Proverbs 19–21

Better the poor whose walk is blameless

than a fool whose lips are perverse.ⁱ

Desire without knowledge is not good—

how much more will hasty feet miss the way!^j

One’s own folly^k leads to ruin,

yet the heart rages against the Lord.^l

Wealth attracts many friends,

but even the closest friends of the poor desert them.^m

A false witnessⁿ will not go unpunished,^o

and whoever pours out lies will not go free.^p

Many curry favor with a ruler,^q

and everyone is the friend of one who gives gifts.^r

The poor are shunned by all their relatives—

how much more do their friends avoid them!^s

Though they pursue them with pleading,

they are nowhere to be found.^t

Those who get wisdom love their own lives;

those who cherish understanding will soon prosper.^u

A false witness will not go unpunished,

and whoever pours out lies will perish.^v

It is not fitting for a fool^w to live in luxury—

how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!^x

A person’s wisdom yields patience;^y

it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.

A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion,^z

but his favor is like dew^a on the grass.^b

A foolish child is a father’s ruin,^c

and a quarrelsome wife is like

the constant dripping of a leaky roof.^d

Houses and wealth are inherited from parents,^e

but a prudent wife is from the Lord.^f

Laziness brings on deep sleep,

and the shiftless go hungry.^g

Those who obey instructions preserve their lives,

but those who are contemptuous of their ways will die.^h

Those who are kind to the poor lend to the Lord,ⁱ

and he will reward them for what they have done.^j

Discipline your children, for in that there is hope;

do not be a willing party to their death.^k

The hot-tempered must pay the penalty;

rescue them, and you will have to do it again.

Listen to advice and accept discipline,^l

and at the end you will be counted among the wise.^m

Many are the plans in a human heart,

but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.ⁿ

What a person desires is unfailing love;

better to be poor than a liar.

The fear of the Lord leads to life;

then one rests content, untouched by trouble.^o

Sluggards bury their hands in the dish

and will not even bring them back to their mouths!^p

Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence;

rebuke the discerning,^q and they will gain knowledge.^r

Whoever robs their father and drives out their mother^s

is a child who brings shame and disgrace.

Stop listening to instruction, my child,^t

and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

A corrupt witness mocks at justice,

and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.^u

Penalties are prepared for mockers,

and beatings for the backs of fools.^v

Wine^w is a mocker^x and beer a brawler;

whoever is led astray^y by them is not wise.^z

A king’s wrath strikes terror like the roar of a lion;^a

those who anger him forfeit their lives.^b

It is to one’s honor to avoid strife,

but every fool^c is quick to quarrel.^d

Sluggards^e do not plow in season;

so at harvest time they look but find nothing.^f

The purposes of the human heart are deep waters,^g

but those who have insight draw them out.

Many claim to have unfailing love,

but a faithful person who can find?^h

The righteous lead blameless lives;ⁱ

blessed are their children after them.^j

When a king sits on his throne to judge,^k

he winnows out all evil with his eyes.^l

Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure;^m

I am clean and without sin”?ⁿ

Differing weights and differing measures—

the Lord detests them both.^o

Even small children are known by their actions,

so is their conduct really pure^p and upright?

Ears that hear and eyes that see—

the Lord has made them both.^q

Do not love sleep or you will grow poor;^r

stay awake and you will have food to spare.

“It’s no good, it’s no good!” says the buyer—

then goes off and boasts about the purchase.

Gold there is, and rubies in abundance,

but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.

Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;

hold it in pledge^s if it is done for an outsider.^t

Food gained by fraud tastes sweet,^u

but one ends up with a mouth full of gravel.^v

Plans are established by seeking advice;

so if you wage war, obtain guidance.^w

A gossip betrays a confidence;^x

so avoid anyone who talks too much.

If you curse your father or mother,^y

your lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.^z

An inheritance claimed too soon

will not be blessed at the end.

Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!”^a

Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you.^b

The Lord detests differing weights,

and dishonest scales do not please him.^c

A person’s steps are directed^d by the Lord.^e

How then can anyone understand their own way?^f

It is a trap to dedicate something rashly

and only later to consider one’s vows.^g

A wise king winnows out the wicked;

he drives the threshing wheel over them.^h

The human spirit is the lamp of the Lordⁱ

that sheds light on one’s inmost being.^j

Love and faithfulness keep a king safe;

through love^k his throne is made secure.^l

The glory of young men is their strength,

gray hair the splendor of the old.^m

Blows and wounds cleanseⁿ away evil,

and beatings^o purge the inmost being.

In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water

that he channels toward all who please him.^p

People may think all their ways are right,

but the Lord weighs the heart.^q

To do what is right and just

is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.^r

Haughty eyes^s and a proud heart—

the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin.

The plans of the diligent lead to profit^t

as surely as haste leads to poverty.

A fortune made by a lying tongue

is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.^u

The violence of the wicked will drag them away,^v

for they refuse to do what is right.

The way of the guilty is devious,^w

but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

Better to live on a corner of the roof

than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.^x

The wicked crave evil;

their neighbors get no mercy from them.

When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom;

by paying attention to the wise they get knowledge.^y

The Righteous One takes note of the house of the wicked

and brings the wicked to ruin.^z

Those who shut their ears to the cry of the poor

will also cry out^a and not be answered.^b

A gift given in secret soothes anger,

and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.^c

When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous

but terror to evildoers.^d

Whoever strays from the path of prudence

comes to rest in the company of the dead.^e

Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;

whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich.^f

The wicked become a ransom^g for the righteous,

and the unfaithful for the upright.

Better to live in a desert

than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.^h

The wise store up choice food and oil,

but fools gulp theirs down.

Whoever pursues righteousness and love

finds life, prosperityⁱ and honor.^j

One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty^k

and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.

Those who guard their mouths^l and their tongues

keep themselves from calamity.^m

The proud and arrogantⁿ—“Mocker” is their name;

they behave with insolent fury.

The craving of sluggards will be the death of them,^o

because their hands refuse to work.

All day long they crave for more,

but the righteous^p give without sparing.^q

The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable^r—

how much more so when brought with evil intent!^s

Those who give false witness^t will perish,^u

but a careful listener will testify successfully.

The wicked put up a bold front,

but the upright give thought to their ways.^v

There is no wisdom,^w no insight, no plan

that can succeed against the Lord.^x

The horse is made ready for the day of battle,

but victory rests with the Lord.^y