Proverbs 19

Chapter 19

On Life and Conduct

^1aBetter is a poor man who ^bwalks in his integrity

Than he who is perverse in ¹speech and is a fool.

²Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge,

And he who hurries ^1ahis footsteps ²errs.

³The ^afoolishness of man ruins his way,

And his heart ^brages against the Lord.

^4aWealth adds many friends,

But a poor man is separated from his friend.

⁵A ^afalse witness will not go unpunished,

And he who ^1btells lies will not escape.

^6aMany will seek the favor of a ¹generous man,

And every man is a friend to him who ^bgives gifts.

⁷All the brothers of a poor man hate him;

How much more do his ^afriends abandon him!

He ^bpursues them with words, but they are ¹gone.

⁸He who gets ¹wisdom loves his own soul;

He who keeps understanding will ^afind good.

⁹A ^afalse witness will not go unpunished,

And he who ¹tells lies will perish.

¹⁰Luxury is ^anot fitting for a fool;

Much less for a ^bslave to rule over princes.

¹¹A man’s ^adiscretion makes him slow to anger,

And it is his glory ^bto overlook a transgression.

¹²The ^aking’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion,

But his favor is like ^bdew on the grass.

¹³A ^afoolish son is destruction to his father,

And the ^bcontentions of a wife are a constant dripping.

¹⁴House and wealth are an ^ainheritance from fathers,

But a prudent wife is from the Lord.

^15aLaziness casts into a deep sleep,

And an idle ¹man will suffer hunger.

¹⁶He who ^akeeps the commandment keeps his soul,

But he who ¹is careless of ²conduct will die.

¹⁷One who ^ais gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord,

And He will repay him for his ^1bgood deed.

^18aDiscipline your son while there is hope,

And do not desire ¹his death.

¹⁹A man of great anger will bear the penalty,

For if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.

^20aListen to counsel and accept discipline,

That you may be wise ¹the rest of your days.

²¹Many ^aplans are in a man’s heart,

But the ^bcounsel of the Lord will stand.

²²What is desirable in a man is his ¹kindness,

And it is better to be a poor man than a liar.

²³The ^1afear of the Lord leads to life,

So that one may sleep ^bsatisfied, ^2cuntouched by evil.

²⁴The ^asluggard buries his hand ^bin the dish,

But will not even bring it back to his mouth.

^25aStrike a scoffer and the ¹naive may become shrewd,

But ^breprove one who has understanding and he will ²gain knowledge.

²⁶He ^awho assaults his father and drives his mother away

Is a shameful and disgraceful son.

²⁷Cease listening, my son, to discipline,

And you will stray from the words of knowledge.

²⁸A rascally witness makes a mockery of justice,

And the mouth of the wicked ^1aspreads iniquity.

²⁹¹Judgments are prepared for ^ascoffers,

And ^bblows for the back of fools.