Proverbs 19

19It is better to be poor and honest

than to be foolish and tell lies.

²Enthusiasm without knowledge is not good.

If you act too quickly, you might make a mistake.

³People’s own foolishness ruins their lives,

but in their minds they blame the Lord.

⁴Wealthy people are always finding more friends,

but the poor lose all theirs.

⁵A witness who lies will not go free;

liars will never escape.

⁶Many people want to please a leader,

and everyone is friends with those who give gifts.

⁷Poor people’s relatives avoid them;

even their friends stay far away.

They run after them, begging,

but they are gone.

⁸Those who get wisdom do themselves a favor,

and those who love learning will succeed.

⁹A witness who lies will not go free,

liars will die.

¹⁰A fool should not live in luxury.

A slave should not rule over princes.

¹¹The wise are patient;

they will be honored if they ignore insults.

¹²An angry king is like a roaring lion,

but his kindness is like the dew on the grass.

¹³A foolish child brings disaster to a father,

and a quarreling wife is like dripping water.

¹⁴Houses and wealth are inherited from parents,

but a wise wife is a gift from the Lord.

¹⁵Lazy people sleep a lot,

and idle people will go hungry.

¹⁶Those who obey the commands protect themselves,

but those who are careless will die.

¹⁷Being kind to the poor is like lending to the Lord;

he will reward you for what you have done.

¹⁸Correct your children while there is still hope;

do not let them destroy themselves.

¹⁹People with quick tempers will have to pay for it.

If you help them out once, you will have to do it again.

²⁰Listen to advice and accept correction,

and in the end you will be wise.

²¹People can make all kinds of plans,

but only the Lord’s plan will happen.

²²People want others to be loyal,

so it is better to be poor than to be a liar.

²³Those who respect the Lord will live

and be satisfied, unbothered by trouble.

²⁴Though the lazy person puts his hand in the dish,

he won’t lift the food to his mouth.

²⁵Whip those who make fun of wisdom, and perhaps foolish people will gain some wisdom.

Correct those with understanding, and they will gain knowledge.

²⁶A child who robs his father and sends away his mother

brings shame and disgrace on himself.

²⁷Don’t stop listening to correction, my child,

or you will forget what you have already learned.

²⁸An evil witness makes fun of fairness,

and wicked people love what is evil.

²⁹People who make fun of wisdom will be punished,

and the backs of foolish people will be beaten.