Proverbs 19–21

Chapter 19

¹Better to be poor and honest

than to be dishonest and a fool.

²Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good;

haste makes mistakes.

³People ruin their lives by their own foolishness

and then are angry at the Lord.

⁴Wealth makes many “friends”;

poverty drives them all away.

⁵A false witness will not go unpunished,

nor will a liar escape.

⁶Many seek favors from a ruler;

Everyone is the friend of a person who gives gifts!

⁷The relatives of the poor despise them;

how much more will their friends avoid them!

Though the poor plead with them,

their friends are gone.

⁸To acquire wisdom is to love yourself;

people who cherish understanding will prosper.

⁹A false witness will not go unpunished,

and a liar will be destroyed.

¹⁰It isn’t right for a fool to live in luxury

or for a slave to rule over princes!

¹¹Sensible people control their temper;

they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.

¹²The king’s anger is like a lion’s roar,

but his favor is like dew on the grass.

¹³A foolish child is a calamity to a father;

a quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping.

¹⁴Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth,

but only the Lord can give an understanding wife.

¹⁵Lazy people sleep soundly,

but idleness leaves them hungry.

¹⁶Keep the commandments and keep your life;

despising them leads to death.

¹⁷If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—

and he will repay you!

¹⁸Discipline your children while there is hope.

Otherwise you will ruin their lives.

¹⁹Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty.

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

²⁰Get all the advice and instruction you can,

so you will be wise the rest of your life.

²¹You can make many plans,

but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

²²Loyalty makes a person attractive.

It is better to be poor than dishonest.

²³Fear of the Lord leads to life,

bringing security and protection from harm.

²⁴Lazy people take food in their hand

but don’t even lift it to their mouth.

²⁵If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded will learn a lesson;

if you correct the wise, they will be all the wiser.

²⁶Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother

are an embarrassment and a public disgrace.

²⁷If you stop listening to instruction, my child,

you will turn your back on knowledge.

²⁸A corrupt witness makes a mockery of justice;

the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.

²⁹Punishment is made for mockers,

and the backs of fools are made to be beaten.

Chapter 20

¹Wine produces mockers; alcohol leads to brawls.

Those led astray by drink cannot be wise.

²The king’s fury is like a lion’s roar;

to rouse his anger is to risk your life.

³Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor;

only fools insist on quarreling.

⁴Those too lazy to plow in the right season

will have no food at the harvest.

⁵Though good advice lies deep within the heart,

a person with understanding will draw it out.

⁶Many will say they are loyal friends,

but who can find one who is truly reliable?

⁷The godly walk with integrity;

blessed are their children who follow them.

⁸When a king sits in judgment, he weighs all the evidence,

distinguishing the bad from the good.

⁹Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart;

I am pure and free from sin”?

¹⁰False weights and unequal measures—

the Lord detests double standards of every kind.

¹¹Even children are known by the way they act,

whether their conduct is pure, and whether it is right.

¹²Ears to hear and eyes to see—

both are gifts from the Lord.

¹³If you love sleep, you will end in poverty.

Keep your eyes open, and there will be plenty to eat!

¹⁴The buyer haggles over the price, saying, “It’s worthless,”

then brags about getting a bargain!

¹⁵Wise words are more valuable

than much gold and many rubies.

¹⁶Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt.

Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.

¹⁷Stolen bread tastes sweet,

but it turns to gravel in the mouth.

¹⁸Plans succeed through good counsel;

don’t go to war without wise advice.

¹⁹A gossip goes around telling secrets,

so don’t hang around with chatterers.

²⁰If you insult your father or mother,

your light will be snuffed out in total darkness.

²¹An inheritance obtained too early in life

is not a blessing in the end.

²²Don’t say, “I will get even for this wrong.”

Wait for the Lord to handle the matter.

²³The Lord detests double standards;

he is not pleased by dishonest scales.

²⁴The Lord directs our steps,

so why try to understand everything along the way?

²⁵Don’t trap yourself by making a rash promise to God

and only later counting the cost.

²⁶A wise king scatters the wicked like wheat,

then runs his threshing wheel over them.

²⁷The Lord’s light penetrates the human spirit,

exposing every hidden motive.

²⁸Unfailing love and faithfulness protect the king;

his throne is made secure through love.

²⁹The glory of the young is their strength;

the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old.

³⁰Physical punishment cleanses away evil;

such discipline purifies the heart.

Chapter 21

¹The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord;

he guides it wherever he pleases.

²People may be right in their own eyes,

but the Lord examines their heart.

³The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just

than when we offer him sacrifices.

⁴Haughty eyes, a proud heart,

and evil actions are all sin.

⁵Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity,

but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.

⁶Wealth created by a lying tongue

is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap.

⁷The violence of the wicked sweeps them away,

because they refuse to do what is just.

⁸The guilty walk a crooked path;

the innocent travel a straight road.

⁹It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic

than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home.

¹⁰Evil people desire evil;

their neighbors get no mercy from them.

¹¹If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded become wise;

if you instruct the wise, they will be all the wiser.

¹²The Righteous One knows what is going on in the homes of the wicked;

he will bring disaster on them.

¹³Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor

will be ignored in their own time of need.

¹⁴A secret gift calms anger;

a bribe under the table pacifies fury.

¹⁵Justice is a joy to the godly,

but it terrifies evildoers.

¹⁶The person who strays from common sense

will end up in the company of the dead.

¹⁷Those who love pleasure become poor;

those who love wine and luxury will never be rich.

¹⁸The wicked are punished in place of the godly,

and traitors in place of the honest.

¹⁹It’s better to live alone in the desert

than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife.

²⁰The wise have wealth and luxury,

but fools spend whatever they get.

²¹Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love

will find life, righteousness, and honor.

²²The wise conquer the city of the strong

and level the fortress in which they trust.

²³Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut,

and you will stay out of trouble.

²⁴Mockers are proud and haughty;

they act with boundless arrogance.

²⁵Despite their desires, the lazy will come to ruin,

for their hands refuse to work.

²⁶Some people are always greedy for more,

but the godly love to give!

²⁷The sacrifice of an evil person is detestable,

especially when it is offered with wrong motives.

²⁸A false witness will be cut off,

but a credible witness will be allowed to speak.

²⁹The wicked bluff their way through,

but the virtuous think before they act.

³⁰No human wisdom or understanding or plan

can stand against the Lord.

³¹The horse is prepared for the day of battle,

but the victory belongs to the Lord.