Proverbs 19

Better to be poor and honest
    than a rich person no one can trust.

Better to be poor and honest
    than to be dishonest and a fool.

Ignorant zeal is worthless;
    haste makes waste.

Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good;
    haste makes mistakes.

People ruin their lives by their own stupidity,
    so why does God always get blamed?

People ruin their lives by their own foolishness
    and then are angry at the Lord.

Wealth attracts friends as honey draws flies,
    but poor people are avoided like a plague.

Wealth makes many “friends”;
    poverty drives them all away.

Perjury won’t go unpunished.
    Would you let a liar go free?

A false witness will not go unpunished,
    nor will a liar escape.

Lots of people flock around a generous person;
    everyone’s a friend to the philanthropist.

Many seek favors from a ruler;
    everyone is the friend of a person who gives gifts!

When you’re down on your luck, even your family avoids you—
    yes, even your best friends wish you’d get lost.
If they see you coming, they look the other way—
    out of sight, out of mind.

The relatives of the poor despise them;
    how much more will their friends avoid them!
Though the poor plead with them,
    their friends are gone.

Grow a wise heart—you’ll do yourself a favor;
    keep a clear head—you’ll find a good life.

To acquire wisdom is to love yourself;
    people who cherish understanding will prosper.

The person who tells lies gets caught;
    the person who spreads rumors is ruined.

A false witness will not go unpunished,
    and a liar will be destroyed.

Blockheads shouldn’t live on easy street
    any more than workers should give orders to their boss.

It isn’t right for a fool to live in luxury
    or for a slave to rule over princes!

Smart people know how to hold their tongue;
    their grandeur is to forgive and forget.

Sensible people control their temper;
    they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.

Mean-tempered leaders are like mad dogs;
    the good-natured are like fresh morning dew.

The king’s anger is like a lion’s roar,
    but his favor is like dew on the grass.

A parent is worn to a frazzle by a stupid child;
    a nagging spouse is a leaky faucet.

A foolish child^[a] is a calamity to a father;
    a quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping.

House and land are handed down from parents,
    but a congenial spouse comes straight from God.

Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth,
    but only the Lord can give an understanding wife.

Life collapses on loafers;
    lazybones go hungry.

Lazy people sleep soundly,
    but idleness leaves them hungry.

Keep the rules and keep your life;
    careless living kills.

Keep the commandments and keep your life;
    despising them leads to death.

Mercy to the needy is a loan to God,
    and God pays back those loans in full.

If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—
    and he will repay you!

Discipline your children while you still have the chance;
    indulging them destroys them.

Discipline your children while there is hope.
    Otherwise you will ruin their lives.

Let angry people endure the backlash of their own anger;
    if you try to make it better, you’ll only make it worse.

Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty.
    If you rescue them once, you will have to do it again.

Take good counsel and accept correction—
    that’s the way to live wisely and well.

Get all the advice and instruction you can,
    so you will be wise the rest of your life.

We humans keep brainstorming options and plans,
    but God’s purpose prevails.

You can make many plans,
    but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

It’s only human to want to make a buck,
    but it’s better to be poor than a liar.

Loyalty makes a person attractive.
    It is better to be poor than dishonest.

Fear-of-God is life itself,
    a full life, and serene—no nasty surprises.

Fear of the Lord leads to life,
    bringing security and protection from harm.

Some people dig a fork into the pie
    but are too lazy to raise it to their mouth.

Lazy people take food in their hand
    but don’t even lift it to their mouth.

Punish the insolent—make an example of them.
    Who knows? Somebody might learn a good lesson.

If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded will learn a lesson;
    if you correct the wise, they will be all the wiser.

Kids who lash out against their parents
    are an embarrassment and disgrace.

Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother
    are an embarrassment and a public disgrace.

If you quit listening, dear child, and strike off on your own,
    you’ll soon be out of your depth.

If you stop listening to instruction, my child,
    you will turn your back on knowledge.

An unprincipled witness desecrates justice;
    the mouths of the wicked spew malice.

A corrupt witness makes a mockery of justice;
    the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.

The irreverent have to learn reverence the hard way;
    only a slap in the face brings fools to attention.