Proverbs 19-21

Proverbs 19

¹ Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and a fool.

¹ 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 go unpunished, nor will a liar escape.

⁶ Many seek favors from a ruler; everyone is the friend of a person who gives gifts!

⁷ 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.

⁸ To acquire wisdom is to love yourself; people who cherish understanding will prosper.

⁹ A false witness will not go unpunished, and a liar will be destroyed.

¹⁰ It isn’t right for a fool to live in luxury or for a slave to rule over princes!

¹¹ Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.

¹² The king’s anger is like a lion’s roar, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

¹³ A foolish child is a calamity to a father; a quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping.

¹⁴ Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the Lord can give an understanding wife.

¹⁵ Lazy people sleep soundly, but idleness leaves them hungry.

¹⁶ Keep the commandments and keep your life; despising them leads to death.

¹⁷ If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—and he will repay you!

¹⁸ Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives.

¹⁹ Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty. If you rescue them once, you will have to do it again.

²⁰ Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.

²¹ You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

²² Loyalty makes a person attractive. It is better to be poor than dishonest.

²³ Fear of the Lord leads to life, bringing security and protection from harm.

²⁴ Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.

²⁵ If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded will learn a lesson; if you correct the wise, they will be all the wiser.

²⁶ Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother are an embarrassment and a public disgrace.

²⁷ If you stop listening to instruction, my child, you will turn your back on knowledge.

²⁸ A corrupt witness makes a mockery of justice; the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.

²⁹ Punishment is made for mockers, and the backs of fools are made to be beaten.

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Proverbs 20

¹ Wine produces mockers; alcohol leads to brawls. Those led astray by drink cannot be wise.

² The king’s fury is like a lion’s roar; to rouse his anger is to risk your life.

³ Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling.

⁴ Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest.

⁵ Though good advice lies deep within the heart, a person with understanding will draw it out.

⁶ Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?

⁷ The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them.

⁸ When a king sits in judgment, he weighs all the evidence, distinguishing the bad from the good.

⁹ Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart; I am pure and free from sin”?

¹⁰ False weights and unequal measures—the Lord detests double standards of every kind.

¹¹ Even children are known by the way they act, whether their conduct is pure, and whether it is right.

¹² Ears to hear and eyes to see—both are gifts from the Lord.

¹³ If you love sleep, you will end in poverty. Keep your eyes open, and there will be plenty to eat!

¹⁴ The buyer haggles over the price, saying, “It’s worthless,” then brags about getting a bargain!

¹⁵ Wise words are more valuable than much gold and many rubies.

¹⁶ Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt. Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.

¹⁷ Stolen bread tastes sweet, but it turns to gravel in the mouth.

¹⁸ Plans succeed through good counsel; don’t go to war without wise advice.

¹⁹ A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don’t hang around with chatterers.

²⁰ If you insult your father or mother, your light will be snuffed out in total darkness.

²¹ An inheritance obtained too early in life is not a blessing in the end.

²² Don’t say, “I will get even for this wrong.” Wait for the Lord to handle the matter.

²³ The Lord detests double standards; he is not pleased by dishonest scales.

²⁴ The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?

²⁵ Don’t trap yourself by making a rash promise to God and only later counting the cost.

²⁶ A wise king scatters the wicked like wheat, then runs his threshing wheel over them.

²⁷ The Lord’s light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive.

²⁸ Unfailing love and faithfulness protect the king; his throne is made secure through love.

²⁹ The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old.

³⁰ Physical punishment cleanses away evil; such discipline purifies the heart.

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Proverbs 21

¹ The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases.

² People may be right in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their heart.

¹ The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices.

¹ Haughty eyes, a proud heart, and evil actions are all sin.

⁵ Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.

⁶ Wealth created by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap.

⁷ The violence of the wicked sweeps them away, because they refuse to do what is just.

⁸ The guilty walk a crooked path; the innocent travel a straight road.

⁹ It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home.

¹⁰ Evil people desire evil; their neighbors get no mercy from them.

¹¹ If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded become wise; if you instruct the wise, they will be all the wiser.

¹² The Righteous One knows what is going on in the homes of the wicked; he will bring disaster on them.

¹³ Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.

¹⁴ A secret gift calms anger; a bribe under the table pacifies fury.

¹⁵ Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers.

¹⁶ The person who strays from common sense will end up in the company of the dead.

¹⁷ Those who love pleasure become poor; those who love wine and luxury will never be rich.

¹⁸ The wicked are punished in place of the godly, and traitors in place of the honest.

¹⁹ It’s better to live alone in the desert than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife.

²⁰ The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get.

²¹ Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor.

²² The wise conquer the city of the strong and level the fortress in which they trust.

²³ Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.

²⁴ Mockers are proud and haughty; they act with boundless arrogance.

²⁵ Despite their desires, the lazy will come to ruin, for their hands refuse to work.

²⁶ Some people are always greedy for more, but the godly love to give!

²⁷ The sacrifice of an evil person is detestable, especially when it is offered with wrong motives.

²⁸ A false witness will be cut off, but a credible witness will be allowed to speak.

²⁹ The wicked bluff their way through, but the virtuous think before they act.

³⁰ No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the Lord.

³¹ The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.