Proverbs 19 - New King James Version (NKJV)

The Fear of the Lord Leads to Life

19 Better (A)is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than one who is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.

2 Also it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge,
And he sins who hastens with his feet.

3 The foolishness of a man twists his way,
And his heart frets against the Lord.

4 (B)Wealth makes many friends,
But the poor is separated from his friend.

5 A (C)false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who speaks lies will not escape.

6 Many entreat the favor of the nobility,
And every man is a friend to one who gives gifts.
7 (D)All the brothers of the poor hate him;
How much more do his friends go (E)far from him!
He may pursue them with words, yet they [a]abandon him.

8 He who gets [b]wisdom loves his own soul;
He who keeps understanding (F)will find good.

9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who speaks lies shall perish.

10 Luxury is not fitting for a fool,
Much less (G)for a servant to rule over princes.

11 (H)The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger,
(I)And his glory is to overlook a transgression.

12 (J)The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion,
But his favor is (K)like dew on the grass.

13 (L)A foolish son is the ruin of his father,
(M)And the contentions of a wife are a continual [c]dripping.

14 (N)Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers,
But (O)a prudent wife is from the Lord.

15 (P)Laziness casts one into a deep sleep,
And an idle person will (Q)suffer hunger.

16 (R)He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul,
But he who [d]is careless of his ways will die.

17 (S)He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord,
And He will pay back what he has given.

18 (T)Chasten your son while there is hope,
And do not set your heart [e]on his destruction.

19 A man of great wrath will suffer punishment;
For if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.

20 Listen to counsel and receive instruction,
That you may be wise (U)in your latter days.

21 There are many plans in a man’s heart,
(V)Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.

22 What is desired in a man is [f]kindness,
And a poor man is better than a liar.

23 (W)The fear of the Lord leads to life,
And he who has it will abide in satisfaction;
He will not be visited with evil.

24 (X)A lazy man buries his hand in the [g]bowl,
And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

25 Strike a scoffer, and the simple (Y)will become wary;
(Z)Rebuke one who has understanding, and he will discern knowledge.

26 He who mistreats his father and chases away his mother
Is (AA)a son who causes shame and brings reproach.

27 Cease listening to instruction, my son,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge.

28 A [h]disreputable witness scorns justice,
And (AB)the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.

29 Judgments are prepared for scoffers,
(AC)And beatings for the backs of fools.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:7 Lit. are not
  2. Proverbs 19:8 Lit. heart
  3. Proverbs 19:13 Irritation
  4. Proverbs 19:16 Is reckless, lit. despises
  5. Proverbs 19:18 Lit. to put him to death; a Jewish tradition on his crying
  6. Proverbs 19:22 Lit. lovingkindness
  7. Proverbs 19:24 LXX, Syr. bosom; Tg., Vg. armpit
  8. Proverbs 19:28 Lit. witness of Belial, worthless witness

