Proverbs 19

₁It's better to be poor

and live right

than to be a stupid liar.

₂Willingness and stupidity

don't go well together.

If you are too eager,

you will miss the road.

₃We are ruined

by our own stupidity,

though we blame the LORD.

₄The rich have many friends;

the poor have none.

₅Dishonest witnesses and liars

won't escape punishment.

₆Everyone tries to be friends

of those who can help them.

₇If you are poor,

your own relatives reject you,

and your friends are worse.

When you really need them,

they are not there.

₈Do yourself a favour

by having good sense—

you will be glad you did.

₉Dishonest witnesses and liars

will be destroyed.

₁₀It isn't right for a fool

to live in luxury

or for a slave to rule

in place of a king.

₁₁It's wise to be patient

and show what you are like

by forgiving others.

₁₂An angry king roars

like a lion,

but when a king is pleased,

it's like dew on the crops.

₁₃A foolish son brings disgrace

to his father.

A nagging wife goes on and on

like the drip, drip, drip

of the rain.

₁₄You may inherit all you own

from your parents,

but a sensible wife

is a gift from the LORD.

₁₅If you are lazy

and sleep your time away,

you will starve.

₁₆Obey the Lord's teachings

and you will live—

disobey and you will die.

₁₇Caring for the poor

is lending to the LORD,

and you will be well repaid.

₁₈Correct your children

before it's too late;

if you don't punish them,

you are destroying them.

₁₉People with bad tempers

are always in trouble,

and they need help

over and over again.

₂₀Pay attention to advice

and accept correction,

so you can live sensibly.

₂₁We may make a lot of plans,

but the LORD will do

what he has decided.

₂₂What matters most is loyalty.

It's better to be poor

than to be a liar.

₂₃Showing respect to the LORD

brings true life—

if you do it, you can relax

without fear of danger.

₂₄Some people are too lazy

to lift a hand

to feed themselves.

₂₅Stupid fools learn good sense

by seeing others punished;

a sensible person learns

by being corrected.

₂₆Children who bring disgrace

rob their father

and chase their mother away.

₂₇If you stop learning,

you will forget

what you already know.

₂₈A lying witness makes fun

of the court system,

and criminals think crime

is really delicious.

₂₉Every stupid fool

is just waiting

to be punished.