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19 It is better to be poor and ·honest [L walking in innocence]
than to be foolish and ·tell lies [L have crooked lips].

·Enthusiasm [Desire; Zeal; Passion] without knowledge is not good.
·If you act too quickly, you might make a mistake [L Rushing feet make mistakes].

People’s own foolishness ·ruins their lives [L frustrates their path],
but in their ·minds [L hearts] they ·blame [rage at] the Lord.

Wealthy people are always finding more friends,
but the poor lose all theirs.

A witness who lies will not go ·free [unpunished];
liars will never escape.

Many people ·want to please [L seek the face of] a leader,
and everyone is friends with those who give gifts.

Poor people’s relatives ·avoid [L hate] them;
    ·even [L how much more do] their friends stay far away.
They run after them, begging,
    but they are gone.

Those who ·get wisdom [L acquire heart] ·do themselves a favor [L love themselves],
and those who ·love learning [guard understanding] will succeed.

A witness who lies will not go ·free [unpunished],
liars will ·die [perish].

10 A fool should not live in luxury.
A slave should not rule over princes [Eccl. 10:5–7].

11 The ·wise [insightful] ·are patient [L hold in their anger];
they will be ·honored [praised; glorified] if they ignore ·insults [offenses].

12 An angry king is like a ·roaring [growling] lion,
but his ·kindness [favor] is like the dew on the grass.

13 A foolish ·child [son] ·brings [is a] disaster to a father,
and a ·quarreling [contentious] wife is like ·dripping water [constant dripping].

14 Houses and wealth are inherited from parents,
but a ·wise [insightful] wife is a gift from the Lord.

15 Lazy people ·sleep a lot [L fall into a deep sleep],
and idle people will go hungry.

16 Those who ·obey [guard] the commands ·protect [guard] themselves,
but those who ·are careless [L despise their way] will die.

17 Being ·kind [gracious; generous] to the poor is like lending to the Lord;
he will ·reward you for what you have done [fully repay you].

18 ·Correct [Discipline] your children while there is still hope;
do not ·let them destroy themselves [or be intent to kill them].

19 People with quick tempers will have to pay for it.
If you ·help them out once [rescue them], you will have to do it again.

20 Listen to advice and accept correction,
and in the ·end [future] you will be wise.

21 People can make all kinds of plans,
but only the Lord’s ·plan [purpose; advice] will ·happen [succeed].

22 People ·want [desire] others to be loyal,
so it is better to be poor than to be a liar.

23 Those who ·respect [fear] the Lord will live
and be satisfied, ·unbothered by trouble [sleep well and not experience harm].

24 Though the lazy person ·puts [L buries] his hand in the dish,
he won’t lift the food to his mouth.

25 ·Whip those who make fun of wisdom [L Hit/Strike a mocker], and perhaps ·foolish [naive; immature; simpleminded] people will gain some ·wisdom [prudence].
Correct those with understanding, and they will gain knowledge.

26 A child who ·robs [devastates] his father and ·sends [drives] away his mother
brings shame and disgrace on himself.

27 Don’t stop listening to correction, my child,
or you will ·forget what you have already learned [L wander from knowledgeable speeches/words].

28 An ·evil [worthless] witness ·makes fun of fairness [mocks justice],
and ·wicked people love what is evil [L the mouth of the wicked conveys guilt].

29 ·People who make fun of wisdom will be punished [L Punishments were made for mockers],
and ·the backs of foolish people will be beaten [L blows for the backs of fools].

19 Better the poor whose walk is blameless
    than a fool whose lips are perverse.(A)

Desire without knowledge is not good—
    how much more will hasty feet miss the way!(B)

A person’s own folly(C) leads to their ruin,
    yet their heart rages against the Lord.(D)

Wealth attracts many friends,
    but even the closest friend of the poor person deserts them.(E)

A false witness(F) will not go unpunished,(G)
    and whoever pours out lies will not go free.(H)

Many curry favor with a ruler,(I)
    and everyone is the friend of one who gives gifts.(J)

The poor are shunned by all their relatives—
    how much more do their friends avoid them!(K)
Though the poor pursue them with pleading,
    they are nowhere to be found.[a](L)

The one who gets wisdom loves life;
    the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper.(M)

A false witness will not go unpunished,
    and whoever pours out lies will perish.(N)

10 It is not fitting for a fool(O) to live in luxury—
    how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!(P)

11 A person’s wisdom yields patience;(Q)
    it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.

12 A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion,(R)
    but his favor is like dew(S) on the grass.(T)

13 A foolish child is a father’s ruin,(U)
    and a quarrelsome wife is like
    the constant dripping of a leaky roof.(V)

14 Houses and wealth are inherited from parents,(W)
    but a prudent wife is from the Lord.(X)

15 Laziness brings on deep sleep,
    and the shiftless go hungry.(Y)

16 Whoever keeps commandments keeps their life,
    but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die.(Z)

17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,(AA)
    and he will reward them for what they have done.(AB)

18 Discipline your children, for in that there is hope;
    do not be a willing party to their death.(AC)

19 A hot-tempered person must pay the penalty;
    rescue them, and you will have to do it again.

20 Listen to advice and accept discipline,(AD)
    and at the end you will be counted among the wise.(AE)

21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
    but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.(AF)

22 What a person desires is unfailing love[b];
    better to be poor than a liar.

23 The fear of the Lord leads to life;
    then one rests content, untouched by trouble.(AG)

24 A sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
    he will not even bring it back to his mouth!(AH)

25 Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence;
    rebuke the discerning,(AI) and they will gain knowledge.(AJ)

26 Whoever robs their father and drives out their mother(AK)
    is a child who brings shame and disgrace.

27 Stop listening to instruction, my son,(AL)
    and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

28 A corrupt witness mocks at justice,
    and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.(AM)

29 Penalties are prepared for mockers,
    and beatings for the backs of fools.(AN)

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
  2. Proverbs 19:22 Or Greed is a person’s shame