Cross references

  1. Proverbs 19:1 : Prov. 28:6
  2. Proverbs 19:4 : Prov. 14:20
  3. Proverbs 19:5 : Ex. 23:1; Deut. 19:16–19; Prov. 6:19; 21:28
  4. Proverbs 19:7 : Prov. 14:20
  5. Proverbs 19:7 : Ps. 38:11
  6. Proverbs 19:8 : Prov. 16:20
  7. Proverbs 19:10 : Prov. 30:21, 22
  8. Proverbs 19:11 : James 1:19
  9. Proverbs 19:11 : Prov. 16:32; [Matt. 5:44]; Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13
  10. Proverbs 19:12 : Prov. 16:14
  11. Proverbs 19:12 : Gen. 27:28; Deut. 33:28; Ps. 133:3; Hos. 14:5; Mic. 5:7
  12. Proverbs 19:13 : Prov. 10:1
  13. Proverbs 19:13 : Prov. 21:9, 19
  14. Proverbs 19:14 : 2 Cor. 12:14
  15. Proverbs 19:14 : Prov. 18:22
  16. Proverbs 19:15 : Prov. 6:9
  17. Proverbs 19:15 : Prov. 10:4
  18. Proverbs 19:16 : Prov. 13:13; 16:17; Luke 10:28; 11:28
  19. Proverbs 19:17 : Deut. 15:7, 8; Job 23:12, 13; Prov. 28:27; Eccl. 11:1; Matt. 10:42; 25:40; [2 Cor. 9:6–8]; Heb. 6:10
  20. Proverbs 19:18 : Prov. 13:24
  21. Proverbs 19:20 : Ps. 37:37
  22. Proverbs 19:21 : Ps. 33:10, 11; Prov. 16:9; Is. 46:10; Heb. 6:17
  23. Proverbs 19:23 : Prov. 14:27; [1 Tim. 4:8]
  24. Proverbs 19:24 : Prov. 15:19
  25. Proverbs 19:25 : Deut. 13:11
  26. Proverbs 19:25 : Prov. 9:8
  27. Proverbs 19:26 : Prov. 17:2
  28. Proverbs 19:28 : Job 15:16
  29. Proverbs 19:29 : Prov. 26:3

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Proverbs 19 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

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Proverbs 19 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

19 Better is a poor man, that goeth in his simpleness, than a rich man biting his lips, and unwise. (Better is a poor person, who goeth in his honesty, or in his integrity, than a rich person biting his lips, and unwise.) 2 Where is not knowing of the soul, there is not good; and he that is hasty, i...
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Proverbs 19 - World English Bible (WEB)

19 Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in his lips and is a fool.2 It isn’t good to have zeal without knowledge, nor being hasty with one’s feet and missing the way.3 The foolishness of man subverts his way; his heart rages against Yahweh.4 Wealth adds many friends,...
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Proverbs 19 - The Voice (VOICE)

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Proverbs 19 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Better to be Poor with Integrity19 Better to be poor, walking with integrity,than be a fool whose lips are corrupt.2 Zeal without knowledge is not good,[a]or to act hastily and miss the way.3 A man’s folly undermines his way,and his heart rages against Adonai.4 Wealth adds many friends,yet a poor ma...
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Proverbs 19 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

19 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a man who is perverse in speech, and is a fool.2 It is not good for a man to be without knowledge, and he who makes haste with his feet misses his way.3 When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord.4 Wealth brings...
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Proverbs 19 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

19 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a man who is perverse in speech, and is a fool.2 It is not good for a man to be without knowledge, and he who makes haste with his feet misses his way.3 When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord.4 Wealth brings...
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Proverbs 19 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

19 Better the poor walking in integrity than one perverse of speech who is a fool.2 Desire without knowledge is not good, and one who moves too hurriedly misses the way.3 One’s own folly leads to ruin, yet the heart rages against the Lord.4 Wealth brings many friends, but the poor are left friendles...
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Proverbs 19 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

19 Better the poor walking in integrity than one perverse of speech who is a fool.(A)2 Desire without knowledge is not good, and one who moves too hurriedly misses the way.3 One’s own folly leads to ruin, yet the heart rages against the Lord.(B)4 Wealth brings many friends, but the poor are left fri...
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Proverbs 19 - New Living Translation (NLT)

19 Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and a fool. 2 Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes. 3 People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord. 4 Wealth makes many “friends”; poverty drives them all away. 5 A false witness will not...
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Proverbs 19 - New Life Version (NLV)

19 A poor man who walks with honor is better than a fool who is sinful in his speaking. 2 It is not good for a person to be without much learning, and he who hurries with his feet rushes into sin. 3 The foolish acts of man make his way bad, and his heart is angry toward the Lord. 4 Riches add many f...
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Proverbs 19 - New King James Version (NKJV)

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19 It is better to be poor and to live without blame than to be foolish and to twist words around. 2 Getting excited about something without knowledge isn’t good. It’s even worse to be in a hurry and miss the way. 3 A person’s own foolish acts destroy their life. But their heart is angry with the Lo...
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