On Life and Conduct
19 (A)Better is a poor person who (B)walks in his integrity
Than a person who is perverse in [a]speech and is a fool.
2 Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge,
And one who hurries [b](C)his footsteps [c]errs.
3 The (D)foolishness of a person ruins his way,
And his heart (E)rages against the Lord.
4 (F)Wealth adds many friends,
But a poor person is separated from his friend.
5 A (G)false witness will not go unpunished,
And one who (H)declares lies will not escape.
6 (I)Many will seek the favor of a [d]generous person,
And every person is a friend to (J)him who gives gifts.
7 All the brothers of a poor person hate him;
How much more do his (K)friends abandon him!
He (L)pursues them with words, but they are [e]gone.
8 One who gets [f]wisdom loves his own soul;
One who keeps understanding will (M)find good.
9 A (N)false witness will not go unpunished,
And one who declares lies will perish.
10 Luxury is (O)not fitting for a fool;
Much less for a (P)slave to rule over princes.
11 A person’s (Q)discretion makes him slow to anger,
And it is his glory (R)to overlook an offense.
12 A (S)king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion,
But his favor is like (T)dew on the grass.
13 A (U)foolish son is destruction to his father,
And the (V)quarrels of a wife are a constant dripping.
14 House and wealth are an (W)inheritance from fathers,
But a prudent wife is from the Lord.
15 (X)Laziness casts one into a deep sleep,
And [g]a lazy [h]person will suffer hunger.
16 One who (Y)keeps the commandment keeps his soul,
But one who [i]is careless of [j]conduct will die.
17 One who (Z)is gracious to a poor person lends to the Lord,
And He will repay him for his [k](AA)good deed.
18 (AB)Discipline your son while there is hope,
And do not desire [l]his death.
19 A person of great anger will suffer the penalty,
For if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.
20 (AC)Listen to advice and accept discipline,
So that you may be wise [m]the rest of your days.
21 Many (AD)plans are in a person’s heart,
But the (AE)advice of the Lord will stand.
22 What is desirable in a person is his [n]kindness,
And it is better to be a poor person than a liar.
23 [o]The (AF)fear of the Lord leads to life,
So that one may sleep (AG)satisfied, [p](AH)untouched by evil.
24 The [q](AI)lazy one buries his hand (AJ)in the dish,
But will not even bring it back to his mouth.
25 (AK)Strike a scoffer and the naive may become clever,
But (AL)rebuke one who has understanding, and he will [r]gain knowledge.
26 He (AM)who assaults his father and drives his mother away
Is a shameful and disgraceful son.
27 Stop listening, my son, to discipline,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge.
28 A worthless witness makes a mockery of justice,
And the mouth of the wicked [s](AN)swallows wrongdoing.
29 [t]Judgments are prepared for (AO)scoffers,
And (AP)beatings for the backs of fools.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:1 Lit his lips
- Proverbs 19:2 Lit with his feet
- Proverbs 19:2 Lit sins
- Proverbs 19:6 Or noble
- Proverbs 19:7 Lit not
- Proverbs 19:8 Lit heart
- Proverbs 19:15 Lit an idle
- Proverbs 19:15 Lit soul
- Proverbs 19:16 Lit despises
- Proverbs 19:16 Lit ways
- Proverbs 19:17 Or benefits
- Proverbs 19:18 Lit causing him to die
- Proverbs 19:20 Lit in your latter end
- Proverbs 19:22 Or loyalty
- Proverbs 19:23 Or Reverence for
- Proverbs 19:23 Lit not visited
- Proverbs 19:24 Lit idle person
- Proverbs 19:25 Lit discern
- Proverbs 19:28 Another reading is pours out
- Proverbs 19:29 LXX Rods
Cross references
- Proverbs 19:1 : Prov 28:6
- Proverbs 19:1 : Ps 26:11; Prov 14:2; 20:7
- Proverbs 19:2 : Prov 21:5; 28:20; 29:20
- Proverbs 19:3 : Prov 11:3
- Proverbs 19:3 : Is 8:21
- Proverbs 19:4 : Prov 14:20
- Proverbs 19:5 : Ex 23:1; Deut 19:16-19; Prov 19:9; 21:28
- Proverbs 19:5 : Prov 6:19
- Proverbs 19:6 : Prov 29:26
- Proverbs 19:6 : Prov 18:16; 21:14
- Proverbs 19:7 : Ps 38:11
- Proverbs 19:7 : Prov 18:23
- Proverbs 19:8 : Prov 16:20
- Proverbs 19:9 : Prov 19:5; Dan 6:24
- Proverbs 19:10 : Prov 17:7; 26:1; Eccl 10:6, 7
- Proverbs 19:10 : Prov 30:22
- Proverbs 19:11 : Prov 14:29; 16:32
- Proverbs 19:11 : Matt 5:44; Eph 4:32; Col 3:13
- Proverbs 19:12 : Prov 16:14
- Proverbs 19:12 : Gen 27:28; Deut 33:28; Ps 133:3; Hos 14:5; Mic 5:7
- Proverbs 19:13 : Prov 17:25
- Proverbs 19:13 : Prov 21:9, 19; 27:15
- Proverbs 19:14 : 2 Cor 12:14
- Proverbs 19:15 : Prov 6:9, 10; 24:33
- Proverbs 19:16 : Prov 13:13; 16:17; Luke 10:28; 11:28
- Proverbs 19:17 : Deut 15:7, 8; Prov 14:31; 28:27; Eccl 11:1, 2; Matt 10:42; 25:40; 2 Cor 9:6-8; Heb 6:10
- Proverbs 19:17 : Prov 12:14; Luke 6:38
- Proverbs 19:18 : Prov 13:24; 23:13; 29:15, 17
- Proverbs 19:20 : Prov 4:1; 8:33; 12:15
- Proverbs 19:21 : Prov 16:1, 9
- Proverbs 19:21 : Ps 33:10, 11; Is 14:26, 27
- Proverbs 19:23 : Prov 14:27; 1 Tim 4:8
- Proverbs 19:23 : Ps 25:13
- Proverbs 19:23 : Ps 91:10; Prov 12:21
- Proverbs 19:24 : Prov 26:15
- Proverbs 19:24 : Matt 26:23; Mark 14:20
- Proverbs 19:25 : Prov 21:11
- Proverbs 19:25 : Prov 9:8
- Proverbs 19:26 : Prov 28:24
- Proverbs 19:28 : Job 15:16; 20:12, 13; 34:7
- Proverbs 19:29 : Ps 1:1; Prov 9:12
- Proverbs 19:29 : Prov 10:13; 18:6; 26:3