a plan.

¹⁹A gossip can never keep a secret. Stay away from people who talk too much.

²⁰If you curse your parents, your life will end like a lamp that goes out in the dark.

²¹The more easily you get your wealth, the less good it will do you.

²²Don’t take it on yourself to repay a wrong. Trust the Lord and he will make it right.

²³The Lord hates people who use dishonest scales and weights.

²⁴The Lord has determined our path; how then can anyone understand the direction his own life is taking?

²⁵Think carefully before you promise an offering to God. You might regret it later.

²⁶A wise king will find out who is doing wrong, and will punish him without pity.

²⁷The Lord gave us mind and conscience; we cannot hide from ourselves.

²⁸A king will remain in power as long as his rule is honest, just, and fair.

²⁹We admire the strength of youth and respect the grey hair of age.

³⁰Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways.

21The Lord controls the mind of a king as easily as he directs the course of a stream.

²You may think that everything you do is right, but remember that the Lord judges your motives.

³Do what is right and fair; that pleases the Lord more than bringing him sacrifices.

⁴Wicked people are controlled by their conceit and arrogance, and this is sinful.

⁵Plan carefully and you will have plenty; if you act too quickly, you will never have enough.

⁶The riches you get by dishonesty soon disappear, but not before they lead you into the jaws of death.

⁷The wicked are doomed by their own violence; they refuse to do what is right.

⁸Guilty people walk a crooked path; the innocent do what is right.

⁹Better to live on the roof than share the house with a nagging wife.

¹⁰Wicked people are always hungry for evil; they have no mercy on anyone.

¹¹When someone who is conceited gets his punishment, even an unthinking person learns a lesson. One who is wise will learn from what he is taught.

¹²God, the righteous one, knows what goes on in the homes of the wicked, and he will bring the wicked down to ruin.

¹³If you refuse to listen to the cry of the poor, your own cry for help will not be heard.

¹⁴If someone is angry with you, a gift given secretly will calm him down.

¹⁵When justice is done, good people are happy, but evil people are brought to despair.

¹⁶Death is waiting for anyone who wanders away from good sense.

¹⁷Indulging in luxuries, wine, and rich food will never make you wealthy.

¹⁸The wicked bring on themselves the suffering they try to cause good people.

¹⁹Better to live out in the desert than with a nagging, complaining wife.

²⁰Wise people live in wealth and luxury, but stupid people spend their money as fast as they get it.

²¹Be kind and honest and you will live a long life; others will respect you and treat you fairly.

²²A shrewd general can take a city defended by strong men, and destroy the walls they relied on.

²³If you want to stay out of trouble, be careful what you say.

²⁴Show me a conceited person and I will show you someone who is arrogant, proud, and inconsiderate.

²⁵Lazy people who refuse to work are only killing themselves; ²⁶all they do is think about what they would like to have. The righteous, however, can give, and give generously.

²⁷The Lord hates it when wicked people offer him sacrifices, especially if they do it from evil motives.

²⁸The testimony of a liar is not believed, but the word of someone who thinks matters through is accepted.

²⁹Righteous people are sure of themselves; the wicked have to pretend as best they can.

³⁰Human wisdom, brilliance, insight—they are of no help if the Lord is against you.

³¹You can get horses ready for battle, but it is the Lord who gives victory.